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Cape Town - Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has been expelled during the Central Executive Commitee (CEC) meeting on Monday, according to reports.
eNCA reported that Vavi's expulsion follows his boycott of the meeting.
According to the broadcaster 30 executive committee members voted in favour of Vavi's expulsion and one against.
Vavi told Fin24 on Monday morning that he will certainly not be attending the meeting and expects to be either suspended or expelled.
READ: Vavi: It would be a mockery for me to attend Cosatu meeting
For nearly two years now almost half the Cosatu unions have been calling for a special national congress to resolve the issue of the expulsion of the metalworkers union Numsa and the arguments with Vavi.
The next Cosatu national congress is in September. However, the CEC can only recommend suspension or expulsion since this has to be either ratified or may be overturned by a national congress.
Vavi repeatedly stressed to Fin24 that in terms of Cosatu's constitution the federation belongs to its members.
Therefore, it is up to the delegates of all the unions to decide who should, for instance, be expelled or suspended and the only way that can be done is through the national congress. Any CEC decision about suspending or expelling would in his view be out of order.
He told Fin24 that his “open defiance” in not attending CEC highlighted the fact that the members of the affiliate unions needed to assert their control over the organisation. He was playing his role in trying to stop “those who want to hijack Cosatu”.
In any event, Monday's CEC was being staged without leaders from a number of unions being present. As such, he was registering his disapproval at the divisiveness that such a gathering represented.
READ: Vavi: I'm not going to resign
During a press conference on Sunday Vavi said was not going to resign.
He has been under intense pressure after the majority of unions voted to expel Numsa last year.
At one stage last year he was suspended for eight months.
