Vavi to know his fate soon

Johannesburg - A Congress of SA Trade Unions central executive committee (CEC) meeting expected to decide the fate of the trade union federation's general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi continued into Wednesday evening.

"The CEC is still underway and no official word has been relayed yet," Cosatu spokesperson Norman Mampane said.

He said Cosatu would release a statement after the meeting.

Last month, a junior employee at Cosatu accused Vavi of rape. He admitted to having a consensual affair with the woman. The woman subsequently withdrew her sexual harassment complaint against him.

At the meeting Vavi could reportedly face possible sanction for his admission of the affair.

The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and the Eastern Cape SA Municipal Workers' Union have backed Vavi.

Numsa said on Monday that comments by Cosatu president Sidumo Dlamini had "contaminated" the meeting and called for it to be cancelled.

Numsa said Dlamini had "determined" that Vavi brought Cosatu into disrepute before the CEC received a report on the matter.

Numsa said it was clear that people within Cosatu who were "advocating the idea of a rupture" in the trade union federation might be correct.

"From Numsa's perspective this rupture in Cosatu is between forces of capitalism and forces of socialism," it said.

"Those who want comrade... Vavi out of Cosatu want a Cosatu which will be a 'toy telephone', a 'labour desk', a pro-capitalist Cosatu, and those who are defending comrade Vavi want a revolutionary socialist, anti-colonialist and anti-imperialist Cosatu," it said.

The Mail & Guardian reported on its website on Tuesday that SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) president Thobile Ntola was suspended from the union.

He reportedly said he was suspended for giving Vavi a platform to address members in the Eastern Cape and for commenting in the media that Sadtu's Eastern Cape region had accepted Vavi's apology.

"I guess they [Vavi's enemies in Sadtu] did not want me to attend Cosatu's special central executive committee meeting tomorrow. They [Sadtu leaders] are not supported by ordinary members. Sadtu members on the ground are supporting Vavi," said Ntola.