Sunday Independent reports that SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) president Ruth Ntlokotse has launched another Labour Court bid to overturn the outcomes of several National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) gatherings held last year.

Ntlokotse, formerly Numsa second deputy president, was expelled from the union last week amid various allegations levelled against her, all of which she denies. Ntlokotse has announced her intention to appeal her expulsion. In papers filed at the Labour Court, Ntlokotse wants the Numsa national congress, which was held in Cape Town in July last year and at which she intended to run for president, to be declared null and void for failing to comply with the union’s constitution. At the national congress, Andrew Chirwa was elected president, Mac Chavalala was elected first deputy president and Irvin Jim was reelected general secretary. According to her court papers, Ntlokotse wants Numsa’s extended central committee meeting held in December declared unconstitutional, invalid and unenforceable in law. The decisions taken at the extended central committee meeting included placing the Western Cape region under administration and the taking over of the affairs of the Mpumalanga region. In Numsa’s response, Jim said Ntlokotse effectively sought to set aside an entire year’s worth of worker organisation by the trade union and that if the relief she was seeking were to be granted it would be prejudicial to the union and its more than 300,000 members.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Loyiso Sidimba at Sunday Independent

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