Home | News | DRAMA AT NAPSAWU NGC MEETING, MEMBERS CHUCKED OUT

DRAMA AT NAPSAWU NGC MEETING, MEMBERS CHUCKED OUT

30/10/2020 01:16:00 BY SIBUSISO ZWANE

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MANZINI – Once again, there was drama during the NAPSAWU national general council (NGC) meeting as the Manzini branch and a member of the Hlathikhulu branch were chucked out.

The National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) hosted the NGC meeting yesterday at Divine Healing Ministries International auditorium in Manzini.

The issues were that the Manzini branch was represented in the NGC, yet it was allegedly ineligible since it had not elected its branch committee members.

affidavit

On the other hand, the Hlatikhulu branch member allegedly signed an affidavit which supported a case involving the authority of the national executive committee (NEC).

This has to do with a court case where it is alleged that the NEC was unconstitutionally elected into office.

Before the meeting started, the Pigg’s Peak branch moved a motion that branches that had not elected their committees and members who had taken the union to court should excuse them.

The motion was seconded by the Malkerns branch, which said it concurred with the Pigg’s Peak branch that members who felt that the NEC was in office illegally or did not believe in the structures, should excuse them.

“Those who are challenging the NEC and constitution are not supposed to be part of us in this meeting,” a representative of the Malkerns branch emphasised.

Thereafter, the chairperson of the meeting, Bawinile Ndlovu, who is the Deputy President, asked if there was any branch that was countering the motion and there was none.

Thereafter, the chairperson asked the Pigg’s Peak branch to guide the NEC as to who were the members and branches it was referring to.

In response, the Pigg’s Peak branch said the Manzini branch had not conducted elections while at the Hlatikhulu branch; there was a member who signed an affidavit which was challenging the NEC structure, saying it was allegedly elected into office unconstitutionally.

regard

In that regard, the Nhlangano branch asked the NEC to follow the laid down procedure by asking the branch and member in question to excuse the meeting as there was no counter motion.

The only representative from Manzini branch, Musa Mdluli, who is also a former secretary general of the trade union, asked to exercise his right to be heard.

However, the NEC said the precedent was that members whose participation in the union activities were questionable were not granted the right to be heard.

It said this took place in 2013 where the Mbabane branch was not given the right to be heard.

Therefore, the Manzini and Hlathikhulu Branch members Musa Mdluli and Stan Dlamini, were requested to excuse the meeting.

However, before leaving the auditorium, Mdluli went to the front desk which was occupied by the NEC and told them that they would meet in court.

Meanwhile, Stan said he deserved to exercise his right to be heard before he could leave the hall.

heard

However, the NEC told him that since he had taken the union to court, he would find his right to be heard in the court of law.

However, he refused to leave the hall until he was allowed to exercise his right to be heard. As a result, the meeting was stalled for a few minutes and the NGC members asked him to leave, but in vain.

After a while, some of his colleagues were seen whispering to him.

In the meantime, the rest of the NGC members were singing political songs. Eventually, he was seen walking out of the hall together with two other members who had been talking to him.

elected

Meanwhile, other branches which had not elected their committees were Madlangempisi and Mankayane and they did not attend the NGC meeting.

The NGC members commended the two branches for doing the right thing by not attending the meeting since they were ineligible.

It is worth noting that a few months ago, the trade union’s one-day congress which was at the same venue was unceremoniously postponed indefinitely. This was after chaos erupted as tempers flared during the congress and the trade union was said to be ‘ungovernable’.