SACCAWU+Media+Release+On+Alleged+COSATU+Leadership+Wrangle

SACCAWU, 19 August 2006
=SACCAWU Media Release On Alleged COSATU Leadership Wrangle, Smear Campaign And Media Alleviation of Individual Personalities or Unions=

It is rather absurd to note that at this advanced stage of our Labour Movement and working class struggle, there still exist faceless media reliable sources on character assassination and selective elevation of the Media “Chosen Politically Correct” individual personalities and trade unions.

Our experience and history has shown how the media is capable of selectively choosing and subsequently plot the demise of media-elevated leadership; and the living examples in South Africa are in abundance. But most of such artificially but hand-picked media darlings are but now statistical and remain in the dustbin of history; hence SACCAWU would caution those who might be used as pawns in this unbecoming conduct or tendency, that seems prevalent in our mass democratic movement, to resist the temptation.

We also are alive to leadership that is detached from the masses that as a result of such tendencies would have no confidence in the voting by the constituency without relying on character assassination and slandering, so as to eliminate contestation, opposition or free and fair competition. Such leaders undermine political consciousness and maturity of workers / masses / electorate, as responsible adults except perhaps looking at them as numbers to vote, hence would at all costs manipulate through whatever the balance of such numbers using in particular issues of morality or corruption given the emotionality of such issues to the disciplined cadres.

We further note with dismay that SACCAWU is alleged to, also, as being part of an alleged slanderous campaign and character assassination against Comrade Zwelinzima Vavi, any other COSATU leader or that of its Affiliated Unions. SACCAWU, its leadership and membership alike, refutes such allegations with the contempt they deserve. The SACCAWU 8th National Congress that developed resolutions, some of which have been submitted for the coming COSATU 9th National Congress, was held in September 2005 and had never mandated anybody nor resolved to enter into the fray of character assassination and slanders of COSATU’s current or any other leadership and would-be-leadership from its 9th National Congress, instead SACCAWU reaffirmed organizational building, strengthening of COSATU, the Alliance and pursuit of the noble struggle towards economic freedom and social emancipation.

The SACCAWU 8th Congress, despite its disappointment on how intervention on Affiliates’ problems had been haphazardly exercised and/or handled by some COSATU leadership, pronounced its confidence in the entire current leaders / NOBs of COSATU as well as with the conviction towards consolidating the implementation of the 2015 programme and sustainability thereof believed that there should be leadership continuity.

SACCAWU does not support slanders that are nakedly meant to manipulate leadership elections; hence it is our contention and submission that if the so-called corruption revelations about Comrade Vavi were anything to go by why same were not addressed, like it is the practice, within COSATU structures, particularly the upcoming 9th Congress? If the Advocates of Anti-Corruption were genuine about such cause, they would at best have initiated the alleged probe a long time ago and/or even after the 8th COSATU National Congress. Workers should not be perceived as Robots or Water taps that are opened and closed at the whims of manipulative individuals, hence we urge that our members deserve command of respect from both such Prophets of Doom and the Media captains.

Across the industries workers are engaged in strikes and serious struggles against capital and in the need of sober COSATU leadership and solidarity. Bosses, like those of Shoprite for instance, are enriching themselves at the expense of the workers, with workers being on their own, right under the nose of the slanderous Movement campaigns whose ultimate is to weaken their (workers’) painstakingly-built Movement.

SACCAWU must not by any stretch of imagination be misconstrued as attacking media or the freedom of press, rather as registering its distaste to the faceless media’s “reliable sources” or opportunists, who have no confidence in the masses and the mass movement, and who instead would without conscience, go all out for their elevation by the media. Their tendencies are destructive and a perfect recipe for stagnation and eventual weakening of our hard-toiled-for Movement – the Congress Movement – as the current fray seems not to be confined within COSATU but well across our beloved Movement. The stagnance or weakness of the Movement is an ultimate setback to the Democracy and the National Democratic Revolution for which many became martyrs. The gallant and selfless contribution of such martyrs must not be in vain.

Our experience has also shown that whenever one has factually accurate, independent and self-reliant information, one would always be in a position to accurately utilise such information, be it for media or organisational purpose; but most if not all the time, those with second hand, manipulated and fabricated information would always throw the gauntlet by mere releasing same as given to them, without even the formation of base and substance and/or testing. And that had always been the problem for “//moles//” and Special Branch-handled informers in the past and has not the slightest hope in Hell to succeed this time around!


 * Issued by SACCAWU on this the 17th day of August 2006 at SACCAWU House, 11 Leyds Street, Braamfontein.**


 * Bones Skulu, General Secretary**


 * Amos Mothapo, President**

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