Africa-Press – South-Africa. Having been at the helm of Cosatu’s engine room, as the secretariat office since 2015, Bheki Ntshalintshali was forced to hand over the reins to his deputy on Thursday.
Despite being dubbed as Cosatu’s “walking encyclopedia” by Zingiswa Losi because of the number of years he has spent with the union, Ntshalintshali failed to receive even a single nomination from any of Cosatu’s 16 affiliates. Cosatu has held its elective conference over the past few days.
Support for his deputy Solly Phetoe, however, was resounding, which meant Ntshalintshali was left out in the cold.
Affiliate leaders described Ntshalintshali’s “capacity challenges” as the major factor influencing their decision.
While Ntshalintshali has not spoken out publicly regarding his future plans, it is understood that he was not pleased with being snubbed and has rejected an option to be redeployed to government, an olive branch often extended to leaders exiting the federation.
Ntshalintshali was appointed general secretary of Cosatu in 2015, following Zwelinzima Vavi’s dismissal, and retained the position at the organisation’s 2018 congress.
Some Cosatu leaders, who were key in the leadership negotiations, said Ntshalintshali’s Achilles heel was that most members saw his term as a stop-gap measure to allow for continuity after Vavi’s departure. They never fancied him as a full-time deployee.
Losi, who has been criticised by some in the federation for her proximity to ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa, secured a second term after her nomination for the same position was uncontested.
Despite being re-elected, some disgruntled members questioned Losi’s credentials after some confusion emerged over which union she belonged to.
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Out of favour Satawu, which was not afforded voting rights owing to it not having paid its subsidies to the federation, had claimed Losi as their own, a move that placed her bid for a second term in jeopardy.
This was rectified when Popcru, a union in good standing, certified her membership.
Mike Shingange was also elected unopposed as Losi’s first deputy.
Duncan Luvuno was announced as second deputy president, while Freda Oosthuizen was elected as treasurer.
The only contested position was deputy general secretary, with Gerald Thwala taking on Moses Lekota. Thwala emerged victorious, securing 1 187 votes to Lekota’s 599 votes.
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