Enock Mabaso
Enock Mabaso was born in KwaSwayimana near Wartburg in KwaZulu Natal. He started working for Glacier Bearings (now Federal Mogul) more than 35 years ago. At the time of his death, he was still an active Numsa shop steward at Federal Mogul. Magrapes Hlatshwayo, a past Numsa official and shop steward, describes Mabaso as a “very dedicated person to the struggle of workers”. Hlatshwayo met Mabaso when the union was a Benefit Fund but later became the Metal and Allied Workers Union (Mawu). Mabaso served two terms as the Mawu president and is known for his dedication to making life easier for workers who were constantly being exploited.During those years life was very different. Shop stewards were more dedicated to the struggle. They worked night and day to get results. Despite this he had time for his wife and six children. His one son Calvin describes him as a “super dad”. Mabaso made workers aware of their rights as employees. He was also known as an expert negotiator and was never afraid to confront employers when the need arose. He sat on the committee that discussed the merger of Mawu and other trade unions which eventually became Numsa. A lot of issues were discussed there like membership of each union, the state of their finances etc. Basil Cele, Numsa’s KZN chairperson remembers that Mabaso was “part of the committee that was sent overseas to raise funds for Mawu, and to compare and study unions in those countries.”He also “played an instrumental part in helping to stabilise the violence (in the late 1980s, early 1990s) in areas like Hammarsdale, Mpumulanga, Pinetown and surrounding areas as he was part of the committee which was formed by Cosatu,” says Cele. He helped produce leaders like the late Khayo Madlala, as well as shop steward Themba Ngcobo, and organisers Magrapes Hlatshwayo and Vusi Shezi. Shezi reminisces about working under Mabaso’s guidance in 1978. “Together with others like Jeffrey Vilane and Enock Shange, leadership was built in different locals. This was done after working hours and we had to travel vast distances between places.””What made Mabaso stand out was the fact that he along with Maxwell Xulu and Khayo Madlala promoted sanctions against South Africa which in turn caused pressure on the apartheid system which eventually led to the freedom of South Africa,” says Magrapes Hlatshwayo.When Numsa was formed in 1987, Mabaso became the local chairperson of the Pinetown local. He was respected among the workers in his region and local. He was soft-spoken but effective in his duties as president of Mawu and chairperson of Pinetown local. Local Pinetown organiser, Henry Myende remembers Mabaso as someone who was sympathetic to others. “He did not like conflict between people.””I would like to follow in my father’s footsteps,” says his son Calvin. “He was a good father with a great sense of humour, he had expert negotiating skills as well as skills in industrial relations and politics.” Calvin says he would not be where he is today had it not been for his dad. Father and son were very close and today Calvin is a IT and Business Management lecturer at Umgungundlovu FET College. As for me, I remember Mabaso as a dedicated union leader and dad because he always spoke proudly of his family. I will miss you Enock as I remember the way you would call me Shareen! Hamba kahle comrade Enock!
Charlene Moodley
Isaac ‘Zeki Tatu’ Phahla 1943 – 2007
Isaac Phahla was born in 1943 in Dukathole Township near Germiston. Phahla grew up from humble beginnings to become an ANC activist at the age of 20 when he was completing his joint matriculation board (JMB) education in Kilnerton Training College in Pretoria. He became increasingly involved in ANC activities at the time when the apartheid government had mounted a siege on ANC and PAC political activists. This resulted in his arrest together with the Constitutional Court deputy president judge Dikgang Moseneke, who was the youngest PAC student activist in the same college.His home in Germiston was repeatedly raided by security police. His father, sister Sylvia and also his brother in-law became victims of the State of Emergency declared by the then Nationalist Party government intended to uproot so-called communists. When Phahla was eventually released from year-long detention and after numerous political groupings went into exile, he went underground for a few years. He later sought refuge in his brother in-law’s mining family house (Schoonplaas) in Randfontein and ended up working in the same mine as a records clerk. Because he was often harassed, he never stayed in one place for too long. In an SACP pre-national congress workshop convened to analyze challenges of the labour vanguard party in the Constitution Hill’s women section jail in Hillbrow, Phahla led a Numsa delegation to the oldest prison cells, and reminisced about his days as student political activist when he was incarcerated in the same prison dungeons in 1962, together with old-time ANC veterans after the banning of black political organisations.At the time of his death he was a full-time shop steward at Wispeco, chairperson of the shop steward committee in his company, Ekurhuleni regional treasurer and a member of Numsa’s National Finance Committee.He was employed at Wispeco in 1995, was elected a shop steward a year later and held the office of full-time shop steward until his death. He would involve the whole shop steward committee in case handling. He encouraged the shop steward committee members to attend union workshops, meetings, discussion groups and shop steward council meetings.He also used to delegate tasks to other shop stewards. If a case was too difficult he would ask us to pray and adjourn the meeting until the next day. When we met the following day a solution was found. Phahla had the courage to tell a worker or shop steward when they were wrong. In 1998 when the company was about to close due to mismanagement by the previous management, through the uncompromising spirit of Phahla we managed to submit in writing to the Rembrandt Group Board of Directors, our complaints and practical proposals to stop the closure of the company.At the time the company employed about 300 employees. Management accepted our proposals and replaced the old management. The positive outcomes are that currently the company employs 980 employees. By the end of the year, the total workforce should be 1150. The Wispeco Training Centre, accredited by the Merseta, has been established and is training its own workers as well as those from other companies in ABET, experiential training and fabrication training.Phahla has also encouraged the company to contribute towards nation building. The company has adopted two community organisations that provide assistance to those that are disabled and those who are infected or affected with HIV/Aids.Bafana Ndebele, Numsa’s collective bargaining coordinator describes Phahla as a leader who could criticise but propose a solution to the problem. He had the ability to find out the underlying reason for the failure to implement union resolutions. He instilled the culture of reading to all those who worked with him. He was divorced and is survived by his eldest daughter and two sons. One of his sons is in the United States of America. Farewell Commissar, your work and your name will endure through the ages of metalworkers’ forever.Thiyane, Mwelase Mahlangabeza, owahlangabeza inkosi izangendlela, Nongagana! Nongagana owahlangabeza inkosi izangendlela.
Rolly Xipu and Mziwakhe Hlangani