Cosatu+power+struggles+intensify,+Sthembiso+Msomi,+City+Press

City Press, Johannesburg, 25/11/2006 19:36 - (SA)
=Cosatu power struggles intensify=


 * S’THEMBISO MSOMI**

COSATU president Willie Madisha once claimed that he had received complaints about general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi allegedly sexually harassing an employee of the union federation.

This is just one of the claims contained in an explosive confidential report compiled by five presidents of Cosatu affiliates, who were appointed to probe leadership divisions in the federation ahead of its last national congress in September.

The report, which was presented to Cosatu’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) last week, paints a picture of an organisation fraught with deep divisions and power struggles between its two most senior leaders.

Confidential minutes of the National Office Bearers’ (NOB) meeting held on October 16 reveal that the divisions still run deep within the organisation.

The NOB meeting was attended by Madisha, Vavi, first deputy president Sdumo Dlamini, second deputy president Violet Seboni, treasurer Alina Rantsolase and deputy general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali.

According to the minutes, Madisha came under heavy fire from the others when he tried to stop them from discussing the report from the commission of the five presidents. The others wanted the report to be discussed.

Rantsolase lashed out at Madisha, the minutes show, for telling the commission that she had complained to him about Vavi allegedly sexually harassing a married woman-employee at Cosatu house.

The treasurer had denied making such allegations and, according to the commission’s report, the woman concerned also denied such claims.

The commission ruled that “the allegations made by the president on sexual harassment are therefore unfounded”.

The commission was set up soon after City Press revealed that Vavi and Madisha were involved in a bitter power struggle and that the two of them barely spoke to each other after it emerged that Madisha was investigating allegations that Vavi had abused a Cosatu credit card.

Although Cosatu at the time denied that such an investigation was taking place, the commission does confirm that Madisha conducted the probe, albeit without the mandate of the NOBs.

Vavi told the commission that he had found out about Madisha’s investigation on July 24 when his personal assistant told him that Madisha had instructed her to obtain a copy of travel transactions from Rennies Travel for the previous 12 months.

When Vavi raised the matter at the NOBs meeting, a decision was made that he and Madisha should meet to discuss the president’s concerns.

“The general secretary submitted that there was no abuse of the Cosatu credit cards. According to the president, the treasurer had complained to the first deputy president (at the time, Joe Nkosi) who sent a cellphone text message to the president. In their submissions, both the treasurer and the first deputy president denied these allegations,” the report says.

The report then recommends that the credit card affair should not be investigated further as Madisha’s al legations are “not corroborated”.

Last year’s meeting between Madisha, President Thabo Mbeki and Defence Minister Mosioua Lekota, who is also the ANC’s national chairman, had also contributed to divisions among the NOBs.

Vavi admitted to the commission that Madisha had informed him and two other NOBs before going to the meeting.

He does concede that Madisha gave him a full report-back about the meeting.

The problem, however, was that Madisha had only told the other NOBs via an SMS that he would be having such a meeting and that, on his return he did not report back to them as he was “sworn to secrecy”.

This seems to have led to some of the NOBs believing that Madisha no longer supported Cosatu’s position of backing ANC Deputy President Jacob Zuma in his battles with the state.

“The general secretary further submitted that he and other NOBs noted a change or toning down in the militancy on the part of the president of Cosatu on the question of comrade Zuma as well as other Cosatu positions after meeting with the president and national chairperson of the ANC.

“Even after the general secretary met (Zuma) and went back to clarify the issues to (Madisha), the president of Cosatu still believed what the president of the ANC presented to him.

In his defence, Madisha told the commission that he started to “tone down” on the Zuma issue because “there was nothing to say.”

“(Vavi) reported that the president frequently told second deputy president and the treasurer of Cosatu that ‘o jele mothaka o’ – loosely translated to mean that comrade Zuma was guilty of corruption/rape,” reads the report.


 * From: http://www.news24.com/City_Press/News/0,7515,186-187_2035821,00.html**

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