The trade union is allowing a faction opposed to the youth league president to work from its offices A Cosatu leader has admitted that the federation is using its resources to support ANC Youth League president Julius Malema's enemies in the Limpopo youth league.
Dan Sebabi, Cosatu's Limpopo secretary, said in an interview this week Cosatu had decided to allow a faction led by Malema's rival and former youth league provincial chairperson Lehlogonolo Masoga to use Cosatu office space, stationery, telephones and computers to do youth league work. The Masoga-led provincial executive committee was ousted by Malema's faction during the provincial youth league's chaotic conference in Makhado in April.
The ANC office space previously used by Masoga and other former youth league officials is now home to the newly elected leadership, under provincial chairperson Frans Moswane. The Masoga faction, now operating as a parallel structure, does its organisational work from Cosatu offices in Polokwane.
Sebabi said Cosatu felt that housing the Masoga faction was a "revolutionary responsibility to assist comrades within the alliance". "Everyone [within the alliance] has been operating from there [the Cosatu office] for years now. Even the Young Communist League is operating from there. Masoga and other ANCYL leaders operate from our office from time to time because they don't have their own equipment.
They come to us whenever they feel like it. It's like their home. They use our phones. Sometimes they hold meetings there. Our members do not have a problem with that. If I don't raise it as a problem, no one will," said Sebabi.
Eric Hlungwani, the Masoga group spokesperson, denied that they were housed at Cosatu's offices but said they received support from the federation from time to time. "We meet at different labour union offices for our meetings. Our secretary, Goodman Mtileni, is the one who will know better who is helping him. Sometimes it is Nehawu, sometimes it is Cosatu," said Hlungwani.
Masoga said assistance from Cosatu was nothing new in Limpopo as in the past the ANC had itself been "largely dependent on Cosatu facilities". But Jacob Lebogo, the youth league provincial secretary, said the league had never previously used Cosatu's offices. "They [Cosatu] have taken their own faction. There are people who are not allowed to enter the Cosatu building," Lebogo said. Masoga and his followers insist that they remain legitimate youth league leaders in the province. He was recently expelled from the league for bringing the organisation into disrepute by making public statements in which he accused Malema's faction of hijacking the provincial conference. Masoga, said to be a close ally of Malema's deputy, Andile Lungisa, is also challenging his dismissal in court.
Some league leaders claim that Cosatu has been bankrolling Masoga's legal fees, estimated to be more than R700 000, but Masoga and Sebabi reject the claim. Masoga is using a law firm, Cuzen Randeree, previously used by Cosatu, but Zain Randeree said he could not respond on the firm's relationship with clients as that was confidential.
Cosatu's national spokesperson, Patrick Craven, confirmed that the federation had used Cuzen Randeree, but "only once". He also denied that Cosatu was bankrolling any youth league faction. "Cosatu frequently offers the use of its office facilities to members of alliance structures," he said.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Showing posts with label Andile Lungisa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andile Lungisa. Show all posts
Friday, August 6, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Vavi on state contracts
Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has called for all career politicians - and their spouses - to be banned from doing business with the government. And three ANC Youth League branches have leapt to the defence of their president, Julius Malema, in the wake of reports that he has earned R140-million through state-awarded contracts. The ANC Youth League in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape said Malema had broken no laws by doing business with the government.
The campaign to expose his business dealings was being driven by factionalism within the ANC and racism, the provincial structures said. "We reaffirm that the constitution of the country allows for all citizens... to engage in legitimate business activity... for as long as the country's economic establishment is structured in the manner it is, young people of this country should not be penalised for seizing the opportunities brought about by this kind of economic dispensation," said Mpumalanga league secretary Isaac Mahlangu.
It was reported at the weekend that Malema had scored tenders worth R140m, mainly with municipalities in his home province of Limpopo. Vavi, who has called for lifestyle audits to be done on politicians and public officials, said the ANC, Cosatu and the SACP should develop guidelines banning members and their spouses or relatives from benefiting from state tenders. "We have to say 'how do we avoid a conflict of interest?' Even if someone is not directly involved in the business, maybe it's your wife or husband... it can't be okay that a minister, a premier, a mayor or a councillor's wife does business with the government that you lead. There should be an outright ban on people's representatives doing business with the government," Vavi said.
Mahlangu said the revelations about Malema's contracts were in part an intensification of dirty lobbying ahead of the ANC Youth League's national congress in 2011 and the ANC's elective conference in 2012. Malema is expected to be challenged by his deputy, Andile Lungisa, at the youth league congress, while the league is backing Deputy Police Minister Fikile Mbalula to replace Gwede Mantashe as ANC secretary-general in 2012.
ANC Youth League Northern Cape secretary Dikgang Stock said the organisation was outraged and flabbergasted by reports on Malema's lifestyle. "These flaccid media reports are a poor attempt to ferment ferocious opposition to our programme of action that includes the redistribution of wealth of this country to the poor, including our firm, unwavering call for the nationalisation of the lucrative mining industry.
ANCYL Gauteng provincial secretary Thabo Kupa said attempts to discredit Malema would not succeed. "President Malema is a political activist who is a child of the working class and a poor family. His work for the poor is well known to everyone, therefore any attempt by forces that connive with capital to discredit him has never and will not succeed," he said. Kupa said it was malicious to associate with corruption the attempts by young black people to succeed in business.
ANC spokesman Brian Sokutu said Malema had not broken any laws by engaging in business with government. "Comrade Malema is neither a member of Parliament or a cabinet minister and he has therefore not breached any law or code of ethics by being involved in business," he said.
Source: IoL
The campaign to expose his business dealings was being driven by factionalism within the ANC and racism, the provincial structures said. "We reaffirm that the constitution of the country allows for all citizens... to engage in legitimate business activity... for as long as the country's economic establishment is structured in the manner it is, young people of this country should not be penalised for seizing the opportunities brought about by this kind of economic dispensation," said Mpumalanga league secretary Isaac Mahlangu.
It was reported at the weekend that Malema had scored tenders worth R140m, mainly with municipalities in his home province of Limpopo. Vavi, who has called for lifestyle audits to be done on politicians and public officials, said the ANC, Cosatu and the SACP should develop guidelines banning members and their spouses or relatives from benefiting from state tenders. "We have to say 'how do we avoid a conflict of interest?' Even if someone is not directly involved in the business, maybe it's your wife or husband... it can't be okay that a minister, a premier, a mayor or a councillor's wife does business with the government that you lead. There should be an outright ban on people's representatives doing business with the government," Vavi said.
Mahlangu said the revelations about Malema's contracts were in part an intensification of dirty lobbying ahead of the ANC Youth League's national congress in 2011 and the ANC's elective conference in 2012. Malema is expected to be challenged by his deputy, Andile Lungisa, at the youth league congress, while the league is backing Deputy Police Minister Fikile Mbalula to replace Gwede Mantashe as ANC secretary-general in 2012.
ANC Youth League Northern Cape secretary Dikgang Stock said the organisation was outraged and flabbergasted by reports on Malema's lifestyle. "These flaccid media reports are a poor attempt to ferment ferocious opposition to our programme of action that includes the redistribution of wealth of this country to the poor, including our firm, unwavering call for the nationalisation of the lucrative mining industry.
ANCYL Gauteng provincial secretary Thabo Kupa said attempts to discredit Malema would not succeed. "President Malema is a political activist who is a child of the working class and a poor family. His work for the poor is well known to everyone, therefore any attempt by forces that connive with capital to discredit him has never and will not succeed," he said. Kupa said it was malicious to associate with corruption the attempts by young black people to succeed in business.
ANC spokesman Brian Sokutu said Malema had not broken any laws by engaging in business with government. "Comrade Malema is neither a member of Parliament or a cabinet minister and he has therefore not breached any law or code of ethics by being involved in business," he said.
Source: IoL
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