The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) leadership race has been thrown wide open after the trade union federation’s first deputy president, Mike Shingange, has been allowed to contest elections.
Shingange, who has been Cosatu’s first deputy president since 2018, was suspended by the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) after taking up the nomination for Cosatu president position. Shingange is a member of Nehawu and has served as the union’s president.
The suspension, which was on the eve of the Cosatu 15th National Congress, came after he defied the Cosatu’s largest public sector union directive not to contest for elections. The abrupt suspension was also engineered to elbow Shingange out of the election race.
READ: NUM threatens to block Cosatu congress amid Mike Shingange suspension
Unions outraged by the eleventh-hour suspension
The Nehawu decision sparked outrage from various affiliated unions, led by the National Union of Mineworkers, which publicly showed support for new leadership under Shingange.
On the first day of the congress, he was blocked from presenting the credentials, this prompted some of the delegates to send their lists to block the congress from proceedings.
Due to the conflict, the congress expected 1 818 delegates during the credentials announcement, but only 1 046 were recorded. This meant that the congress did not meet the quorum.
The Cosatu constitution states that the quorum should be at least two-thirds of affiliates that are in good standing and each should be represented by one-third of its delegates.
The South African Medical Association Trade Union (Samatu), the South African Emergency Personnel Union (Saepu), and the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu), among others, had refrained from sending through their registration, demanding that the suspension against Shingange be lifted.
READ: Mike Shingange suspension throws Cosatu congress into turmoil
The NUM insisted that the congress should collapse until the matter is fully resolved. The union argued that the congress had already collapsed when it failed to meet a quorum after three hours and that it should be reconvened within a month.
A special meeting was called, where the matter was ironed out.
A delegate from the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Propcru) said the special meeting agreed that the congress should proceed because the issues that were raised had been resolved. The delegate, who preferred to remain anonymous, claimed that the affiliated unions should not intervene in the matters of other unions as they should be dealt with internally.
Nehawu confirmed at the congress that Shingange was allowed to contest if he so wishes but shall continue dealing with the precautionary suspension internally.
- Mike Shingange, Cosatu's first deputy president since 2018, was initially suspended by Nehawu for taking up the nomination for Cosatu president.
- Nehawu's suspension of Shingange was intended to push him out of the Cosatu leadership race but was met with outrage from unions including the National Union of Mineworkers.
- The suspension led to a boycott by some unions at the Cosatu 15th National Congress, causing the event to fail to meet the required quorum with only 1,046 of 1,818 delegates recorded.
- A special meeting resolved that the congress should proceed despite the suspension issue, with Shingange allowed to contest while his suspension is handled internally by Nehawu.
- Some unions such as Samatu, Saepu, and Samwu withheld their registration until the suspension against Shingange was lifted, and NUM called for the congress to collapse and reconvene within a month.
READ: NUM threatens to block Cosatu congress amid Mike
On the first day of the congress, he was blocked from presenting the credentials, this prompted some of the delegates to send their lists to block the congress from proceedings.
Due to the conflict, the congress expected 1 818 delegates during the credentials announcement, but only 1 046 were recorded.
READ: Mike
A special meeting was called, where the matter was ironed out.
A delegate from the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Propcru) said the special meeting agreed that the congress should proceed because the issues that were raised had been resolved.
Nehawu confirmed at the congress that
