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Sowetan reports that the country’s largest mining trade union goes into its national congress divided today over who should lead it.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will start its national elective congress in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni, on Wednesday with the infighting threatening to rip the union apart.
Relations between NUM president Piet Matosa and NUM general secretary David Sipunzi have deteriorated so much that they are apparently not on speaking terms.
At the centre of the disagreements between the pair was their preferred leadership slates for the congress.
Sipunzi, who wants to retain his position, will square up against Carletonville regional secretary Mbuyiseni Hibana. Sipunzi supports Joseph Montisetsi to be president of the union, while Matosa supports Hibana to be replace Sipunzi.
Sowetan spoke to NUM leaders and officials who confirmed tensions between Sipunzi and Matosa.
Matosa has threatened to expose members who used money to influence the leadership outcome of the congress. He’s being challenged by NUM deputy president Montisetsi.
Matosa told Sowetan on Tuesday that the use of money in NUM’s leadership campaigns was the highest order of ill-discipline. “This type of campaign is not sustainable. There should be no money that is in circulation at the congress of NUM. “We are going to expose these people. “We have exposed them before,” Matosa said.
He said the danger of having a leadership sponsored through money was that the union would end up with a leadership which was not capable to lead.
“It is foreign in the NUM to have individuals giving union members money in dark corners.”
Matosa confirmed that he was standing for re-election. “I have been approached by the regions. I have signed the acceptance [of] nomination.”
A source close to the elections said out of 11 NUM regions, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Matlosana, Carletonville and Rustenburg – the biggest NUM region in terms of numbers – have nominated Matosa.
Montisetsi has the support of four regions – PWV, North East, Free State and Highveld.
The original of this report by Ngwako Modjadji appeared on page 4 of Sowetan of 20 June 2018
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