Vavi report delayed by investigator's murder
|Published
Suspended Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi is seen at the National Union of Metalworkers of SA's (Numsa) political school in Benoni in eastern Johannesburg on Tuesday, 17 September 2013, titled the Mbuyiselo Ngwenda Brigade. Ngwenda was Numsa's former general secretary.Vavi said he was speaking as a friend and neighbour of the late Ngwenda. Cosatu must remain an independent organisation whose leaders should not serve on the national executive committee (NEC) of the ANC, Vavi said on Tuesday. Last month, Cosatu announced that Vavi had been put on special leave pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing relating to an affair he had with a junior employee.In July, the employee accused him of rape. He said he had an affair with her. The woman subsequently withdrew a sexual harassment complaint against him.Picture: Werner Beukes/SAPA Suspended Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi is seen at the National Union of Metalworkers of SA's (Numsa) political school in Benoni in eastern Johannesburg on Tuesday, 17 September 2013, titled the Mbuyiselo Ngwenda Brigade. Ngwenda was Numsa's former general secretary.Vavi said he was speaking as a friend and neighbour of the late Ngwenda. Cosatu must remain an independent organisation whose leaders should not serve on the national executive committee (NEC) of the ANC, Vavi said on Tuesday. Last month, Cosatu announced that Vavi had been put on special leave pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing relating to an affair he had with a junior employee.In July, the employee accused him of rape. He said he had an affair with her. The woman subsequently withdrew a sexual harassment complaint against him.Picture: Werner Beukes/SAPA
Johannesburg - The killing of a senior investigator at a top auditing firm will delay the report into allegations of maladministration and corruption against embattled Cosatu leader Zwelinzima Vavi.
This is according to agenda notes of the meeting of Cosatu’s central executive committee (CEC) – its highest decision-making body between conferences – to be held in a week’s time.
Vavi is accused by his opponents, in particular police union Popcru, of mishandling the sale of the former Cosatu building in Braamfontein, Joburg.
Auditing firm SizweNtsalubaGobodo has been investigating these allegations, which Vavi has dismissed as part of a political conspiracy to get rid of him for being critical of the ANC and the government.
Late last month forensic services director Lawrence Moepi was gunned down in his car at the firm’s Houghton offices.
Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini has said Moepi was leading the federation’s investigation into the sale of the building.
The agenda for the meeting states: “at the previous CEC the SizweNtsalubaGobodo firm indicated that it wanted to present its findings at the November CEC as it hoped that by that time it would be ready to do so.
“However, it has now indicated that the killing of its leading investigator has jeopardised the chances of fulfilling this undertaking.”
The document says that the meeting will receive only a progress report into the matter.
In the court papers Vavi filed last week, he said there was no case against him.
“At its meeting in February 2013, the CEC resolved to appoint SizweNtsalubaGobodo to investigate all the allegations of maladministration, financial irregularities and corruption in Cosatu which had been made against me.
“In May 2013, the CEC decided that any of the affiliates or individuals could make submissions to this team,” he said.
“None of the national office bearers or any of the affiliates have taken advantage of this or submitted any information or any form of proof to back up their allegations against me,” he added.
SizweNtsalubaGobodo spokeswoman Mankwe Sithole said she did not know about the delay.
“This has not come to our attention,” she said.
News of a delay in the investigation came as Vavi’s supporters escalated their campaign to have him reinstated.
On Friday, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), Cosatu’s biggest affiliate, invited some affiliates to its special congress next month.
Numsa, Vavi’s leading supporter, wants to discuss his suspension and intensify its calls for a special congress to reinstate him.
In the invitation, which The Sunday Independent has seen, Numsa also wants to discuss whether Cosatu should stay or pull out of its alliance with the ANC and the SACP.
“Recently the ruling ANC government has shown commitment to implementing policies that nudge ever closer to a neo-liberal agenda and away from an agenda that will take the country closer to a socialist future,” Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim states in the invitation.
“The commission will debate whether Cosatu should continue to form part of this alliance or whether workers’ needs would be better served in another formation,” he added.
Jim maintained that reasons for suspending Vavi were of a political nature and not his admission of sleeping with a junior staffer.
“It (Numsa) believes that the real reason he was suspended was because Vavi was being too critical of the leadership of Cosatu’s alliance partners – the ANC and SACP,” he said.
“Since his suspension, Cosatu is in crisis, with affiliates divided over how the federation should continue going forward.
“The commission will debate what actions to take,” he added.
Numsa will also discuss whether it should support the ANC at next year’s elections and expand the sectors in which it organises.
The Sunday Independent