Vavi nominated unopposed for Saftu leadership

Expelled Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and four others have been nominated unopposed for top leadership positions in the new trade union federation – the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu).

The leaders will be endorsed on Sunday, the last day of the Saftu inaugural congress in Boksburg in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.

Vavi and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) were at the forefront of the formation of Saftu, first mooted in 2015 by a group of trade unions who advocated for a “non-politically aligned and worker controlled” federation, following the expulsion of Vavi and Numsa from Cosatu. Numsa was Cosatu’s largest union with over 400,000 members.

The Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Fawu) subsequently also left Cosatu in support of the expelled Vavi and Numsa in 2016 and is now a Saftu affiliate. The union had been at odds with Cosatu since the expulsions, accusing the federation leaders led by Sidumo Dlamini of being biased against Numsa and Vavi.

Saftu is now the country’s fourth union federation after Cosatu, the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa), and the National Council of Trade Unions (Nactu). Cosatu is still the biggest of the federations.

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