Limusa president killed in car accident in KZN

Johannesburg - Sifiso Maphumulo, president of new Cosatu affiliate the Liberated Metalworkers Union of SA (Limusa), has died in a car accident on the N3 in KwaZulu-Natal, the union's general secretary said on Sunday.

"I was a passenger in the car that Sifiso was driving, the national spokesperson Mawuononga Madolo, and Mmusi Ferobatswe, the official of Limusa," general secretary Cedric Gina said.

"The road was a little bit wet but it wasn't raining but comrade Sifiso lost control of the vehicle, but when he tried to regain control of the vehicle, it over turned a number of times. Afterwards, we tired to touch him, and move and tried to free ourselves from the car and we used the windows to get out the car.

"When the ambulance came they confirmed that he had passed away."

Gina said he and the two other passengers were fine, receiving minor bruises in the accident. They went to hospital, with only one of them needing X-rays and medication.

He said the accident happened on Saturday night.

"It was around 20:00 on Saturday. It was on the N3 just after the Escourt Ultra City, around 20km from the Ultra City on the N3," Gina said.

A Limusa press conference scheduled for later on Sunday morning has been cancelled, with Gina and other Limusa officials to meet with Maphumulo's family later on Sunday.

"We are going to meet the family today. We will talk to them, and comfort them and assure them that we are with them in this situation," Gina said.

"Then we are going to decide how we are going to proceed with the press conference in consultation with the family, as we do not want to be seen as disrespectful. We will communicate going forward."

The union was accepted as a new Cosatu affiliate on March 31, following the expulsion of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) in November last year.

Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) deputy general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali told reporters in Johannesburg at the time: "The [central executive committee] meeting reaffirmed its satisfaction that Limusa satisfied all the constitutional requirements of the Cosatu constitution and therefore accepted Limusa as a new Cosatu affiliate."

#COSATU to release a Statement on the fatal accident which took the life of #LIMUSA Leader shortly

— @COSATU Today (@_cosatu) April 19, 2015