Story audio is generated using AI
Chartered accountant and senior business rescue practitioner Sipho Sono has approached the Constitutional Court to stop his removal by a lower court as administrator of the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers’ Union (Ceppwawu). Sono was summoned to appear before the labour court on Monday to explain why he should not be held in contempt of court, jailed or fined for refusing to step down as administrator of the Cosatu affiliate. Sono’s office said approaching the apex court was a “normal appeal process”, and would not comment further. Judgment on the matter had been reserved until Friday, it said.Earlier in 2026 the court ordered his removal and appointed Gerhard Vosloo, whose term started on March 1.“But to Cosatu’s and Ceppwawu’s shock, Sono didn’t pack his stationery and walk off into the sunset; instead, he appealed the ruling and continued as administrator,” Cosatu national spokesperson Zanele Sabela said. Ceppwawu has about 50,000 members. It was put under administration by the labour registrar in June 2020, after failing to manage its affairs since 2018. Sabela said the first administrator appointed by the labour registrar was axed after union members expressed dissatisfaction with poor performance. Sono was brought in as an interim administrator for six months before he was eventually appointed. “His marching orders couldn’t have been simpler — appoint an experienced facilitator to convene Ceppwawu’s regional and national congresses as per its constitution and ultimately elect a new leadership for the union. For his part, Sono would be required to compile audited financial statements from the year ending 2018 onwards,” Sabela said. The congresses were to be convened and concluded by September 30 2023, after which the control, management and affairs of the union would be handed over to the new union leadership on expiry of Sono’s term on December 12 2023. “But Sono repeatedly failed to deliver on his mandate, prompting the [labour] registrar to petition the court to have him removed,” Sabela said. She said the labour registrar was concerned about Sono’s “inability to compile and finalise the union’s audited financial statements. Consequently, audited financial statements for the years ending 2018 [to] 2025 are still outstanding”. For his part, Sono would be required to compile audited financial statements from the year ending 2018 onwards— Zanele Sabela, Cosatu national spokesperson“Sono has always maintained there were no funds to compile and finalise the financial statements. However, the labour court found this to be untrue because Ceppwawu Investments had offered him a loan with conditions meant to keep him accountable and transparent,” Sabela said. “The registrar was also aggrieved by Sono’s failure to manage the union’s funds. A case in point is his refusal to recover union funds his predecessor had helped herself to by accessing Ceppwawu’s bank account, claiming it was monies owed to her from her tenure as administrator. By refusing to recoup the funds, Sono failed to act in the union’s best interests and thereby breached his fiduciary duties.” In March, the labour appeals court affirmed the January ruling and ordered Sono to vacate his post as Ceppwawu administrator. “After failing to appoint a facilitator to convene the congresses, not safeguarding the union’s funds, and failing to finalise the audited financial statements, it boggles the mind why Sono was fighting to stay on as Ceppwawu administrator. The one factor he never failed at, however, was paying himself an elaborate fee.” Sabela said, “Vosloo was appointed by the court in January to replace Sono as Ceppwawu administrator. His term started on March 1 and will expire on December 30 2026. “As per court order, Vosloo will finalise all outstanding audited financials and convene a national congress to elect national leadership for Ceppwawu, after which he must hand over control of the union to the national leadership.”
