Recording shows how Sadtu plots to crush rival unions

A recording reveals attempts by the teachers’ union to turn education officials against a smaller union run by its former head

South Africa’s largest teacher union, the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu), is allegedly using its dominance at teachers’ registrar the SA Council for Educators (Sace) to crush a smaller rival union formed by its former president, Thobile Ntola.

An audio recording of a Sace executive committee meeting, held in February last year, shows how Sadtu president Magope Maphila gave instructions to the council to deal with Ntola’s union, the SA Liberated Public Sector Workers’ Union (Salipswu).

When confronted with the content of the recorded meeting last week, Sadtu threatened to have the City Press reporter arrested “for being in possession of stolen or illegally obtained material”.

The executive committee meeting, held on February 4 last year, dealt with various matters – including 22 Sace employees affiliated to Salipswu who had, a month earlier, staged a protest and disrupted meetings at Sace’s head office in Centurion, Gauteng.

This, to demand recognition of their union at the council.

But Salipswu had already won a recognition award from the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) and, shortly after the executive committee meeting, the 22 employees were fired.

In the recording, obtained by City Press last week, Maphila ostensibly instructs Sace’s chief executive officer (CEO), Ella Mokgalane, and her management to do the following:

. Find out whether Salipswu general secretary Ntola, treasurer Gordon Maseko and KwaZulu-Natal provincial secretary Mbuyiseni Mathonsi are still teachers.

If not, he says, “something” needs to be done to ensure that their behaviour is unwelcome in the profession should they wish to make their way back into the system.

Mathonsi used to be Sadtu’s secretary in KwaZulu-Natal. Ntola was expelled as Sadtu’s president in 2014, after he allowed Zwelinzima Vavi to address the union’s gathering.

At the time, Vavi was the suspended general secretary of labour federation Cosatu. Maseko is an education specialist who lectures at a public college.

. Inform Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi that “we are faced with this challenge” and that the registrar “must ask them [Salipswu] why they should not be deregistered”.

. Bring “on board” Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga, the director-general in her department Mathanzima Mweli, the portfolio committee on basic education and other stakeholders.

. When communicating about the 22 Sace officials internally and externally, the Sace management should never speak in terms of “dealing with them” because that could be perceived as a “prejudged” stance.

. Look into the issue of a stop-order facility with regard to Salipswu membership subscriptions “at a particular moment” because it was only the Eastern Cape that recognised Salipswu – but this recognition was later withdrawn following objections from other unions.

Months after the recorded meeting, Professor Richard Levin, director-general in the department of public service and administration, wrote a letter to other heads of government departments.

He requested that they remove the subscription payments by members of four unions – including Salipswu – from government’s payroll, Persal.

In his letter, which Salipswu alleges was targeted directly at it, Levin said the request was made because these unions were not members of the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council, which is responsible for negotiating the salaries of public servants.

Salipswu members’ contributions are currently made via debit order.

This, said a member, was crippling the union.

When approached by City Press on Friday for comment, Sadtu spokesperson Nomusa Cembi said the union would only respond once the recording was made available to it.

“Sace councillors speak as councillors in Sace meetings and owe their duty to Sace. The decisions they take are in the best interest of Sace, not any other organisation. So, Sadtu has no evidence of what Sace councillors, including Maphila, have said in the meeting. [Unless] recordings have been made available by City Press to us, we have nothing further to say,” Cembi said.

City Press then undertook to bring the recording to Sadtu’s office.

Cembi replied: “You are welcome to bring the recording, but please be aware of the fact that we have a right to call the police to effect an arrest of you, for being in possession of stolen or illegally obtained material.”

Later on, she changed her tune after she and the union’s general secretary, Mugwena Maluleke, said they were unable to access the recording, which had been emailed to them.

“We are struggling to open the recording. However, we would like to reiterate what we said earlier ... We believe there is nothing untoward with whatever Maphila said; it was in line with his duties as a Sace councillor and was for the benefit of Sace,” Cembi said.

When City Press indicated its intention to come to Sadtu’s office, Cembi initially agreed.

She then did an about-turn and phoned the reporter, saying she was leaving the office because it was late.

She also said Maluleke was not there.

Sace CEO Mokgalane told City Press that at the executive committee meeting, members were briefed about “illegal industrial action” which staff had embarked on in January 2019.

But she declined to comment on whether she had complied with Maphila’s instructions.

“The meeting dealt with this particular matter and others. We are, unfortunately, not in a position to comment on the other matters raised in your enquiry,” Mokgalane said.

Ntola said Maphila’s remarks were an indication that government was captured by Sadtu.

“They control everything.”

Maseko said he was not surprised by Maphila’s remarks.

“Sadtu and Sace are one entity. I am not moved or scared. This is not a banana republic. Due process will have to be followed to get rid of me in the system. The question that needs to be asked is: Why is the Sadtu president scared of a small union such as Salipswu? Is it because Sadtu is losing its relevance? Even Goliath in the Bible was destroyed by David.

“The 22 former Sace officials are now unemployed by the same leaders who talk about the challenge of unemployment.”

Salipswu is fighting the dismissal of the 22 at the CCMA.

Mathonsi had not responded to questions at the time of writing, despite indicating that his lawyers would do so.

Responding to a presentation that was made by Sace’s chief financial officer, Morris Mapindane, at the meeting, Maphila could ostensibly be heard saying in the recording: “I am worried about three others [Ntola, Mathonsi and Maseko], that you are saying we’ve got nothing to do with them. As teachers or former teachers, find out, because they might be interested to come back into the profession. This conduct is unwelcome, and something must be done so that tomorrow, they must know that there is nothing in us differing, but we must differ with dignity.”

Later on in the recording, discussions were held about Salipswu’s recognition agreement.

A suggestion was made by an executive committee member on whether Mweli, Motshekga and the portfolio committee on basic education could be briefed.

Maphila then said: “The director-general, the minister, the portfolio committee. Fine. The stakeholders? Just taking them on board ... you’ll get a full briefing through this and that … Because you know unions do not just exist in a vacuum; they are registered.

“People can’t come here, harass you, intimidate you and get away with murder. If these are corrective measures that are being taken against the staff members, what about the union reps [representatives Ntola, Manthosi and Maseko]? Get to know what is happening about them so that the matter is reported at the level of the registrar [of unions at the labour department].

“Also, give evidence in terms of the video [showing the protest action] and what have you ... so that the registrar must ask them why they should not be deregistered.”

Then Mokgalane responds: “And the department of labour.”

Maphila replies: “Because you are going to inform the registrar. Find a way of informing the minister of labour [that] we are faced with this challenge.”

Msindisi Fengu Journalist | City Press

+27 11 713 9001 Msindisi.Fengu@citypress.co.za Media Park, 69 Kingsway Road, Auckland Park

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