Suspended National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) second deputy president, Ruth Ntlokotse, said in court papers that her sanction is aimed at preventing her from running to be elected the union's president at its conference.

Ntlokotse has approached the Labour Court in Johannesburg to have her suspension from the union declared invalid. In the affidavit, she says she planned to run for president of Saftu against Mac Chavalala, who she defeated in a South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) conference in May to become president of Numsa's umbrella federation. 

A founding affidavit from Ntlokotse said she seeks this relief on an urgent basis so that she can attend and participate in the union's conference in Cape Town next week.

Ntlokotse submitted that the precautionary suspension of office bearers and shopstewards was meant to frustrate the democratic process by eliminating officials so they could not stand for positions.

"I am a good example of such a candidate, as Mac Chavalala will be contesting for the same position I intend to contest. The fact that I won the election in Saftu makes me the most likely candidate to triumph and become the president of Numsa," Ntlokotse said in her affidavit.

Chavalala told Fin24 that he has not yet signed any forms for eligibility of Numsa presidency.

"In a trade union, it's not about intention, it's about what the regions of Numsa want. I may have my desires, but the regions are the ones who decide," he said.

Ntlokotse's affidavit said that the central committee acted outside of the provisions of the Numsa constitution to place her on precautionary suspension.

"It is further of concern that as a national office bearer I was placed on precautionary suspension by the central committee even though those powers do not exist," the affidavit said.

Numsa secretary-general Irvin Jim told reporters last week that the union's central committee meeting resolved that Ntlokotse should be suspended for acting outside of the union's wishes.

In May, Ntlokotse successfully ran for the office of president at the Saftu conference, and she says she was targeted by Numsa for this reason.

Ntlokotse also says she was being ousted for demanding accountability from Numsa leadership regarding the non-payment of claims to union members by the Numsa Investment Company's subsidiary 3Sixty Life. The subsidiary was placed under provisional curatorship, which Jim went to the courts to halt.

Ntlokotse's affidavit said she also wanted Numsa's Mpumalanga region to be allowed to participate in the upcoming conference. Alternatively, the conference should be halted, while the nature of the disputes that led to her suspension and that of 30 other officials is investigated and established.

Jim said the Mpumalanga region will not be able to attend the national congress as it was unable to successfully meet credential requirements. 

Ntlokotse's affidavit said the constitution of the union made a provision for the central committee to form a credentials committee to determine who is entitled to attend the conference and vote in it. She said the central committee has not formed a credentials committee, meaning the accreditation of delegates has not been performed.

Jim has denied claims that he has looked to sideline Ntlokotse, adding that the claims predate the central committee meeting where her suspension was decided.

Numsa said Jim had a duty to intervene in the provisional curatorship of 3Sixty Life to save workers' money. He said Numsa was being targeted by a "propaganda" campaign from those who looked to collapse the union's conference and democratic centralism.