November 20, 2015.
For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.
Making headlines:

Zwelinzima Vavi says Cosatu axed him for standing up for Numsa. 

Businessman Mathews Phosa takes a swipe at President Jacob Zuma.

And, the newly appointed South African Post Office CEO eyes a profitable Post Office.

 

While Cosatu has previously said that Zwelinzima Vavi was dismissed from his general secretary post for gross misconduct, Vavi insisted yesterday that he was fired for refusing to dismiss thousands of Numsa workers from the trade union federation.    

Vavi said he was dismissed because he couldn’t find it in his conscience to implement a decision to dismiss 340 000 members of Numsa from their federation.

Cosatu kicked Numsa out a year ago, while Vavi was dismissed from the trade union federation in March this year.

Cosatu's leadership wanted Numsa to be replaced by the Liberated Metalworkers of SA , which is now led by former Numsa leaders.

Meanwhile, Vavi announced that he would not be fighting to be reinstated. 

 

Possibilities exist for the beleaguered South African Post Office (or Sapo) to be profitable again, said the state-owned unit’s new chief executive officer.

Yesterday, Cabinet approved the appointment of Mark Barnes as the Group CEO of Sapo with a five-year term resuming in January 15, 2016.

Barnes faces one of his biggest challenges yet: Turning around a state-owned Sapo that has had leadership instability and which is in financial dire straits as it reported a preliminary net loss of about R1.1-billion earlier this year.

Barnes is set to take the reins after former CEO Christopher Hlekane’s contract was terminated in September 2015 amid allegations of mismanagement of funds.

 

Businessman and former ANC leader Mathews Phosa took a swipe at President Jacob Zuma’s comments that the ANC comes first yesterday.

“The country and its people must come first,” Phosa said in his keynote address at the 13th Annual Business Awards in Kempton Park.

He said no organisation or individual must come before South Africa.

Phosa’s comments came as Zuma was at pains to explain and justify his comments at the ANC KwaZulu-Natal provincial conference earlier this month.

Phosa said leaders should not compromise ethics and democracy. He added that South Africa’s path to success was through the Bill of Rights.

 

Also making headlines:

The DA was outraged that the Speaker of Parliament wouldn’t allow an urgent question about reports that President Jacob Zuma might get a R4-billion jet.

The Human Rights Commission would take legal action against local government for non-compliance with its recommendations relating to the eradication of the bucket system.

And, President Jacob Zuma said government was not ready to declare the drought a national disaster.

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That’s a roundup of news making headlines today