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Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini will hang up his fighting gloves after 10 years in the hot seat, paving way for the possible election of a woman as his successor – the first of its kind for the county’s biggest labour federation.
The federation’s congress is in September and already Dlamini’s own union, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), has told him it would not support him should he want his position back.
The Swaziland-born former nurse’s fate was sealed last week when the Nehawu national executive committee met. He was summoned and informed of the decision, which he accepted.
Dlamini confirmed to City Press this week that the meeting took place but denied he felt betrayed by his own constituency.
“They have the right not to support me.”
City Press has heard that the union plans to back Dlamini’s deputy Zingiswa Losi as a successor, a campaign said to be gaining momentum.
Dlamini claimed he did not ask for any explanations and none was given.
He has previously broken his silence about attempts to oust him, pointing fingers at leaders in Cosatu who were working with others in the tripartite alliance.
Dlamini’s relationship with former president Jacob Zuma pitted him against Cosatu leaders who were at the forefront of the campaign to push the former statesman out of office.
Tension heightened ahead of the ANC’s Nasrec conference in December last year when the country’s biggest public-sector union agitated for Zuma’s recall, setting a domino effect which resulted in Zuma’s being barred from Cosatu gatherings.
The federation also decided to endorse President Cyril Ramaphosa for presidency.
This forced Dlamini into a corner and, for the first time this week, he admitted his close ties to Zuma.
“Yes, we are very close actually,” he said, adding their relationship dated back to when he was elected president.
Dlamini said there were many comrades who, like him, occupied positions of power and were once close to Zuma.
“We sit in the ANC NEC [national executive committee] together and there is a long period of history between us. He had been the president of the ANC since 2007 and I have been president of Cosatu since 2008, so we worked closely as presidents of the two organisations.
“That also accounts for comrades who work closer because of the offices we occupy. Beyond that he is my leader and former president of the ANC who I worked with and respect.”
Dlamini was at pains not to express a view on how Zuma was handled, saying he would leave that to Cosatu.
Pressed further, Dlamini suggested it was a decision that did not improve relations with the ANC and that the federation would have to grapple with its actions that might have suited a particular faction “for many years to come”.
“I will leave that to Cosatu. Cosatu took that decision and, yes, I’m part of that decision, but faced with similar circumstances, are there lessons we should learn from that situation?
“For instance, has it enhanced relations with the ANC? My view is that it didn’t make our relations better because Cosatu wants to relate with the ANC wholly as another organisation and not to first accommodate one faction in the origination,” he said.
He dismissed the assertion that he was a Zuma lackey, saying “people wanted to push me in a particular political corner to make pronouncements that they want me to make”.
“They labelled me a sell-out. If there is one person who has never sold out workers, it’s me. I’ve never been a sell-out; in fact I’ve given my all to workers in this country,” Dlamini said.
“I have sacrificed possible promotions at my workplace; I’ve declined possibilities, such as going to Parliament; I’ve not even abused my position which gives me proximity to many people in this country.
“I have never stolen a cent from the federation. I’ve never been accused of stealing or doing anything worse in the organisation and there is no truth to any such suggestion.”
The recent surfacing of bribery allegations against Dlamini bolstered his opponent’s efforts to try to deal a blow to his political career.
He was taken to task by Cosatu’s affiliates about claims that he received a R300 000 bribe from an abalone dealer to facilitate a meeting with Zuma, who was in turn allegedly bribed with R1 million to retain Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Senzeni Zokwana, who is also the national chairperson of the SA Communist Party (SACP).
Nehawu called Dlamini in to explain himself. But he denied any involvement.
The father of three appeared to have made
peace with the fact that his mandate would not be renewed.
“I have to complete my term of office in September as Cosatu president. I will not say I’m not unavailable and will not say I’m available.”
Dlamini is a member of the NEC of the ANC and central committee leader in the SACP.
Under his tenure, Cosatu suffered its first split in decades with the expulsion of its biggest industrial union, the National Union of Metalworker’s of SA (Numsa) in 2015, which placed Cosatu on the brink of a financial crunch.
This was followed by the expulsion of its then powerful general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, who often overruled him and regularly stole the spotlight from him.
Dlamini counts Vavi’s axing and that of Numsa, followed by the disaffiliation of the Food and Allied Workers’ Union, top of the decisions he regrets.
Dlamini said Numsa could return on condition it stopped organising in other sectors.
“Cosatu chose to protect the unions with that decision. I know that even as everybody reflects, including Numsa, our wish is that all workers should belong to one federation in this country.
“I think there is a lot of work going to realise that dream for the unity of workers.”
Saftu, now led by Vavi and the new home of Numsa and several smaller new unions, wrote to Cosatu requesting a meeting but that has been pushed back until after the September congress.
