SADTU calls on Vavi to stop playing hide and seek
30 March 2015
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) is not fazed by COSATU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi's latest stunt - a press conference at the Federation's headquarters to insult and make a mockery of the Federation while his cronies applauded. We find it hard to accept that he convened the "public show" in our offices only to speak ill against the Federation. He has milked dry his charm offensive to profile himself as a victim of a purge seeking pity not only from Federation members but the entire country.
Our first demand to Vavi is that on his next public sympathy seeking show, he must find an alternative location such as a hotel which he could have used to fulfill his sexual desires with a junior staff member in the first place. He is not welcome to advance his media adventures in our offices only to antagonize us in public.
His arrogance is visible to everyone. We caution him to abandon popstarism and engage in real issues. He has turned COSATU's problems into a tool to market himself. He has defined himself as a person of strong political will above everyone and is not wiling to work within the confines of the Federation
Vavi has continued to project himself as the Messiah of the working class when he knows very well that he has questions to answer to the auditors report. We want to make it clear to Vavi that COSATU made him and not the other way round. His love for the media has given the Federation bad publicity. What was he trying to achieve by exposing the Union's financial situation to the media? We find it strange that this self acclaimed disciplined leader chooses to use the media to discuss and expose matters that are dealt with in the internal structures of the Federation.
Let us set the record straight about where the money of the Federation is going. VMS, a company co-directed by his wife is the beneficiary milking the Federation through the biometrics and cameras it installed at COSATU House. This unnecessary expense is costing the Federation more than half a million rands on a monthly basis. The Federation is a tenant in the new building he purports to be COSATU House. He needs to answer on this matter based on the outcome of the forensic report.
It is not a secret that in recent months, Vavi has been more comfortable in his new role as a social media commentator and mobilizing for breakaway formations profiling himself as a hero for the workers. SADTU believes that the Federation is where it is as a result of ill discipline and arrogance posture of this "Social media Revolutionary".
If Vavi is such a Messiah and holier than thou, why is he crisscrossing the country with expelled SADTU President Thobile Ntola who was found guilty of corruption? If he is a polished revolutionary he claims to be, why is he addressing meetings of the Union with suspended leaders? Vavi has become the constitution and ultimately the Federation. We wish no member our Union to take a leaf out of Vavi's book and see themselves as equal to the constitution.
COSATU can't afford to be distracted from serving its members because of him. The working class needs a solid and united COSATU to champion better working conditions.
We are currently in wage negotiations of public servants. Whilst we are experiencing challenges in the bargaining chambers due to the employer's regressive attitude, we remain resolute and play our role to fight for the workers. This is happening despite Vavi's recent self-inflicted, semi-comatose condition in the context of the Federation's daily operations. What is clear is that he is hard at work to divide the workers and undo the selfless efforts of our founding fathers and fallen heroes such as Elijah Barayi.
He has confirmed that he always wanted to destroy COSATU when he launched Corruption Watch as his new home to destroy the leadership of the Alliance by casting aspersions on them. The plan was to create an environment where members would leave COSATU to join the new Federation because COSATU and its Alliance partners were corrupt and sold out to neoliberals..
Vavi alone sanctioned the Moeletsi-Mashele shop stewards survey of COSATU affiliates without the decision of CEC in 2012 to pronounce that the workers had lost confidence in the ANC and want COSATU out of the Alliance. The timing of the press conference planned on the eve of the Mangaung conference was so controversial.
We want to assure Vavi and the rest of the country that COSATU will not only survive but thrive without him and continue to fight for better conditions of workers.
What he must do is to subject himself to the Central Executive Committee of the Federation instead of playing hide and seek.
It is our view that the Federation's Special CEC convened from the 30th to the 31st of March must extensively deliberate on the General Secretary's recent anti-COSATU behavior and clearly pronounce itself on the matter. The Federation has afforded Vavi more than adequate time to clear his political cesspool of having sex in the offices of COSATU during working hours for two minutes.
Statement issued by SADTU Secretariat, March 30 2015
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