By Simon Nare
Ordinary members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) staged a protest at the union’s headquarters on Monday, demanding the reinstatement of suspended regional leaders as an internal leadership dispute intensified.
The protest follows a decision by the union’s national office bearers (NOBs) to suspend several regional leaders, acting on a recommendation by the National Executive Committee (NEC), which rejected a Central Committee decision to strip the national leadership, including general secretary Irvin Jim and president Andrew Chirwa, of their powers.
A handful of workers gathered outside the union’s headquarters on Monday, singing struggle songs and calling for the reinstatement of their regional leaders.
It was not immediately clear whether they had submitted a memorandum or been addressed by the union’s leadership.
In a statement, the Task Coordinating Team appointed by the Central Committee, but subsequently annulled by the NEC, said a press briefing would be held on Tuesday to outline the outcomes of a special NEC meeting convened on Monday.
The meeting was expected to deal with several issues, including the state of the organisation, constitutional and governance matters, implementation of the Task Team’s recommendations, the suspension of the general secretary and other worker national office bearers pending investigations, outstanding regional congresses and preparations for the national congress.
The union’s financial and administrative accountability was also on the agenda.
One of the suspended regional leaders, who asked not to be named, told Inside Politics that the protesters were ordinary members calling for the reinstatement of their leaders.
“They are protesting against the suspension of their leadership,” he said, declining to comment further.
It remains unclear which NEC faction convened Monday’s meeting and whether the developments point to a further deepening of divisions within the union.
The planned press briefing is also not being held at Numsa’s headquarters but at Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg.
Jim last week said the NEC had rejected the Central Committee meeting and all its resolutions, describing the gathering as “rogue”.
He said an NEC meeting held on Tuesday night had also recommended disciplinary action against those responsible for convening the meeting, in line with the union’s constitution and code of conduct.
The dispute follows a special Central Committee meeting earlier this week, which resolved to strip Numsa’s national office bearers of their powers amid growing tensions over the conduct of the union’s leadership.
An internal statement circulated after the meeting said the Central Committee had established a Task Coordinating Team, which was empowered to convene a special NEC meeting to consider the conduct of Jim and Chirwa.
However, Jim said the NEC had rejected the meeting and its decisions, effectively restoring the powers of the national office bearers.
He said four regional office bearers would be served with suspension letters, while 10 worker leaders would also face suspension pending disciplinary proceedings in terms of the union’s constitution.
“The NEC called on the NOBs to expedite this process in line with the disciplinary code and constitutional provisions. The NEC, having reflected and discussed all of what has happened, regards it as a gross act of misconduct,” Jim told reporters at the union’s headquarters.
“The NEC unanimously resolved to reject the bogus so-called convened Central Committee and all its decisions and demands from the NOBs and the organisatiion.”
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