JOURNALISTS demand answers from union at special congress. A special congress has been called for the South African Union of Journalists (SAUJ) to discuss the financial crisis and leadership issues undermining the integrity of the organisation.
The Mail & Guardian reported last week that the union is in a financial crisis because of the high office expenditure that is eating into the Joint Journalists Unemployment Benefit Fund.
Last Friday some national executive committee (NEC) members, general secretary Motsomi Mokhine and deputy president Sicelo Fayo had a teleconference specifically to discuss the article in the M&G and the financial crisis facing the union.
It was agreed that a special congress meeting would be held in Cape Town on June 1.
Mokhine says the NEC members will report to the congress and explain how they have dealt with the financial crisis.
”The union has a leadership crisis,” says Mokhine.
He says the SAUJ has not had a full NEC member complement because one member resigned and two have not attended any NEC meetings. This affected the mandates from the congress.
However it is understood that after the teleconference president Sechaba ka Nkosi sent an e-mail to a few NEC members in which he raised the M&G article and allegations that one of the NEC members had transgressed protocol by being the main source of the article.
In the e-mail he says: ”I formally propose that the NEC acts on the acting treasurer’s behaviour, failing which I will tender my resignation as head of the NEC by no later than the end of the month. I come from a proud organisational history that taught me that for an organisation to be effective, there must be religious adherence to its constitution.”
Asked to comment on his threatened resignation Ka Nkosi denied that there had been a threat. ”I sent an e-mail saying we have to stick to protocol. I did not threaten but I’m not going to be leading an organisation operating like a mob.”
He said that at the NEC meeting in April it was agreed that NEC members would go back to their provinces and inform them of the crisis facing the union. He said that anyone who goes against this is going against the mandate of the union.
”I grew up in a culture where there is adherence to the organisational structures,” said Ka Nkosi. He said that there has been no infighting even though his e-mail specifically refers to ”heated correspondence among NEC members”.
Mokhine denies that infighting has developed as a result of the M&G article but does say there is difference of opinion among NEC members on the financial crisis.
”NEC members have made a definite proposal on how to deal with the article and the background to the article,” says Mokhine. He could not discuss what the proposal was but says the matter will be discussed in the NEC meeting on May 31.
Certain NEC members have welcomed the article, saying that members have a right to know about the crisis facing the union. They were not willing to speak on the record in case of marginalisation but felt that the welfare of the union should be central to all NEC members.
Mkhululi Titi, an NEC member, confirmed that the special congress would be held to discuss leadership and the financial crisis.
”I am positive that we will come up with solutions to make the union strong and popular on the ground to attract more members.”
Dianne Cassere, a former vice-president for the Western Cape region, says she is fiercely loyal to the union. ”Members should go to the congress and ask questions,” she says.
She says the congress is an ideal opportunity for apathetic members to get involved and sort out the crisis.
”In 1999 at the NEC meeting I began asking questions about the staff and office expenses and was instantly marginalised by NEC members,” says Cassere. She says she resigned her official position because she could no longer condone the high office expenditure.
”Fifteen years ago we had two people running the office. Why do we need five people now?”