Zwelinzima Vavi

The former Congress of South African Trade Unions General Secretary (Cosatu) Zwelinzima Vavi who founded the breakaway South African Federation of Trade Unions vowed at SAFTU's launch last month to fight white monopoly capital but derides Zuma's failure to bring about radicial economic transformation...

However the party has come under heavy attack from trades unions who broke with Cosatu especially the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) the country's largest union and the former Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi...

Former General Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) Zwelinzima Vavi and NUMSA's Irvin Jim have also we hear been holding talks with Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema...

The 120 or so participants included JSE Chief Executive Newton-King former JSE head Russell Loubser renowned author and academic Professor Njabulo Simakahle Ndebele the former Presidency Director General under President Thabo Mbeki Reverend Frank Chikane union leader Zwelinzima Vavi and other leading clerics business people politicians and church leaders...

Party insiders say that at the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC) discussion last month on the coming elections leaders also worried about whether the former General Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions Zwelinzima Vavi and Cosatu breakaway unions led by its former largest affiliate the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa would formalise their United Front into a political party to contest the local polls...

The big question about the left-wing opposition to the ANC is whether the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa including the former General Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions Zwelinzima Vavi who broke away from Cosatu and the ANC early last year to form a United Front can contest the local polls (AC Vol 56 No 16 Cracks in the ANC monolith)...

The winner was Solly Phetoe a supporter of former General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi from North-West Province...

The leaders of this movement are the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) Cosatu's largest affiliate under General Secretary Irvin Jim and Zwelinzima Vavi the Cosatu General Secretary expelled largely for his strong opposition to President Jacob Zuma...

They also worry that the expelled Secretary General of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) Zwelinzima Vavi could form a new labour-based party for next year's local government elections...

The Congress has been a key demand by the expelled unions and Cosatu's ousted General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi...