NUM pours cold water over NUMSA claims

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has noted with concern the spurious claims contained in a statement by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) and broadcast by the SABC television last night. The NUM noted in particular the announcement on the COSATU leadership question and the candidate they intend putting forward.

The NUM has further noted NUMSA's pronouncement that there are leaders within COSATU that are "confused" and has deliberately decided not to address the "confused COSATU leaders internally" but through a press conference under the guise of "defending its leader". To refer to some leaders within COSATU as "some highly undisciplined and ideologically confused elements within the leadership of Cosatu" is not only divisive and destructive but tantamount to hurling insults to the leadership collective of the federation.

It is ironic that NUMSA can argue that there is no leadership contest at COSATU and at the same time argues that there are forces that disparage its leader so that he does not "qualify for the position of General Secretary of COSATU". This is highly contradictory.

The National Union of Mineworkers finds all these to be distasteful and divisive and cannot be party to any project aimed at dividing the leadership collective of COSATU. We further note with concern the innuendos that the security threat of its General Secretary is on the basis of the so-called leadership race within COSATU. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has not engaged on the leadership question of COSATU as it believes there is no crisis at the moment and would of course engage in it at an appropriate time.

The NUM will not be forced to engage on it by desperate forces nor those seeking sympathetic votes.

We appeal on the federation to call in order those beginning with electoral campaign too early.

Statement issued by Senzeni Zokwana, NUM President, August 6 2011

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