Taking COSATU Today Forward, 2 June 2026
Norman Mampane
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Taking COSATU Today Forward
‘Whoever sides with the revolutionary people in deed as well as in word is a revolutionary in the full sense’-Maoo
Our side of the story
2 July 2026
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- COSATU Eastern Cape congratulates SADTU Eastern Cape for holding a successful 3rd Quadrennial Conference
- Statement of congratulations to SADTU Western Cape on a successful 3rd Quadrennial Provincial Conference
- South Africa
- Minister Parks Tau on signing of MOUs with standards regulators as critical milestone in China-SA Zero Tariff Trade Agreement
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Gold is booming, miners are not benefiting
- Libya: ITUC calls for protection of trade union leader Nermin Al-Sharif and respect for democratic freedoms
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics #ClassWar
COSATU Eastern Cape congratulates SADTU Eastern Cape for holding a successful 3rd Quadrennial Conference
Mkhawuleli Maleki, COSATU Eastern Cape Provincial Secretary, 01 July 2026
The Congress of South African trade Unions (COSATU) Eastern Cape congratulates SADTU Eastern Cape for hosting a successful 3rd Quadrennial Conference from 26 -29 June 2026.
SADTU held a successful 3rd Quadrennial Conference, and we are hopeful that the union will continue to play a meaningful role in the education sector. Transformation of the sector continues to be a site of struggle and SADTU is a critical part of the equation in advancing that struggle. In pursuing the struggles in the sector, SADTU must draw courage and inspiration in knowing that education is the weapon too strong to leave in the hands of our class adversaries.
As education is a societal matter, we expect SADTU to intensify its cooperation with the sister union organized in the sector, NEHAWU and other organs of the civil society.
The following comrades are a leadership collective that emerged in this congress.
Provincial Chairperson: Comrade Luvo Mvulane
Provincial Deputy Chairperson: Comrade Nkululeko Mphangalala
Provincial Secretary: Comrade Malibongwe Ntame
Provincial Deputy Secretary: Comrade Ntombizodumo Maqhashalala
Provincial Treasurer: Comrade Vuyolwethu Judy Mabeqa
Education Convenor: Comrade Gwen Mvula-Jamela
Gender Convenor: Comrade Philiswa Maqokolo
SACOM Convenor: Comrade Sandile Mbizweni
We wish the newly elected Provincial Working Committee the best during their term of office.
Issued by COSATU Eastern Cape
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Statement of congratulations to SADTU Western Cape on a successful 3rd Quadrennial Provincial Conference
Bennson Ngqentsu, SACP Western Cape Provincial Secretary, 01 July 2026
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Western Cape extends its warmest and heartfelt congratulations to the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU) on the successful convening of its 3rd Quadrennial Provincial Conference, held from 26 – 28 June 2026 at the Houw Hoek Hotel in Grabouw.
The SACP conveys its best wishes and revolutionary congratulations to the newly elected provincial leadership, led by Provincial Chairperson, Comrade Vusumzi Zweni, and his collective. We wish them strength, wisdom, and clarity of purpose as they assume the responsibility of advancing the interests of teachers and the broader working class.
The SACP further welcomes the re-election of its Provincial Executive Committee members, Comrade Sibongile Kwaza as Provincial Secretary and Comrade Mcebisi Mnconywa as SACCOM, and congratulates them on the confidence bestowed upon them to continue serving the organisation. The Party wishes them well as they continue to serve the organisation with dedication, discipline and commitment.
SADTU remains one of the most important formations of organised labour in our country, standing firmly at the forefront of the struggle to defend quality public education as a fundamental right. Teachers continue to bear the brunt of immense challenges emanating from the rollout of austerity measures, resulting in overcrowded classrooms, under-resourced schools, increasing workloads, casualisation and persistent neoliberal attempts to push-back transformation, particularly in the education sector under the watch of the right-wing Democratic Alliance. In this context, a stable, militant, and disciplined SADTU is paramount for the attainment of the desirable dignity of teachers, through stability and conducive, as well as decent labour conditions.
As longstanding allies in the liberation movement, the SACP reaffirms its unwavering commitment to working side by side with SADTU in the period ahead. SACP pledges its support in advancing the implementation of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act, ensuring that its progressive provisions translate into meaningful transformative advancement for both learners and teachers.
The SACP further vows to stand in solidarity with SADTU's continued campaign against overcrowded classrooms, inadequate school infrastructure, teacher shortages, and the unequal distribution of educational resources. Every learner, regardless of whether they come from a working-class community, or affluent areas, deserves equal access to quality education.
Further, the SACP commits itself to deepening the strategic alliance with SADTU through joint campaigns, political education, community mobilisation, and coordinated struggles in defence of public education and the rights of workers.
Forward to the Revolutionary Alliance!
Issued by: South African Communist Party - Western Cape
For Enquiries:
Bennson Ngqentsu - Provincial Secretary
082 796 6400
Lizwi Gegula - Provincial Spokesperson
078 827 2274
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
Minister
Parks Tau on signing of MOUs with standards regulators as critical milestone in China-SA Zero Tariff Trade Agreement
30
Jun 2026
The
Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr Parks Tau, says the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) dealing with regulatory compliance and standards is about improving the quality of trade, thus strengthening economic ties between South Africa
and the People’s Republic of China.
Together with China’s Vice Minister of State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), Mr SHU Wei, Tau led the signing ceremony of the MOUs, which are centred around the alignment of rules and standards to support the implementation of the Zero-Tariff Agreement.
The Framework Agreement on the Economic Partnership for Shared Development (CADEPA) was signed earlier this year in Beijing, granting qualifying South African goods exported to China the benefit of zero customs duties. The implementation of this agreement came
into effect last month, with South Africa being one of the African countries to benefit.
The MOUs were between the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the DTIC), China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), and accreditation and standards agencies from the two countries such as South Africa’s National Regulator for Compulsory
Specifications (NRCS), South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) and the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment.
Tau emphasised that the MOUs represent a technical commitment with practical consequences for exporters and consumers in both countries.
“South Africa’s position is clear; trade facilitation must not mean lowering standards. It must mean improving systems, reducing unnecessary duplication, and ensuring that technical requirements are applied in a way that supports both economic development and
public welfare. There is a difference between reducing unnecessary barriers and abandoning the integrity of our technical requirements. Every time a product crosses a border, it must demonstrate compliance,” he said.
He highlighted some priority sectors where these agreements matter the most. They include automotive components, new energy vehicles, agro-processing, renewable energy technologies and medical devices, among others.
“The practical work programme that flows from today’s commitments should focus on priority trade sectors where duplicate testing is creating unnecessary cost and delay; undertaking technical comparison work on applicable standards and conformity assessment
procedures; strengthening regulator-to-regulator and accreditation-body-to-accreditation-body engagement; and establishing a practical mechanism through which issues affecting the acceptance of accredited results can be raised, assessed and resolved,” he said.
Enquiries:
Kaamil Alli
Ministerial Spokesperson
Cell: +27 82 520 6813
WhatsApp: +27 82 520 6813
E-mail: KA...@thedtic.gov.za
Bongani Lukhele
Director: Media Relations
Tel: 012 394 1643
Cell: 079 508 3457
WhatsApp: 074 299 8512
E-mail: BLuk...@thedtic.gov.za
Issued by Department of Trade, Industry and Competition
International-Solidarity
Gold is booming, miners are not benefiting
1 July, 2026
Gold prices are booming, but the workers who mine it say the boom has not reached them. That was the message from more than 50 trade unionists who joined
IndustriALL Global Union's first Gold Sub-Sector Network meeting on 30 June 2026, a half-day virtual gathering bringing together affiliates from Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific to compare notes on subcontracting, safety and organizing rights.
Co-chair Cathy Drummond, of the United Steelworkers (USW), set the tone early. Miners around the world, she said, are facing many of the same pressures: changing business models, growing subcontracting, persistent health and safety risks, barriers to organizing
and the creeping impact of new technology.
That sense of shared struggle ran through the whole meeting.
A boom that bypasses the workforce
Emmanuel Adjei-Danso, IndustriALL’s Director of Mining and Energy, opened with a stark picture of a sector enjoying record gold prices and rising production, with central banks worldwide leaning on gold reserves to shore up their currencies. Yet that surge
in value, he said, is not translating into stronger collective bargaining, safer workplaces or better pay for the people who dig the gold out of the ground.
He pointed to a troubling toll of mining fatalities recorded across the sector so far this year and warned that illicit mining is making the problem worse by undermining safety standards and the sustainability of the industry as a whole.
Kemal Ozkan, IndustriALL’s assistant general secretary, framed the stakes in even starker terms.
“The mine workers are already at the crossroads of the energy transition for a low-carbon economy, decarbonization, but at the end it really puts the mine workers at the front line of the whole debate,”
he told delegates.
Subcontracting: the thread running through every country
If one issue united every speaker, it was subcontracting.
In Ghana, delegate Abdul-Moomin Abdul-Moomin described an industry where the vast majority of the workforce is now on temporary or fixed-term contracts, a shift he linked directly to weak labour law enforcement. The Ghana Mine Workers’ Union has fought back
through the courts and the bargaining table, winning protections that make it harder for employers to simply let contracts lapse.
In Quebec, Canada, Sebastien Rail from the USW described subcontractors operating almost like staffing agencies, supplying labour to mines on terms that make it extremely difficult for workers to unionize and linked the practice to a recent rise in workplace
accidents among inexperienced, recently hired staff.
In Tanzania, RWECHUNGURA Paternus from Tanzania Mines, Energy, Construction and Allied Workers’ Union (TAMICO) explained how artisanal and small-scale miners, often working without contracts or fixed pay, can wait years to be paid once their gold is finally
sold, making them almost impossible to organize effectively.
And in Zimbabwe, Thulani Moyo catalogued a grim list of site-level failures: a change of mine ownership that stripped away accrued worker benefits, inadequate dust control exposing miners to silicosis, compromized ventilation, shared sanitation facilities for
men and women and a workplace death linked to poor safety protocols.
Solidarity that crosses borders
Not every story was one of setback. Delegates heard how international solidarity is already delivering results.
USW’s Ben Davis described a global network of Newmont union representatives, spanning Australia, Mexico, Argentina, Canada and Peru, working together to push the company to raise standards. He also detailed two cases brought under the United States-Mexico-Canada
Agreement’s rapid response labour mechanism, including one in which an investigation uncovered links between organized crime and efforts to crush union organizing at a Mexican mine, complete with threats of violence against workers. The union won that case,
although enforcement, Davis said, remains an uphill battle.
In Mexico, Los Mineros’ Luis Alberto described how the union has shifted from reacting to labour law changes to getting ahead of them, using legally mandated training committees to make outsourcing harder to justify and pushing health and safety committees
to be led by the workers who know the conditions best.
A new tool in the toolbox: IRMA
The meeting also heard from Davidzo Muchawaya of the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), a multi-stakeholder body where IndustriALL sits on the governing board alongside mining companies, investors, civil society and purchasers.
IRMA’s independent audits, Muchawaya explained, give unions something rare: verified, third-party evidence of conditions on the ground, evidence that companies themselves have already seen and accepted before it is published. She said the audits have surfaced
a consistent pattern across many sites: a heavy and growing reliance on contract labour, weaker protection from harassment for contract workers and patchy management of safety hazards, especially for workers outside the direct workforce.
IndustriALL has already put those reports to work, combining IRMA audit findings with affiliate testimony to build a case for action at AngloGold Ashanti sites, holding the company to account for outstanding corrective measures.
Asked whether a Chinese-owned mine recently joining the IRMA system in the Democratic Republic of Congo was a sign of progress, Muchawaya agreed it was a notable step, noting that the vast majority of sites only join IRMA because of external pressure in the
first place.
What happens next
Closing the meeting, co-chair Stephen Smyth called it the start of something bigger: a standing network, meeting regularly, with a shared contact list to keep the dialogue going between sessions. Emmanuel Adjei-Danso confirmed IndustriALL will now build dedicated
company networks for Barrick Gold and AngloGold Ashanti, adding to existing work with Newmont and Anglo American and invited every affiliate to flag issues, campaigns and opportunities for cross-border collaboration.
The message from the network’s first meeting was clear: gold may be booming, but it is solidarity, not the gold price, that will deliver decent work for the people who mine it.
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Libya: ITUC calls for protection of trade union leader Nermin Al-Sharif and respect for democratic freedoms
1 June 2026
The International Trade Union Confederation is deeply concerned about the detention and continued pressure faced by the President of the General Federation
of Libyan Trade Unions, Nermin Al-Sharif.
Her arrest in Benghazi on 21 June 2026 reportedly followed her public comments, in the course of carrying out her legitimate trade union responsibilities, about the performance of public institutions and authorities, including the House of Representatives and
the government. She has since been released.
“We fully support Nermin Al-Sharif. The rights to freedom of association and freedom of expression for workers’ representatives participating in public debate is an essential pillar of any democratic society.”
ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle
“Peaceful criticism of public institutions and the defence of workers’ rights must never be treated as a criminal matter, or used as a basis for intimidation or interference in independent trade union activity.”
ILO concerns
The application of Convention No. 105 on the Abolition of Forced Labour by Libya was discussed this year by the ILO Committee on the Application of Standards. Nermin Al-Sharif contributed to the workers’ intervention in that discussion, raising concerns related
to workers’ rights and Libya’s international labour obligations.
The timing of the measures against her raises serious concerns that these actions may be in retaliation for her legitimate participation in the ILO’s tripartite supervisory system.
Luc Triangle added: “No trade unionist should face harassment, administrative pressure, judicial procedures or restrictions as a consequence of engaging with international labour standards mechanisms.
“Workers’ representatives must be able to speak freely, including before the ILO, without fear of retaliation, intimidation or restrictions. The Libyan authorities must ensure that Nermin Al-Sharif is fully protected, that any restrictions on her are lifted,
and that independent trade union activity can take place without interference.”
The ITUC stresses that the release of Nermin Al-Sharif must be accompanied by the lifting of any restrictions, including on her freedom of movement, her right to freedom of expression or her ability to carry out her trade union responsibilities freely and safely.
The ITUC calls on the Libyan authorities to guarantee her safety, ensure full respect for due process and the rule of law, and prevent the use of administrative or judicial procedures in ways that could undermine independent trade union representation.
The ITUC further calls on Libya to uphold its international obligations, including under the ILO’s fundamental conventions, and to guarantee an environment in which trade unions can operate freely, independently and without fear.
The ITUC stands in full solidarity with Nermin Al-Sharif and with all workers and trade unionists in Libya defending rights, dignity, democracy and decent work.
______________________________
Norman Mampane (Shopsteward Editor)
Congress of South African Trade Unions
110 Jorissen Cnr Simmonds Street, Braamfontein, 2017
P.O.Box 1019, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa
Tel: +27 11 339-4911 Direct line: 010 219-1348