THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST MR VAVI DECODED
We have taken note of the orchestrated campaign aimed at damaging the standing of Mr Zwelinzima Vavi, the general secretary of Cosatu, by sources within and outside the federation.
Initially the campaign suggested that Mr Vavi alone - that is, without the involvement and/or knowledge of other National Office Bearers (NOBs) and/or the Central Executive Committee (CEC) - had sold the old COSATU House and purchased the new COSATU House.
For many months these unnamed sources have insinuated that Mr Vavi and his family corruptly benefited from the sale and purchase of the buildings. As part of this corrupt narrative, it is suggested, Mr Vavi had declined a higher offer from POPCRU and corruptly settled for a lower price offered by a private firm.
We are now in the tenth month since these allegations were first made; yet the people who drove this campaign are still to bring forward any concrete evidence to back these allegations. Mr Vavi has not been confronted with evidence in this regard even in the COSATU-appointed facilitation process. Curiously, some of the CEC members appear to have developed amnesia and gone silent. Suddenly, they know nothing about the sale of the building.
Quietly these same sources have dropped this matter. They are now turning a new page but still pursuing the same old agenda to destroy Mr Vavi's character. They claim that Mr Vavi - again acting alone and without any involvement and/or knowledge of the other NOBs and/or the CEC - created a new position and single handedly hired the employee who subsequently accused him of rape without following correct procedures.
The same sources have recently planted suggestions that Mr Vavi is going to be charged for this "offence". We are still awaiting for this charge. All we can say at this stage is that if the employee in question was hired without following any procedures then every NOB will be guilty of the same charge.
This week a new set of allegations has been made that over R1 million has not been accounted by the employee in question. Again, Mr Vavi is awaiting this "additional charge". If Mr Vavi is guilty of anything so will every NOB.
The selective amnesia that others are suffering from will be exposed in any due process as only politically inspired. It is significant to state that Mr Vavi has from the beginning stated that he will subject himself to any fair process as he is not above the federation's lawful processes and policies.
Statement issued by John Dludlu, spokesman for the Vavi family, September 20 2013
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