WeeklySA_AdminSTRUGGLES: New leadership expected to knuckle down immediately to tackle challenges facing workers in the various sectors…
By Lehlohonolo Lehana
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) congratulated the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on its newly elected leadership and successful three-day national congress, which ended yesterday.
In a statement today, Cosatu said it was looking forward to deepening “the umbilical bonds” between umbrella body and affiliate, adding that the NUM had played a leading role in the founding of the federation.
The federation said it was committed to working with the newly elected leadership “to take the working class struggles forward”.
The NUM has elected Phillip Vilakazi as president, in a closely fought contest which saw Dan Balepile unseated. The annual 18th congress, held at Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, culminated in the election of former deputy president Vilakazi to head the 43-year-old giant, including Olehile Kgware as deputy president, Mpho Phakedi as general secretary, Philip Mankge as deputy general secretary and Helen Diatile as the treasurer general. Vilakazi has served as deputy president of the union for over six years.
Meanwhile, the conference laid bare internal factions troubling one of the country’s oldest mining unions. Its past two conferences were characterised by debilitating factional fights. The union is now a shadow of the mighty organisation that led the historic 1987 strike that lasted 21 days and paved the way for the eventual fall of the apartheid regime.
In his welcoming speech, Vilakazi highlighted that his election marked a turning point for the NUM, as he outlined a firm stance against internal power imbalances and promised reforms aimed at unifying the organisation.
“Do not expect to be loved; you are not money. Do not expect to be everywhere; you are not the Holy Spirit. By implication, it means we must pull together as a collective,” said Vilakazi.
Central to his vision was the restructuring of how power operated within the union, particularly challenging the influence of certain branch secretaries and leaders who held sway over the union’s direction based on personal preferences.
Under his leadership, the NUM planned to conduct oversight visits to branches across the country, aiming to re-engage directly with members and communities.
He said the union would be expected to play an active role in recruitment drives, helping to grow the union’s membership base and reconnect with workers on the ground, without always having to ask for permission.
Vilakazi urged the newly elected officials to prioritise collective action and resilience, making it clear that leadership in the union is about service and commitment, not popularity.
Cosatu wished the new leadership the best as they began to tackle the challenges facing workers in the various sectors the union organised. Last year alone, the mining sector shed 13 000 jobs and recorded 42 fatalities. While the tally was a record low, the federation said one death is one too many, given the devastating impact of losing a breadwinner on a family.
“The construction sector is under siege from the construction mafia, while some unscrupulous employers appear intent on non-compliance as laid bare in the George building collapse report. Policy uncertainty plagues the energy sector with energy security, thousands of jobs and many host communities intrinsically tied to the coal sector,” added the Cosatu statement.
The federation pledged its support to the newly elected leadership and the entire NUM membership “to do everything necessary to ensure the union remains strong, united, grows from strength to strength, and continues to fight for and defend the workers’ hard-won gains”. – Fullview, additional reporting Weekly SA Mirror
