Holomisa: Amcu deregistration threats ‘pure abuse of power’
UDM leader Bantu Holomisa doesn’t believe the Department of Labour has made clear its reasons for moving to deregister the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu).
The department published a notice in the Government Gazette on Thursday.
Registrar Lehlohonolo Molefe says due to the union's failure to hold a national conference for the past 5 years.
Amcu, which is one of the country’s biggest mining unions with approximately 200 000 members, will be given an opportunity to make representations as to why its registration should not be cancelled.
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Molefe says the union undertook to hold a conference in September but his office remain unconvinced that the union will be able to convene.
Holomisa wants the department to provide more details on the decision.
"The letter threatening to suspend or deregister them is not clearly stating the reasons for their decision. So we are looking to hear more from the Department of Labour, otherwise we'll be classified it as nothing else but an intimidation of Amcu by the ruling party,"
Holomisa believes it could be part of a ploy to destroy Amcu, which is a rival to the ANC-aligned National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).
"It’s possible that this is a plan to destroy Amcu, which is the main threat to their ally which is NUM, the ally of the ruling party.
"Pure abuse of power."