Cosatu delegates arrive for congress
Updated | By ANA
Delegates at the Congress of SA Trade Unions' (Cosatu) arrived on Monday singing songs proclaiming their preferred leaders at the organisation’ elective congress held in Midrand, Johannesburg.
Dressed in red Cosatu regalia, they sang songs proclaiming the trade union’s president Sdumo Dlamini and deputy president Zingiswa Losi as their leaders.
They were singing “Uzoz’ balel’ uLosi … uzoz’ balela” (Losi will be our general secretary) as they entered the plenary hall.
Some of the affiliates wanted Losi to be elected general secretary and help strengthen the federation’s secretariat, which they said had been weakened by the dismissal of Zwelinzima Vavi, who held the post previously
Vavi was dismissed from Cosatu earlier this year for alleged misconduct.
#Cosatu more and more delegates are starting to arrive MV pic.twitter.com/gG3l6kkUDJ
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) November 23, 2015
#Cosatu Acting GS Bheki Ntshalintshali and the table of international guests. @MarykeVermaak is there pic.twitter.com/EYKw0I4twa
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) November 23, 2015
Cosatu, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, is faced with internal divisions, declining membership, its position and influence within the tripartite alliance. The expulsion last year of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) from Cosatu also contributed to the drop in membership. Numsa has more than 300 000 members.
The country’s biggest trade union federation has bemoaned the decline in its membership, which is currently at 1,9 million. The number rose to about 1,9 million in 2000 and about 12 years later in 2012, the number stood at just under 2,2 million members, it said in its organisational report.
The congress, which ends on Thursday, would elect leaders and come up with resolutions on various issues, including how to attract the million of workers who are not union members.
Cosatu was formed in 1985, with Elijah Bahayi as its first president. - ANA
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