Johannesburg - The SA Federation of Trade Unions’ (Saftu) newly elected president Ruth Ntlokotse has been suspended by the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), of which she is second deputy president.
Ntlokotse’s suspension was announced by Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim on Wednesday at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre following the union’s two-day special central committee meeting ahead of its national congress later this month.
Numsa is Saftu’s biggest affiliate.
”The special central committee felt that the conduct of the second deputy president has undermined the organisation and its unity,” Jim said.
Ntlokotse, who was elected Saftu president at its national congress in May, is accused by Numsa of defining herself outside the collective leadership of the national office-bearers.
According to Jim, Ntlokotse’s suspension is pending a fair disciplinary process.
He said in April ahead of the Saftu national congress that Numsa’s special national executive committee (NEC) had called for an investigation into Ntlokotse’s conduct.
Jim added that Ntlokotse had not been suspended during the April 2022 special NEC meeting but had failed to distance herself from what he called propaganda that she was being victimised by the union’s leaders.
Numsa leaders have also been given a task to investigate the delinquent behaviour of a faction of the union during the Saftu national congress accused of misconduct for completely disregarding and undermining its position at the gathering.
Ntlokotse sided with Saftu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi’s faction, which emerged victorious by taking four of the top six positions that were contested.
She joins five other NEC members who have been suspended, including four in the Eastern Cape and another in the Western Cape, according to Numsa president Andrew Chirwa.
”Our simple understanding of the Saftu constitution is that Saftu is a federation of affiliates, should you participate in Saftu on the basis that you are a member of an affiliate of Saftu in good standing,” he explained.
Chirwa continued: “When you are suspended by your affiliate, our understanding is that the disciplinary processes, procedures and policies of that affiliate take effect over and above the federation’s.”
Numsa also opened nominations for positions in its national leadership from Wednesday until next Friday.
”The question of who is available and who will be elected is not something that you wake up in the morning and say ‘ndi ready (I’m available)’.
“It means that to all Numsa shop stewards from a garage worker the current positions are made available by the central committee, which means that the union in a democratic way is allowing its locals, regions and regional structures to open up a process of nomination to be made on who must take this organisation forward,” Jim said.
He said whether any of Numsa’s national office bearers will be available to contest the positions they currently hold was a premature question.