WATCH: The importance of a new federation

Johannesburg - Hundreds of union members gathered for the founding

congress of the new Labour federation South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU)

in Johannesburg on Friday morning. 

Those gathered have started singing "we have

arrived" while carrying placards written "create decent jobs"

and "restructure the economy and create jobs for all". 

The federation is the brainchild of former Cosatu boss

Zwelinizima Vavi and the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) along

with other disgruntled former Cosatu members. 

Vavi and Numsa were expelled from Cosatu in 2015. 

SAFTU will consist of 24 unions including the Food and

Allied Workers Union (Fawu), which left Cosatu last year. 

The federation has been long in the making following last

year's Workers' Summit. 

Irvin Jim, Numsa general secretary, says the launch of

the federation was a journey that it was forced to take, but was the

beginning of hard work. 

"This will be the beginning of hard work. We will be

building a federation now that will be both a shield and forest for

workers," said Jim. 

Some of the prominent people present include Jay Naidoo

who's expected to speak and Mbhazima Shilowa. 

Over the next following days union delegates will discuss

various policies and the organization's constitution, the final name for the

federation and elect its leadership. 

@ZintleMahlati 

POLITICS AND

DEVELOPMENT BUREAU