Cosatu vows to reconvene congress within 30 days, even if it’s under a tent - TimesLIVE

The Cosatu leadership is adamant that it will be able to reconvene its collapsed congress within the prescribed 30 days, even if it means meeting under a tent.

The federation’s leadership, led by its president, Zingiswa Losi, briefed the media on Wednesday, a day after it adjourned its congress at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, after it failed to kick off after two days.

It’s 1,820 delegates were sent home after divisions among its leadership reached breaking point on several issues, including the status of its first deputy president, Mike Shingange, after his union, Nehawu, suspended him a few days before the congress sat.

The stalemate over Shingange’s elegibility status, which he challenged and won at the labour court, led to the congress being unable to confirm whether it met a quorum after aggrieved unions withheld the credentials of its delegates despite all being present at the venue.

According to Losi, the congress will be reconvened within the 30 days prescribed by Cosatu’s constitution.

She said this would happen even if it meant holding the congress under a tent somewhere in order to limit the costs, which are said to be around R12m.

“The only thing we need to deal with is the venue. Perhaps it will be a stretched tent, perhaps it will be a hospital hall, whatever can take the number of our affiliates. Maybe we will have a marquee, or go to churches where we can borrow tents, or go and hire those charismatic churches that are big,” said Losi.

She said that the costs for a second attempt at holding a congress would not be as tough, as most of the resources, such as T-shirts, had already been procured. Unions would incur the costs of ensuring attendance of its members.

“What we may need to look at are the cost implications, and where to downsize. Because now it’s no longer about flowers. We have the T-shirts, we are wearing them, our congress is a paperless congress, we have the banners. It means there are costs that we are not going to reincur, they are there, they are done,” she said.

“We will have our meeting to comply with the constitution. We have to comply with the constitution because if we don’t we are acting outside of the constitution. We acted within the constitution by adjourning the congress. We can’t then deviate under the same clause of 3.4 of forming a quorum. If you don’t, what then do you do?”

Losi said the conference collapsed due to affiliates not releasing their credentials.

She said they did not have evidence to support the notion that the congress collapsed due to disagreement on whether they would back the ANC or the SACP in the upcoming local government elections.

The congress, she said, had not even opened or had any political discussion for her to determine if this was a contentious matter or not.

“We were not even at the point of opening the congress. So we can’t respond to you, on the basis of discussions, on the political report and issues of alliance, as we did not have an opportunity to get to that point. We were right at the beginning, on credentials. We cannot at this stage say that what happened at congress was driven by political influence because there were no political discussions that took place. We were just at the point of opening the congress. So we do not want to confirm what we cannot prove,” said Losi.

“At this stage, I would say we cannot attribute what happened to any political influence. What we know is that unions withheld their credentials and the congress could not form a quorum and the congress was adjourned.”

Shingange said he was not expelled by Nehawu and was not aware of any intention to do so. “What happens when you are expelled? I guess what happens is what happens when people are expelled. You are expelled. But obviously it’s a bridge that will be crossed,” he said.

Shingange said that as far as he was concerned, Nehawu was still backing him despite the union suspending him two days before the congress. “Do I have the support of Nehawu? I think I do. I’m a shopsteward of Nehawu and I think Nehawu confirmed at congress that they have no problem with me standing as the first deputy president of Cosatu, they said so.

“I know members and workers in general. I have not offended them, I have not wronged them. So I know they support me.”

He said that Cosatu was informed of his suspension by Nehawu ahead of the congress.

“We can confirm that Nehawu did write to Cosatu to inform us about their member, a national office bearer of Cosatu, who was suspended,” said a Cosatu spokesperson.

“We did consider the matter, and the implications this had in the running of the congress. We reported this to congress when the issue of credentials was under way.”