Evidence wa ka Ngobeni
The president of the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce (Nafcoc) has moved the offices of the black business group to the South African Chamber of Commerce (Sacob) headquarters despite claims by senior Nafcoc members that he has been ousted.
Last week senior Nafcoc members who are opposed to the organisation’s merger with Sacob declared that leaders representing 12 of the organisation’s provincial and sectoral constituencies had passed a vote of no confidence in president Simon Matt-hysen and his committee. Matthysen has described the decision to axe him as a “kangaroo court”.
The senior members said that Nafcoc’s merger with Sacob to form the South African Federated Chamber of Commerce (Safcoc) was null and void. Their position was backed by the Black Business Council, the umbrella body for major black organisations such as the Black Management Forum (BMF).
The council claimed Nafcoc’s merger with Sacob was in violation of a Nafcoc council resolution, which stated that an indaba must first be held before any unity agreement with Sacob is finalised.
Leaders of the council said they do not recognise the Nafcoc and Sacob merger facilitated by Matthysen and asked him to hand over Nafcoc’s leadership to the organisation’s interim committee led by Patrice Motsepe.
The interim committee was appointed last Saturday following the “ousting” of Matthysen. On Tuesday Motsepe ordered Matthysen to vacate Nafcoc’s head offices and hand over all assets of the organisation to the new leadership or face legal action.
However, on Thursday a phone call to Nafcoc’s offices in Johannesburg revealed that the black business group has moved from its central city premises and now shares plush office blocks with Sacob in Rosebank.
Nafcoc interim deputy president Chico Mofolo expressed shock when told that Nafcoc has moved offices. “This is a surprise to us,” he said, adding that the interim leadership would soon apply for a court order asking for Matthysen’s removal unless he quits.
“He can move the offices if he wants. We knew he will try to run away, but all he is doing is putting himself in trouble. These whites [Sacob] are misleading him,” Mofolo said.
According to Mofolo, Motsepe is set to meet Minister of Trade and Industry Alec Erwin soon. At a press briefing this week, Motsepe held Matthysen personally responsible for “bringing the organisation into disrepute”.
The government, Mofolo said, “is committed to addressing the issue of black economic empowerment. To be able to do that it wants all black businesses to first unite. The merger between Nafcoc and Sacob goes against that view.”