Jostling for NUM’s senior positions in full force ahead of elective congress at end of March

CHARLES MOLELE

JOSTLING for positions in the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has heightened with many high-ranking officials vying for the Top Five positions ahead of the elective congress in two weeks’ time.

The hotly-contested NUM’s elective congress, where all senior leadership positions are being contested, is expected to start at the end of March at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, Gauteng.  

High-powered delegations from the African National Congress (ANC), SA Communist Party (SACP) and labour federation COSATU are expected to attend the much-anticipated national congress.

NUM has been deeply divided for over a decade‚ with infighting contributing to its membership losses as some members defected to the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), which overtook NUM to become the biggest mining union in the country.

As the euphoria engulfs the structures, insiders said dirty tricks have also been the order of the day as different slates vie for