/ 5 October 2007

Madisha steps down amid donation furore

Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) president Willie Madisha has stepped down, it emerged on Friday.

A special task team will now be established to make recommendations to Cosatu’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) after Madisha voluntarily stepped down, the CEC said at a media briefing.

Madisha stepped down as president at a CEC meeting held on Thursday.

”At the end of the debate it was clear that the matter could only be resolved through a vote as two views at the time existed,” secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi said.

Vavi said the first view was for a vote of no confidence to be passed against Madisha, and the other was that some form of action be taken against the president.

”It was at this stage that the president decided to step down,” Vavi said.

Madisha is accused of bringing Cosatu into disrepute by swearing that he handed over to South African Communist Party (SACP) secretary general Blade Nzimande an amount of R500 000 in cash, which he said he received as a donation for the SACP. – Sapa