Simon Matsobane Mathe is a South African politician and trade unionist who has represented the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

(ANC) in the

Limpopo Provincial Legislature The Limpopo Provincial Legislature is the primary legislative body of the South African province of Limpopo. It is unicameral in its composition, and elects the premier and the provincial cabinet, the Limpopo Executive Council, from among the ...

since 2019. He was formerly the General Secretary of the

South African Municipal Workers' Union The South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) is the largest union in local government in South Africa. History The union was founded on 24 October 1987, when the Municipal Workers' Union of South Africa merged with the Cape Town Municipal ...

(SAMWU) from December 2015 until April 2019, when he and the union's other leaders were removed in a vote of no confidence.

Career in SAMWU

Mathe entered politics through SAMWU, an affiliate of the ANC-allied

Congress of South African Trade Unions The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is a trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions ...

. He was formerly SAMWU's Provincial Secretary in

Limpopo Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is ...

and by 2015 was the Deputy General Secretary of the national union. In late 2015, the incumbent

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

, Walter Theledi, was suspended from his office amid allegations of financial mismanagement; SAMWU's executive committee voted in December 2015 to replace him with Mathe. Mathe subsequently served as national SAMWU General Secretary from 2015 to 2019. In 2018, his leadership corps controversially amended the union's constitution to extend their own terms in office from three years to five years, although Mathe said that the amendment was the result of a resolution of SAMWU's national congress. More generally, Mathe presided over what the ''

Mail & Guardian The ''Mail & Guardian'' is a South African weekly newspaper and website, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa. It focuses on political analysis, investigative reporting, Southern African news, local arts, music and popular cultu ...

'' called a "leadership crisis" in the union, and in early 2019 the labour registrar applied to have SAMWU placed under administration for alleged violations of the Labour Relations Act. In April 2019, at a SAMWU executive committee meeting in

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State (province), Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legisla ...

, five of the union's nine provincial branches supported a

motion of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

in the incumbent national leadership. Mathe said that he had resigned before the motion was voted on, but sources said that his resignation was prompted by the motion. He was replaced as General Secretary by Koena Ramatlou.

Career in the provincial legislature

In the 2019 general election, which took place shortly after Mathe's removal from his SAMWU office, Mathe was elected to an ANC seat in the Limpopo Provincial Legislature, ranked 31st on the ANC's provincial

party list An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...

. He has also been elected to two consecutive four-year terms on the Limpopo ANC's Provincial Executive Committee in June 2018 and June 2022.

References

External links

* Living people Year of birth missing (living people) South African trade unionists African National Congress politicians Members of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature 21st-century South African politicians {{DEFAULTSORT:Mathe_Simon