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NUMSA Eastern Cape statement 25-04-08 |
Members of the Media and invited guests, the Numsa Regional Office-bearers of the Eastern Cape have mandated me to speak on their behalf and read out this Press Statement.
We have invited you to this Press Conference in order that we set the record straight, following the story, which appeared in the City Press titled "Numsa steely support at odds with Cosatu Top brass" last Sunday the 20th of April 2008. The story was authored by Caiphus Kgosana.
It appears Mr. Caiphus Kgosana has taken it upon himself to use the City Press to peddle whatever lies he is either fed by any individual or faction within the Liberation Movement, or, failing this, he actually has the incredible capacity and lack of professional integrity to create such lies. And we can prove this, but this is another story.
In the said story, Mr. Kgosana says the following, about our 10, 11, and 12th April 2008 Numsa Eastern Cape Regional Congress:
1. That Irvin Jim, the Eastern Cape Regional Secretary is "eyed" by Cosatu "top brass" to possibly challenge for the position of NUMSA General Secretary.
2. That Irvin Jim, the Eastern Cape Regional Secretary has failed to garner support from his own Region during the Eastern Cape Regional Congress to challenge for the job of Numsa National General Secretary.
3. That Cosatu National Office-bearers, including the federation General Secretary Comrade Vavi, are in favour of Irvin Jim challenging for the job of National Secretary of Numsa;
4. That our Regional Congress resolved to "maintain the status quo at the organisation and to support Nondwangu as he seeks to stand unchallenged for the position".
5. That "Nondwangu and Cosatu President Willie Madisha fell out of favour at the federation following their decision to accept nomination to serve in an NEC that would have been constituted had Mbeki defeated Zuma in the poll for the ANC presidency in Polokwane".
6. That "a source who was at the Eastern Cape Numsa Regional Congress said the resolution to back Nondwangu was a massive blow for Jim as it meant that other regions were also unlikely to support him".
7. And, in an act of extremely inventiveness, the City Press says, referring to Irvin Jim: "He had failed to get his own region to support him, how does he expect to get support from other regions? He was being used and those who were using him are disappointed with him".
We are appalled at this kind of journalism. It is cheap, extremely damaging, and does great harm even to journalism itself and threatens the credibility of the media in this country. Our first appeal, therefore, is to the media itself. We think that it must root out rogue journalists who curve a name for themselves by peddling their bad skills to dubious causes.
The following is our response to the absolute lies and cheap fabrications in the said story:
1. It is not the tradition and custom of Cosatu leadership to interfere in the internal democratic processes of any of its affiliates. We in the Eastern Cape in Numsa are not aware of any meeting by Cosatu "top leadership" at which it resolved to support or "purge" anyone from leadership positions in Numsa.
2. At the just ended Eastern Cape Numsa Regional Congress, it is mischievously misleading, a blatant shameless lie that Irvin Jim failed to "garner support" for the position of National Secretary, at the forthcoming National Congress.
3. Irvin Jim was in fact unanimously elected, unopposed, by the Eastern Cape Regional Congress. The story conceals, deliberately, the fact that Irvin Jim was UNANIMOUSLY elected by Congress as its Regional Secretary in order to support its false charge that Irvin Jim is not supported by his own Region. This is intended to send a wrong message, to support a particular false view, not only to Numsa members, but the entire country, that Numsa has a Zuma faction, which was defeated in the Eastern Cape Numsa Congress which seeks to oust Silumko Nondwangu.
4. While the National General Secretary of Cosatu and all other National Office-bearers of Cosatu in their individual capacity and as leaders of the federation of workers have every right to their individual preferences for leadership in any affiliate, they have no place in interfering in the internal democratic processes of unions, especially in elections. The continued parading and mentioning of especially Comrade Zwelinzima Vavi COSATU National General Secretary in this case is intended to demonise anyone who may appear to have any support of Vavi, and to lump such leaders with an imaginary faction in Cosatu, which seeks to "purge" so called anti Zuma elements.
5. Further, such accusations levelled at the national leadership of Cosatu are intended to weaken it in its resolve to instil revolutionary discipline among its membership and leadership.
6. We in the Eastern Cape in Numsa want to use this opportunity to encourage our national leadership not to weaken in their revolutionary work to grow an organisation with disciplined revolutionary leadership that respects Constitutional decisions. No working class organisation is worthy its name and place among revolutionary organisations, if it carries among its top leaders, individuals who are not loyal to constitutional decisions.
8. In our Eastern Cape Congress, we invited the media. No resolution was ever passed to the effect that we should "maintain the status quo at the organisation and to support Nondwangu as he seeks to stand unchallenged for the position". This is the cheapest of lies and fabrications. We challenge Kgosana to prove the existence of such a resolution. This is simply bad journalism at its worst. It is such blatant disregard for the truth which, if unchecked, increases calls for diluting freedom of the press. We all have a duty to defend genuine press freedom, and not PRESS FREEDOM.
7. Cosatu has not yet framed its charges against the General Secretary of Numsa, Comrade Silumko Nondwangu. The City Press has taken it upon itself to do this job, for free. Until the charges are framed, we all must wait, and avoid unhelpful speculations designed maliciously to demonise Cosatu.
9. If we could, we would demand to know the "source" that said the following about Comrade Irvin Jim: "He had failed to get his own region to support him, how does he expect to get support from other regions? He was being used and those who were using him are disappointed with him". This kind of reporting brings into question that time honoured defence of "sources" by journalists into disrepute! Hiding behind "sources" is fast becoming the cheapest way to conceal cowards, lies and malicious fabrications by unscrupulous journalists in South Africa today.
We are worried that all this rubbish reportage about "purges" and "factions" will have very negative impact on the internal democratic processes in our revolutionary organisations and trade unions. For example, the impression now being created by this story is that Comrade Silumko should not be democratically challenged by anyone, otherwise they risk being called stooges being used by Vavi and other top leaders in Cosatu to "purge" anti Zuma elements. This is nonsense. We will guard jealously our right to fully participate in the activities of our organisations whatever the Kgosana of the gutter media write about us.
Further, we are aware that leading up to our October 2008 National Congress of Numsa, just like in the past, we will be reading a lot of calculated stories "digging up dirt" on us in order to influence the electoral outcomes of our Congress.
The media in this country needs to join the democratic struggle to defend our hard won democratic right to participate in the life of our organisations, without distorting internal democracy by mortgaging themselves to individuals hell bent on destroying others.
We urge all our members to remain resolute, and seek the truth about our organisation from their leaders.
I thank you.
COMPILED BY: IRVIN JIM
REGIONAL SECRETARY obo REGIONAL OFFICE-BEARERS
NUMSA - EASTERN CAPE
DATE: 23 APRIL 2008