The union said it was shocked by Dlamini’s comments last week when he said: “Call it a ‘United Front’ – I call it the seven-headed snake. ”He was addressing the Chris Hani memorial service in Ekurhuleni.

“Basically, what S’dumo was doing was inciting violence. He said Vavi and the United Front are like a snake with seven heads and he’s calling on the ANC and SACP to chop them, kill them, one by one,” Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said.

“I’m not sure how that will be interpreted by those who always take support for whatever belief they have to the extreme.”