South Africa's biggest trade union was expelled from the ruling African National Congress-aligned labour federation on Saturday, a major blow to the coalition that has governed since apartheid ended in 1994.
After meeting through the night, delegates from the powerful trade union federation voted 33-24 in favour of expelling the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), the largest group in the federation and vocal critics of President Jacob Zuma's administration.
"We were expelled this morning, a predetermined decision was evident, the reasons for them kicking us out were not enough," NUMSA's treasurer Mphumzi Maqungo said.
"It was painful, it was as if someone had died," he said of the 27-year relationship forged in the fight against racial oppression, which eventually brought down white minority rule in South Africa.
The expulsion has been on the cards for months, after the union said in December last year that it would not campaign for the ANC in the May general elections, and accused Zuma's government of promoting business instead of workers' interests.
It also said it would form a political movement called the "United Front" to advance a socialist agenda.
COSATU is in a three-way governing alliance with the ANC and the SA Communist party. The workers federation is seen as a powerful vote winning machine which also makes significant financial contributions for elections.
In a last ditch attempt to stave off expulsion, NUMSA's general secretary Irvin Jim told COSATU's top leaders on Friday that the federation that once struck fear into South Africa's apartheid-era bosses was now in a state of "paralysis".
Jim said COSATU wanted to expel NUMSA because it had spoken out against rising levels of corruption and "political bankruptcy" in the ANC under Zuma.
"It is a division between those who recognise the political bankruptcy of the ANC/SACP government and those who don't," Jim said.
"Between those who support the interests of the working class, as our constitution requires us to do, and those who are prepared to sacrifice those interests for a class alliance."
Most of NUMSA's members are black workers in key sectors such as car manufacturing. Some COSATU unions are also upset at NUMSA's attempts to "poach" their members.
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