Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 5 March 2026 #IWD2026
Norman Mampane
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Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin
‘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
5 March 2026
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- Employment and Labour inspectorate issue Prohibition notice to Matla Primary School due to major Health and Safety non compliance
- Media Invite: SAMWU to convene its 13th National Congress under the theme “Towards 4 Decades and Beyond in Defence of Workers’ Interests”
- South Africa
- COSATU on UFS study findings on sanitary pads and liners
- SADTU NW Calls for Immediate Payment of Temporary Educators and Acting Allowances
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- US tariffs trigger gendered supply chain shock on Lesotho garment industries
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
Employment and Labour inspectorate issue Prohibition notice to Matla Primary School due to major Health and Safety non compliance
5 March 2026
The Department of Employment and Labour has issued a prohibition notice resulting in the immediate closure of Matla Primary School in Bloemfontein, Free State. The prohibition follows a reactive inspection conducted in terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), which uncovered serious and unacceptable non-compliance with health and safety regulations.
On 19 February 2026, inspectors served both contravention and prohibition notices to the Free State Department of Education after identifying hazardous conditions that posed an immediate threat to the lives and well-being of learners and educators.
The inspection revealed unhygienic sanitation facilities, including toilets with urine on the floors; exposed electrical wiring, with reports of children being electrocuted; a kitchen and mobile classroom operating without temperature regulation and recording extreme temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius; water leakages pooling around electrical fixtures, increasing the risk of electrocution; the absence of pest control services; obstructions creating significant fire hazards; and insufficient toilets facilities, denying both learners and teachers proper access.
Due to the severity of these violations, the Department of Education was given three (3) days from 20 to 23 February 2026, to remedy the non-compliance and submit a detailed action plan outlining its commitment to achieving full compliance. However, since 23 February 2026, the Department has failed to honour its undertakings.
Provincial Chief Inspector, Mr Manelisi Luxande, said: “The continued disregard of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations by the Department of Education is a cause for serious concern. This blatant neglect of safety standards inevitably exposes learners and educators to harm and potential fatalities. We cannot gamble with the lives of children and staff by allowing the school to operate under such glaring occupational safety violations."
The school will remain prohibited for use until the Department of Education fully implements all corrective measures and satisfies the Occupational Health and Safety requirements as determined by inspectors.
The Department of Employment and Labour in the Free State reiterates its unwavering commitment to enforcing compliance and ensuring that all workplaces, including government departments, provide safe and healthy environments for occupants.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Teboho Thejane
Departmental Spokesperson
082 697 0694/ teboho....@labour.gov.za
-ENDS-
Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour
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Media Invite: SAMWU to convene its 13th National Congress under the theme “Towards 4 Decades and Beyond in Defence of Workers’ Interests”
Papikie Mohale, SAMWU National Media Officer, 03 March 2026
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) will convene its 13th National Congress from 17 to 19 March 2026 at Church Unlimited, Nelspruit, Mpumalanga. Held under the theme “Towards 4 Decades and Beyond in Defence of Workers’ Interests,” this Congress marks an important milestone as the Union reflects on nearly forty years of militant struggle, organisational consolidation, and unwavering defence of municipal and water sector workers.
Members of the media are invited to attend and cover the open sessions of Congress on 17 and 19 March 2026.
The Congress will be addressed by the national leadership of the Alliance partners: The African National Congress (ANC), The South African Communist Party (SACP), The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).
These addresses will engage the political, economic and social challenges confronting workers and outline the programme required to defend and advance working-class interests.
The 13th National Congress will deliberate on key organisational, political and collective bargaining matters, including strategies to strengthen the Union and respond decisively to the deepening crisis in local government.
Members of the media are encouraged to confirm their attendance with the National Media Officer, Cde Papikie Mohale, at pap...@samwu.org.za in order to secure accreditation by 10 March 2026.
Please note that only accredited members of the media will be allowed access to the Congress venue.
Issued by SAMWU Secretariat
Papikie Mohale
National Media Officer
076 795 8670
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
COSATU on UFS study findings on sanitary pads and liners
Zanele Sabela, COSATU Spokesperson, 5 March 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) welcomes the conversation sparked by the findings of a study conducted by the University of Free State (UFS) into sanitary pads and pantyliners.
The study tested 16 sanitary pad brands plus eight panty liner brands and found that 100% of them contained at least two hormone-disrupting chemicals including phthalates, bisphenols and parabens. These substances are toxic and can cause hormonal imbalances and health risks. Long-term exposure to these substances is linked to serious reproductive health conditions including increased risk of cancer, hormonal issues such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis as well as infertility.
Given an average woman will have a period at least 450 times in her lifetime, the presence of these toxic substances in sanitary products is gravely concerning. COSATU is encouraged by the attention this issue has attracted since the study was released. The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has launched an investigation into nine of the most recognisable sanitary product brands in the country and has indicated that the probe has been prioritised. The Federation will be anxiously awaiting the results of the investigation.
The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) met with the UFS researchers to better understand the findings of the study. As the department responsible for advancing the rights, dignity and wellbeing of women and girls, the Department said it views menstrual health and sanitary dignity as critical components of gender equality and public health.
The Department committed to working in collaboration with the Department of Health, regulatory bodies such as the South African Bureau of Standards, women’s health advocacy organisations as well as manufacturers and suppliers of sanitary products, to assess the existing regulatory frameworks governing menstrual health products and to strengthen quality assurance and compliance mechanisms.
COSATU welcomes the initiatives taken to safeguard the health of women and girls and will do its part to ensure that the attention drawn by this study extends to other urgent challenges including period poverty – the lack of access to affordable menstrual products, hygiene facilities and education. It is estimated that at least 30% of girls miss up to a week of school every month due to period poverty. The current water challenges in the country are undoubtedly adding to the morass.
Some women’s health advocates have been championing the use of alternatives such as menstrual cups for a considerable period, perhaps now is the time to explore available options particularly for those sections of the population that have been left behind for far too long.
The Federation will be watching developments on this issue very closely to ensure women’s health is not compromised to profit sanitary product manufacturers and suppliers.
Issued by COSATU
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SADTU NW Calls for Immediate Payment of Temporary Educators and Acting Allowances
George Themba, SADTU North West Provincial Secretary, 5 March 2026
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) North West expresses serious concern and dissatisfaction over the continued non-payment of temporary educators and the delays in the payment of acting allowances across districts.
It is unacceptable that educators who are fully in class, teaching and carrying the responsibility of shaping the future of our learners, are subjected to financial distress due to administrative inefficiencies.
Some of the temporary educators have in some instances gone for two (2) months without receiving their salaries.
These delays:
• • Undermine morale in schools.
• • Compromise teaching and learning.
• • Place educators and their families under severe financial strain.
• • Violate basic labour and contractual obligations.
Educators cannot be expected to report for duty without compensation. This situation amounts to exploitation of committed professionals who continue to serve despite not being paid.
Similarly, the failure to pay acting allowances to educators and office-based educators who are performing additional responsibilities such as acting as Principals, Deputy Principals, Department Heads, circuit managers, specialists, etc is equally concerning.
These educators:
• • Carry higher levels of accountability.
• • Perform managerial and administrative functions.
• • Ensure stability in schools.
It is unjust for the employer to benefit from their service while delaying rightful compensation.
SADTU therefore calls on the Department of Education to:
1. Effect immediate payment of all outstanding salaries of temporary educators.
2. Process and pay all outstanding acting allowances without further delay.
3. Implement sustainable administrative systems to prevent recurrence.
If these matters are not resolved urgently, SADTU will have no option but to consider all organisational and legal avenues to protect its members.
Educators are not volunteers. They are professionals whose labour must be respected and remunerated on time.
SADTU remains committed to defending the rights, dignity, and working conditions of all educators and will continue to engage the employer with urgency on this matter.
ISSUED BY Provincial Secretariat
International-Solidarity
US tariffs trigger gendered supply chain shock on Lesotho garment industries
4 March, 2026
The US imposition of steep tariffs on imports from Lesotho, announced by President Donald Trump in April 2025 as part of his "reciprocal" trade policy, has triggered a severe crisis for Lesotho garment workers — devastating the mountain kingdom's textile sector, its largest private employer and a lifeline for tens of thousands of women, leaving them without income, hours or prospects.
For women workers, the fallout is particularly acute, as retrenched workers queue daily at factory gates from 7 am hoping for sporadic shifts while some turn to informal jobs like laundry or street vending. Job losses have plunged households into distress, with some workers struggling to pay for food, school fees, housing, or basics thus worsening food insecurity and reliance on subsistence farming or remittances. Unions describe a gendered supply chain shock, as women face limited alternatives in a patriarchal economy with scarce formal jobs.
Once thriving under the duty-free access provided by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), Lesotho’s garment industry exported jeans, casual wear and garments for major brands like Levi’s, Gap, Walmart, Reebok and others to the US- its main market. Annual exports to the US reached over US$230 million, representing above 45 per cent of the sector’s output and contributing around 20 per cent of Lesotho’s GDP. The industry employed 50,000 workers at peak, with 80–95 per cent women, mostly breadwinners. According to unions, the workers wages were important to a nation plagued by widespread poverty and high unemployment of over 30 per cent with youth unemployment even higher.
The tariffs initially set at 50 per cent, the highest globally at the time, caused immediate chaos. Even after negotiations reduced the rate to 15 per cent which was still higher than the 10 per cent faced by other textile producing countries like Kenya, Eswatini and Ethiopia, buyer uncertainty, order cancellations and hesitation over AGOA’s future led to widespread disruptions. AGOA expired in September and was extended by only a year to 2026. This heightened fears of permanent loss of AGOA benefits.
Factories have closed, scaled back, or shifted operations to elsewhere. The wave of closures has left Lesotho garment workers with little recourse and no safety net. For example, Ever Unison Garments, which once peaked at over 2,000 workers, shut down temporarily and reopened with just 200 workers while expanding production in lower-tariff Kenya and Eswatini. Tai Yuan Garments closed, affecting 1,500 workers. TZICC Clothing Manufacturers closed with 700 jobs lost. Precious Garments, employing about 4,000 workers and producing for brands like Reebok, Mayor and Fish, has laid off all workers amid buyer reluctance over the short-term AGOA renewal.
Other factories report heavy cuts: Quantum Apparel retrenched over 50 per cent of its workforce. Hippo Knitting which produces for Fabletics dropped from 1,200 to 400 workers. Maseru E-Textiles which manufactures for Perry Ellis placed its 1,000 workers on indefinite leave after retrenching about 200 others.
IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, the Independent Democratic Union of Lesotho (IDUL), warns that over tens of thousands of jobs are at risk potentially up to 40,000 if conditions persist in export-oriented operations. IDUL says many workers face reduced hours, partial wages some as low as one-third normal pay, no work, no pay policies and unpaid leave.
IndustriALL Sub Saharan Africa regional secretary, Paule-France Ndessomin, said:
“As the effects of punitive tariffs on women-headed households in Lesotho take their toll, this underscores how US policy decisions can devastate jobs and distant livelihoods in the Global South, and why trade should be fair for developing countries. Without urgent intervention, Lesotho garment workers risk permanent exclusion from the formal economy.”
______________________________
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