Giants from the past
Numsa turns 20 this year. In every Numsa News this year, we will carry short profiles of Numsa leaders who were founder members of Numsa. Write in and tell us who we should profile.
During a recent Numsa Writers Workshop, Mncedisi Phaphu spoke with Comrade Rolly Sidima Xipu, a political giant of the then greater Wits region.The comrades who started Numsa 20 years ago needed to work clandestinely under the oppressive apartheid system. Yet they managed to emerge united and victorious. Among those who were there at the start, was Numsa Ekurhuleni regional organiser Rolly Sidima Xipu.Xipu was born in Payneville, Springs; his father was originally from the outskirts of Queenstown in the Eastern Cape. He grew up in church and played sport like any other growing youth but never became a professional.During his early working days he was not involved in politics, but his life changed during the mid ’70s. When Boart Hard Metals employed Xipu in 1974, he met two comrades who would have a huge impact on him. They were David Madupela, (later to become the first vice president of Numsa) and L.Kangwenya who were both Engineering and Allied Workers Union works council committee members affiliated to the Federation of South African Trade Union (Fosatu) (a fore-runner of Cosatu). Later on, the office bearers of the union were not happy with Fosatu so we joined the Metal and Allied Workers Union (Mawu) (a fore-runner of Numsa and a Fosatu affiliate). “I became a works council liaison committee member and I was responsible for the engineering sector,” said Xipu. “I worked a lot with comrade Mayekiso, Mawu’s branch secretary and its national secretary comrade David Sibabe during the merger talks between Fosatu trade unions like Mawu and other
Do you have a story to share about where we come from?We invite you to send us your memories as well. In every Numsa News we will carry memories of comrades who have been in the organisation for a long time. The story that is published will receive some Numsa goodies.
progressive trade unions like the Food and Canning Workers Union and the Commercial Catering and Allied Workers Union,” he said. Towards Cosatu’s national launch in 1985, he was very instrumental in convincing workers’ organisations about the one industry one federation slogan that was ultimately adopted at the congress and eventually led to the birth of Numsa in 1987. He worked as Springs local organiser and later became the first Numsa Wits regional secretary. Comrade Xipu’s political journey was not sweet and easy. Although he was never detained, political organisations were banned, unions were not recognised and they had no funds. Recruitment at factories was difficult and very clandestine. Though he has travelled such a hard road, he is still a Numsa member, a regional organiser, Numsa news writer and also a member of the SACP and the ANC.Well done comrade Xipu keep up the good work!
Memories from the past – I missed my wedding for Mayekiso!It was Friday afternoon in May 1987. I was driving with my uncle Joshua Mtau from Springs to our home town Polokwane. We stopped at a small supermarket in Groblersdal. I went inside.
Ingabe unendaba ofuna ukuyishiyelana nathi ngokuthi sivelaphi?Siyakucela ukuthi usithumelele lokho okukhumbulayo ngananoma yiluphi ulimi okhetha ukuthumela ngalo. Ku-Numsa News sifaka izinto ezikhunjulwa ama-comrade okudala esenhlanganweni. Indaba ezoshicilelwa izothola izinto ezimnandi ze-Numsa.
Het jy “˜n storie om te deel oor waar ons vandaan kom?Ons nooi lesers uit om vir ons hulle herinnerings te stuur – in watter taal hulle ookal verkies. Ons sal in elke Numsa News herinneringe plaas van kamerade wat al lank in die organisasie is. Die persoon wie se storie geplaas word, sal Numsa-pryse ontvang.
Na o na le pale eo o ratang eo o ka abelanang ka yona e mabapi le moo re hlahang teng?Re kopa hore o re romele seo o se hopolang, mme hona o ka ho etsa ka ho sebedisa puo efe kapa efe ya eo o e batlang. Phatlalatsong e nngwe le e nngwe ya Numsa News re tla hlahisa ditaba dife kapa dife tse hopolwang ke ditho tsa rona tse bileng mokgatlong nakong ena yohle. Pale e tla phatlalatswa e tla fumana mpho e itseng ho tswa ho Numsa.
I was wearing a ‘Release Moses Mayekiso’ t-shirt. (Mayekiso was at that time detained and Mawu had printed thousands of t-shirts as part of a campaign to demand his release.)I was approached by two white policemen. They asked me to explain my t-shirt.I said Mayekiso was arrested for no valid reason. He is innocent. We want him out of prison now!My uncle saw that things were not going correctly. He came to ask one of the cops what was going on? He was taken to the police van and was arrested.They came back to me and said, “You are a communist.” I said I was a worker not a communist. I was ordered to put down the supermarket basket and dragged outside the supermarket. They asked me to allow them to put handcuffs on my hands. I refused. They started to assault me. I was overpowered, handcuffed and pushed into the police van. At the police station I was asked to make a statement. I refused. I asked to phone home because it was my wedding the next day. They refused. I asked to speak to a black policeman. They refused. We were taken to the cell where we stayed until Monday when they released us on bail of R100.On Tuesday we went to court. They told me to go home and refunded my bail!Thomas Mokwana, an ex-shop steward from Xpanda Steel Centre in Ekurhuleni was speaking to Rolly Xipu