By Johnathan Paoli
The Emperor’s Palace Convention Centre was ablaze with red, white, yellow and black on Monday as the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) reconvened its 15th National Congress.
Despite taking place in the shadow of the collapse of the previous attempt last month, spirits were high among delegates and members.
The conference is scheduled to run from 12 to 14 October.
Members from all 16 of its affiliates, alliance partners and others, are expected to come together under the theme “Building a militant, revolutionary labour movement and strengthening anti-imperialist working class unity to defend jobs and advance socialism”.
Cosatu President Zingiswa Losi is expected to deliver the opening address, with messages of support from the ANC, South African Communist Party, and South African National Civic Organisation.
The reconvening follows a complete non-starter of the convention’s original scheduled date in September. It also follows fresh legal challenges, with SABC News reporting that attempts by aggrieved unions to interdict the congress were dismissed on Friday because the applications lacked urgency.
Last month, affiliates remained deadlocked, and an emergency Central Executive Committee was organised with the congress collapsing by the second day.
At the centre of the chaos were disputed credentials, the legal standing of Cosatu first deputy president Mike Shingange, and whether the congress was proceeding lawfully.
Unions including the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) called for the congress to be postponed because a quorum was not reached on time.
In accordance with section 3.4.2 of Cosatu’s constitution, if no quorum is found after three hours of the time fixed for a meeting, it must stand adjourned to a time and place decided upon by the president, provided that the meeting must be held within one month.
The majority of the affiliates had not submitted their credential documents by lunchtime on the first day, because they first wanted clarity on Shingange, who was put on precautionary suspension by his own union, Nehawu, of which he is the president.
Cosatu general secretary Solly Phetoe said Shingange’s precautionary suspension under Nehawu’s constitution did not automatically affect his position as Cosatu’s first deputy president. The Labour Court subsequently ruled that the suspension did not prevent him from attending the congress or contesting its leadership elections, subject to Cosatu’s electoral rules.
The reconvened congress is expected to nominate its top six leaders by Wednesday, as well as a congressional declaration.
INSIDE POLITICS
