Congress of SA Trade Unions general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has declined his nomination as an ANC representative in the National Assembly.

"I am deeply moved and honoured by this vote of confidence in my leadership by members of our revolutionary alliance formations," Vavi said in a statement on Wednesday.

"I do appreciate though, as many would acknowledge, this is not a vote of confidence in me as a person but in millions of struggling workers of South Africa, in particular those who are members of Cosatu.

"It is workers who made me and it is they who profiled me as a national leader and it is their struggles that gave me my character.

"I regret however that I have to humbly decline my nomination..."

Vavi said the Cosatu unions had made it clear to him that he should not make himself available for both political and organisational reasons.

"Every happening, today and yesterday, points to the need to guard our independence and protect and deepen the strength of a workers' movement," he said.

With SA Communist Party general secretary Blade Nzimande likely to join parliament, unions had said they were not willing to lose two working class leaders and to confront new challenges with two new leaders.

"I have served Cosatu unions all my life and I am not willing to depart from them when they are not ready. Cosatu has not worked on any transitional strategy, and jumping for higher office at this critical stage will destroy my legacy," said Vavi.

He said workers were starting to think that their leaders -- particularly general secretaries -- were using the might of the
organisation to build their own profiles.

Already, one former general secretary had joined parliament, while another had joined the Gauteng provincial legislature.

Vavi noted that he had been accused of supporting ANC president Jacob Zuma just to obtain a senior cabinet post.

"In this regard I have been touted by the enemies of our movement as the future minister of labour, amongst others," he said.

"I am declining the nomination to once more reinforce a message that the overwhelming majority of members of the ANC even now, 15 years into democracy, do not join the struggle in order to secure nice jobs and positions for themselves.

"I, just like many of other members of the ANC, mobilised and defended Jacob Zuma because I honestly believe he is a victim of political machinations."

Vavi emphasised that his declining of the nomination was not a message that it was wrong to serve the government, parliament and the people.

"On the contrary, I and the Cosatu leaders are lobbying for as many Cosatu members and other working class activists as are necessary to be voted in, so that they serve our people in this capacity."

He was declining because, although a full member of the ANC, he was leader of Cosatu and that is where his leadership capacity was being tested.

Vavi said he did not intend remaining a Cosatu leader indefinitely and would announce at the Cosatu national congress in September that, if re-elected, he would serve a final three-year term.

"Thereafter, I will decide how and in what capacity I will continue to serve the working class and the people of South Africa," he said.

ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe on Wednesday said Vavi was doing "good work" with the trade union movement and his turning down of the nomination was not a "train smash".

"I don't think it is a source of disappointment. We still need a very strong trade union movement, we need strong structures...
It will be dangerous if we make those structures poorer because there is a parliamentary list process now," he said.