THE Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) dismissed its general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi yesterday.

Mr Vavi, who had been suspended on charges of misconduct including by having an affair with a junior colleague, was described as “a divisive figure” and accused of shifting Cosatu resources to assist the expelled National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa.

He has also been accused of using federation funds for personal purposes.

Deputy general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali slammed the former leader for “exposing Cosatu’s financial state” at a press conference on March 29 at which he said he would no longer attend Cosatu meetings.

Mr Vavi was not at the special central executive committee (CEC) meeting which agreed his dismissal, having announced: “If my refusal to attend the special CEC is used as a pretext to fire me, then so be it.”

The CEC found that he had “behaved in a manner which reduces the federation to his own entity where he can do as he wishes, including neglecting his duties, making public statements which bring the name of the federation into disrepute and has openly defied and undermined Cosatu’s constitution.

“Comrade Zwelinzima Vavi is dismissed with immediate effect.”

He was ordered to return all federation property and stop speaking on the federation’s behalf. Instructions were issued to all federation structures not to undermine the decision by providing the ex-leader with a platform or taking instructions from him.

But Mr Vavi said: “I am a fighter. I do not just walk away when I think something is wrong.”

The CEC has decided to accept affiliation from metalworkers’ union Limusa, headed by former Numsa president Cedric Gina, an indication that it is not prepared to revisit Numsa’s expulsion.

But seven Cosatu affiliates boycotted the special meeting, leading to warnings from the South African Communist Party that the federation faced “serious problems of maintaining unity, cohesion and discipline.”

The party vowed to continue working with Cosatu for maximum working-class unity but added that “the latest divisive developments are undesirable and cannot be a cause for celebration.

“The challenges require hard work to build maximum unity rooted in the day-to-day struggles of the workers.”

by Our Foreign Desk