Zwelinzima Vavi facts for kids

Zwelinzima Vavi, born on December 20, 1962, is a well-known leader of workers' unions in South Africa. He is currently the General Secretary of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU). Before this, he was the top leader of another big union group called the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).

Early Life and Work

Zwelinzima Vavi grew up on a farm in Hanover, South Africa. His father was a mineworker. He had many brothers and sisters. As a child, he worked on farms nearby to help his family.

In 1987, Vavi worked at a gold mine. He joined a union for mineworkers. This union was called the National Union of Mineworkers. He became an organizer for them.

He lost his job after a big strike by miners in 1987. After that, he started working as a volunteer for COSATU.

Leading COSATU

In 1988, Vavi became a regional secretary for COSATU. This meant he helped lead the union in a specific area. In 1992, he became the national organizing secretary.

From 1993 to 1999, he was the deputy general secretary of COSATU. This was a very important role.

In 1999, Vavi became the general secretary of COSATU. This made him the main leader of the entire organization. He took over from Mbhazima Shilowa.

As general secretary, he spoke at a big meeting about AIDS in 2002. He strongly supported educating people and preventing the spread of the disease.

Vavi later spoke out against the removal of a large union, NUMSA, from COSATU. This disagreement was a big reason why Vavi himself was later asked to leave COSATU. On March 30, 2015, COSATU's leaders voted to remove him.

Views on Zimbabwe

As a union leader, Vavi also shared his thoughts on other countries. He was concerned about the political situation in Zimbabwe. He believed that poor management by the government caused many problems there.

He led two trips to Zimbabwe in 2004 and 2005. The goal was to see if the elections planned for 2005 would be fair. However, he and his team were sent back both times and could not complete their missions.

Vavi was also critical of how the ANC (South Africa's ruling party) handled issues with Zimbabwe. He also spoke out against privatization and corruption in government.

Concerns about Government

Vavi often spoke about his concerns regarding the South African government. He worried about leaders using their power for personal gain.

He warned that the country might become a "predator state." This means a state where powerful, corrupt people control the government for their own benefit. He even suggested that this could lead to a revolution, like the one in Tunisia.