President Thabo Mbeki should open the succession debate, the National Union of Mineworker’s (NUM) president Senzeni Zokwana said on Saturday, South African Broadcasting Corporation television news reports.
Speaking at NUM’s 12th congress at Midrand, he said this would dispel perceptions that some leaders, especially African National Congress (ANC) deputy president Jacob Zuma, were being marginalised.
The union called on the ANC’s National Executive Committee to come up with a discussion document on the future of the tripartite alliance between the ruling party, the South African Communist Party and the Congress of South African Trade Unions.
This document should be presented at NUM’s central committee meeting, according to the report.
At the congress, Frans Baleni was elected unopposed as the new general secretary of the union.
SABC’s website reports that proceedings at the NUM congress were dominated by differing opinions on the interpretation of the union’s constitution.
Delegates accused one another of abusing the constitution. The broadcaster reported that Archie Palane was disqualified from contesting the position of secretary general, which was held by Gwede Mantashe for years.
NUM leadership said Palane was disqualified because he did not meet the constitutional requirements of the union.
Palane said he was betrayed due to factionalism within the union. – Sapa