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Teachers union fires president Madisha

Willie Madisha has been fired as president of the SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) and is forbidden to hold office for the next 10 years, Sadtu said yesterday.

Willie Madisha has been fired as president of the SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) and is forbidden to hold office for the next 10 years, Sadtu said yesterday.

"The national executive committee (NEC) decided to accept the recommendations of the disciplinary committee to remove the president," the union's Jon Lewis said.

Madisha was found guilty of unprofessional conduct and-or misconduct for talking to the press about an alleged R500000 donation to SA Communist Party general secretary Blade Nzimande, and for disobeying a Sadtu and Congress of SA Trade Unions resolution to support Jacob Zuma's candidacy for ANC president.

The union said he violated the conditions of suspension in December last year by continuing to address union structures and refusing to hand over the union's vehicle, petrol card and cellphone.

His sacking came after the union's NEC met on Monday to discuss the recommendations of a disciplinary committee.

Madisha was also expelled from the SACP and as president of Cosatu over the same issues.

His lawyer, Julian Meltz, said he had spoken to Madisha yesterday and he was "obviously upset".

He and Madisha would meet to decide how to proceed with the court applications they had launched to challenge the moves against him.

He wanted the equality court to find that he had been discriminated against on the basis of his political affiliation to President Thabo Mbeki.

Meltz said Madisha's equality court application was in line with the Constitution, which allowed freedom of expression and association.

Meanwhile, deputy president Thobile Ntola was appointed acting Sadtu president. - Sapa

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