Factional tensions are sharpening in the National Union of Mineworkers in the run-up to next week’s NUM congress, which is to elect new leaders.
Apart from those of president and deputy president, all positions are being contested.
There is particularly fierce rivalry over the crucial post of general secretary, which Gwede Mantashe is vacating after two terms. The rival candidates are current deputy general secretary Archie Palane, and Frans Baleni, a former mineworker.
Although Palane has eight years’ experience as deputy, insiders say he has been weakened by a resolution taken at the NUM’s 2004 special congress designed to prevent candidates from standing for leadership positions without worker experience.
Some within the union’s national executive committee are understood to be pushing for congress to implement the resolution.
Interviewed this week, Palane agreed he had never been a worker, but argued that the resolution did not bar current leaders from standing.
He believes the resolution was designed to prevent him from becoming the next general secretary.
”Yes, the union must be led by workers, but the liberation struggle should be fought in other ways. If someone has leadership qualities, why deprive that person? Many in the liberation movement have led the union without a background as workers,” said Palane.
An NUM leader who asked not to be named said Palane was not suitable leadership material.
”He should go and work in the corporate sector. He is a businessman and has no passion for workers and therefore cannot protect them. A vote for Palane will perpetuate divisions.”
Palane is backed by North East, Natal, Free State and Highveld regions, while Baleni enjoys the support of Kimberley, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Klerksdorp, Rustenburg and PWV regions.
Tribal and political rifts are expected to play a major role in the elections. Palane believes his problem is that he is not Xhosa-speaking. He is also perceived by pro-Jacob Zuma union members as a Thabo Mbeki man.
In his secretariat report, Mantashe noted the danger posed by factions, who ”make even NEC members not appreciate good work done by a leader whom they perceive to be affiliated to another or in a particular faction … Regional conferences are growing into terrains for contestations among factions rather than an exercise of electing the best leadership collective … We must expect this trend to continue in the national congress.”
Mantashe also raised concerns about the increasing union corruption. Some senior NEC officials had covered for those who are found to be corrupt, while a KPMG audit had found that officials from Kwazulu-Natal and Rustenburg had collaborated with service providers in embezzling money raised from donors for union activities.
When NUM president Senzeni Zokwana tried to take action, some within the NEC called for his head, Mantashe said.