QA with Numsa boss Irvin Jim on fallout with Saftu boss Zwelinzima Vavi

After Saftu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi confirmed there was a “big fallout” between him and Numsa counterpart Irvin Jim, TimesLIVE spoke to the latter to hear his response.

The war between the two culminated in a letter of intention to suspend Vavi by fellow Saftu national office bearers (NOBs).

Vavi believes Jim’s hidden hand is behind the move by the NOBs. But Jim has since defended himself against the accusation.

Question: It is said that the source of the Saftu political events that unfolded this week,  culminating with the letter of intention to suspend Saftu GS Mr Vavi is a fallout between yourself and Mr Vavi. What is your take on this?

Jim: This is a joke. The NOBs of Saftu were acting independently and it is a conspiracy theory to think otherwise.

Question: Is it true that the genesis of the fallout between yourself and Mr Vavi is your differing opinions on the Socialist Revolutionary Workers’ Party (SRWP)?

Jim: The SRWP is a product of Numsa and was catalysed by Numsa, just like Saftu. SRWP can speak for itself. The SRWP, like Saftu, has deep roots in Numsa and its revolutionary resolutions of its 2013 special national congress. That congress passed resolutions which have materialised into the SRWP and Saftu. As general secretary of Numsa, and leader in the SRWP, I have a revolutionary duty to protect and defend both Saftu and the SRWP. Both Vavi and I as individuals are free to hold different political opinions and to support and belong to any party of our choice.

Question: The allegation is that you have been pressuring Mr Vavi to get the SRWP to be the baby of Saftu and that he has been resisting this pressure. What is your version?

Jim: This is rubbish. We were expelled from Cosatu as Numsa because, among other things, we had resolved that Cosatu must be free from political party interference and move out of the ANC-led alliance. The SRWP has no programme to make itself a baby of any union, including Numsa, actually. The SRWP is not Numsa, and Numsa is not the SRWP, even as the history of the SRWP is in Numsa!