‘The union has lost touch': ‘Tired' Nehawu members form breakaway union
Former Nehawu members formed the National Democratic and Servant Workers Union after a meeting in Tshwane, citing leadership and financial issues.
It plans mass recruitment in the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, and Mpumalanga to promote worker-centred representation.
It accused Nehawu of undemocratic practices, financial mismanagement, and neglecting member-specific concerns.
Fed up with what they describe as 'tyranny', at least 100 former National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) members have formed a breakaway union.
The National Democratic and Servant Workers Union (NDASWU) was founded after a meeting in Tshwane over the weekend.
One of the founding members, Zolani Masoleng, said a mass recruitment drive was in full swing in the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng and Mpumalanga as a start.
Masoleng said 1 000 members had been signed up in the first week.
He told News24 one of the reasons that prompted members to break away was that Nehawu no longer represented the needs and aspirations of its members.
'Nehawu is no longer controlled by its members. There is a top-down approach. It has become painfully clear that Nehawu no longer represents the needs, priorities, and aspirations of a significant portion of its membership,' Masoleng said.
Other reasons for cutting ties included a leadership deficit, alleged financial mismanagement, ineffective representation, neglect of sector-specific issues and a failure to support members.
READ | ANC tells Mtolo to apologise to Nehawu as Mbalula moves to quash GNU tensions
'Organisational discipline has been weaponised to eliminate contestation through spurious suspensions and dissolutions of regional executive committees,' he added.
Masoleng said member subscriptions, which typically range between R100 and R200, worth millions were being squandered and used to finance lavish lifestyles and endless court cases aimed at silencing dissent and sidelining alternative voices.
'There is an evident failure to represent members effectively during disputes, bargaining processes or legal challenges. The union has lost touch with the occupational realities and site-specific concerns of its members, Masoleng said, adding that there was a lack of legal representation to address grievances.
READ | Bheki Mtolo issues public apology to Nehawu following threats of legal action
Masoleng denied that the breakaway union comprised 'disgruntled' members.
'It's normal for your former lover to badmouth you when things go south. We expected that there would be sour grapes, but the reality is that people are tired and believe these things have to stop,' Masoleng said.
He said the union would fill in gaps where Nehawu had no reach, including the private health sector, parastatals, higher education and artificial-intelligence based sectors.
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