Mineworker union braces as bid for presidency hots up
The National Union of Mineworkers’ elective conference promises to be a messy affair with questions over missing subscription fees
19 June 2025 - 05:00
The upcoming elective conference of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is set to be a bruising showdown between its president, Dan Balepile, and his deputy, Phillip Vilakazi.
NUM continues to be plagued by warring factions, vying for control of the union’s vast financial resources. Its past two conferences were characterised by debilitating factional fights. The union, SA’s oldest at more than 43 years, is now a shadow of the mighty organisation that led the historic 1987 strike that lasted 21 days and paved the way for the eventual fall of the apartheid regime. ..
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