By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Zwelinzima Vavi has been re-elected as General Secretary of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) at its second national congress in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Vavi has avoided being suspended from a second labour federation that he leads in the space of a decade after his re-election.
The move to suspend Vavi was met with resistance by 13 of the federation’s member unions. Mac Chavalala and three other office bearers were placed on immediate suspension later that month over the bid to suspend Vavi. Chavalala lost his position at this conference to Ruth Ntlokotse, with 299 votes compared to Ntlokotse’s 390.
Vavi and his supporters have been in a constant tussle with Saftu’s largest union National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), which spent most of Wednesday fighting for the four suspended national office bearers to be allowed to stand for elections.
Songs calling for Vavi’s fall have fallen on deaf ears.
In the race for the position of general secretary, Vavi got 389 votes, while his opponent Moses Mautsoe got 300 votes. Motshwari Lecogo got 366 votes for national treasurer, while her opponent Lepheane Moeketse got 323 votes.
Out of 689 valid ballots, Ntombeko Luzipo got 357 votes for deputy general secretary, while Moleko Phakedi got 332 votes. Mosima Maredi was elected second deputy president with 399 votes, while Thabo Matsose was elected first deputy president with 372 votes.
Earlier, Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim threatened Saftu that should four suspended national office bearers not be allowed to stand for election, Numsa would boycott the conference and potentially break away from Saftu.
Today is a day of declarations as the conference draws to an end.
Following the heated congress, it will now have the job of attempting to unite and focus on the strife of workers in the country.