Taking COSATU Today Forward, 11 November 2025 #Cosatu@40 #Cosatu40thAnniversary
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY #Cosatu participates at #COP30 at Belem in Brazil #COP30noBrasil#JustTransition #Cosatu scheduled to hold its 40th Anniversary at Dobsonville, Soweto on December 6 #Cosatu@40 #Cosatu40thAnniversary #SACTU70 #ClassStruggle “Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism” #Back2Basics #JoinCOSATUNow #ClassConsciousness |
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
11 November 2025
“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”
Organize at every workplace and demand respect for labour rights Now!
Defend Jobs Now!
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- Applications for media accreditation to cover COSATU 40th Anniversary rally officially opened
- COSATU to host lectures in the lead up to 40th anniversary
- South Africa
- COSATU, United Nations Convention on the Climate Change (IUNFCC): Conference of Parties (COP) 30
- Minister Buti Manamela signs off on enrolment planning targets for universities for 2026-2030
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- SACP totally rejects Donald Trump’s racist propaganda about South Africa, reiterates its unequivocal condemnation of the apartheid Israeli settler regime’s genocide on Palestinian people and the attacks by the same regime on Lebanon
- International Relations and Cooperation notes President Trump’s regrettable Truth Social post
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
Applications for media accreditation to cover COSATU 40th Anniversary rally officially opened
Zanele Sabela, COSATU National Spokesperson,10 November 2025
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) invites all members of the media to apply for accreditation to attend and cover the Federation’s historic 40th Anniversary rally. This momentous event is scheduled to take place on 6 December at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto.
COSATU was launched on 1 December 1985, at the height of the struggle against apartheid. Its formation brought together 33 competing unions and federations that were opposed to apartheid but committed to a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa.
Alliance partners, local and international guests have been invited to celebrate 40 years of this vibrant movement advancing, defending and protecting the interests and rights of workers and the working class in South Africa and beyond.
Applications for accreditation may be submitted to mam...@cosatu.org.za or non...@cosatu.org.za with the following details:
Name:
Surname:
ID number:
Media House/Address:
Contact number/email:
Alternatively, an application form can be completed via this link:
COSATU 40th Anniversary Media Accreditation Application Form – Fill out form
Issued by COSATU
Zanele Sabela (National Spokesperson)
Mobile: 079 287 5788 / 077 600 6639
Email: zan...@cosatu.org.za
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COSATU to host lectures in the lead up to 40th anniversary
Zanele Sabela, COSATU National Spokesperson, 25 September 2025
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is set the host a series of lectures in the lead up to its 40th anniversary celebration at Dobsonville Stadium on 6 December.
The culmination of four years of unity talks, COSATU came into being on 1 December 1985, and brought together 33 competing unions and federations opposed to apartheid and whose common goal was to bring about a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society.
The Federation has been at the forefront of advancing, defending and protecting the interests and rights of workers since, and has led in the formation of the country’s progressive labour laws including workers’ rights to form trade unions, collective bargaining and to strike, minimum conditions of service, National Minimum Wage, etc.
From its vehement resistance of apartheid to the ushering in of the democratic dispensation and improving the economic and social wellbeing of the working class 31 years post democracy, COSATU has stood the test of time.
In the lead up to its 40th anniversary in December, the Federation will host a variety of activities starting with a series of lectures by its National Office Bearers.
The lectures will tackle diverse subjects from COSATU’s pivotal role in gender struggles to the strike that broke the back of industry-wide exploitative labour practices as far back as 1959.
Province:
North-West
Date:
19 November
Topic: Strengthening Industrial Unions to build a militant COSATU
Main Speaker: Duncan Luvuno, COSATU 2nd Deputy President
Province:
Eastern Cape
Date:
20 November
Topic: COSATU and the Reconfiguration of the Alliance
Main Speaker: Mike Shingange, COSATU 1st Deputy President
Province:
Gauteng
Date:
21 November
Topic: COSATU and the Mass Democratic Movement
Main Speaker: Zingiswa Losi, COSATU President
Issued by COSATU
COSATU, United Nations Convention on the Climate Change (IUNFCC): Conference of Parties (COP) 30
Boitumelo Molete, COSATU Social Development Policy Coordinator; PCC Commissioner, 11 November 2025
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) joins the global labour movement under the banner of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and TUNGO, the Trade Union NGO formally recognised within the UNFCCC, to represent workers’ voices in the global climate negotiations. This platform ensures that trade unions can engage directly in UN climate processes, defend decent work, and push for climate policies that are fair, inclusive, and worker-centred.
As workers around the world look toward Belém, millions carry a sense of hope mixed with urgency; hope that leaders will finally deliver the action they have promised; urgency because the climate crisis is already reshaping our jobs, our health, our communities, and our economies.
COSATU enters COP30 with one clear message; There can be no climate justice without social justice, and no Just Transition without workers at the centre.
A Just Transition with Workers at the Centre
- Protect existing jobs
- Create new, decent jobs
- Guarantee income support, retraining, and reskilling
- Strengthen public services, local economies, and community resilience
The experience at Komati in South Africa serves as a warning. A transition without planning, funding, and worker participation only deepens poverty and inequality. Such an approach must never be repeated anywhere.
Climate Finance Must Be Fair and Accessible
The Global South cannot transition if climate finance comes in the form of loans that drive countries deeper into debt. COSATU calls for:
- Public climate finance based on grants, not loans
- Large scale funding for adaptation, resilience, and public services
- Direct access for workers, municipalities, and frontline communities
- A fully operational Loss and Damage Fund that delivers real relief
- Finance must work for people, not profit.
Public Ownership and Energy Democracy
- Energy is a public good. The Just Transition must:
- Strengthen Eskom and the public grid
- Expand public renewable energy and public transport
- Ensure communities and workers shape energy decisions
- Block profiteering and prevent the privatisation of essential infrastructure
- A fair transition must be built on public leadership and democratic oversight.
Skills, Training, and Job Guarantees
Workers must not be left without opportunities. COSATU calls for:
- Expanded TVET colleges and apprenticeships
- Reskilling and upskilling before any workplace restructuring
- Job guarantees connected to the green and digital transition
- Clear sector by sector planning for energy, industry, transport, and agriculture
- A transition that destroys jobs is not a Just Transition.
Gender Equality and Youth Inclusion
- Climate change impacts women and young workers hardest. COSATU demands:
- Equal access to new green jobs
- Social protection, childcare, and healthcare investments
- Leadership opportunities for women and youth
- Implementation of COSATU’s Just Transition Gender Toolkit
- Education, training, and entrepreneurship opportunities for young workers
- A Just Transition must correct inequality, not reproduce it.
Adaptation and Community Protection
South Africa and many Global South countries face floods, droughts, heatwaves, and collapsing infrastructure. Adaptation must be a priority. This includes:
- Climate resilient public infrastructure
- Safety protections for frontline and outdoor workers
- Early warning systems and disaster preparedness
- Community based resilience programmes
- Adaptation is not optional. It saves lives.
Africa and the Global South Must Be Heard
The Global South did not create the climate crisis, yet we face its most severe consequences. COSATU supports a unified African and Global South voice calling for:
- Equity and fairness in all climate negotiations
- Technology transfer and new industrial opportunities
- Local beneficiation of critical minerals
- Trade rules that support decent work and development
- Respect for the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR)
- Climate justice is inseparable from economic justice and social justice.
Our Demands for COP30
COSATU, together with ITUC and TUNGO, calls for world leaders in Belém to deliver:
- Full implementation of the Just Transition Work Programme
- A fully operational, worker accessible Loss and Damage Fund
- A New Climate Finance Goal based on public grants
- Public led energy and transport transitions
- Decent work, job guarantees, and strong social protection
- Gender equality and youth inclusion across all climate plans
- Adaptation and resilience funding that prioritises the most vulnerable
- Workers must be partners, not bystanders, in shaping the transition.
From South Africa to Brazil, and from workers to the world, our message is clear, a Just Transition must be for the people and led by the people.
No worker. No community.
No country must be left behind. COSATU stands united with ITUC, TUNGO, and the global labour movement in demanding a future that is fair, inclusive, and sustainable.
The time for real action is now.
Issued by COSATU
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Minister Buti Manamela signs off on enrolment planning targets for universities for 2026-2030
10 Nov 2025
The Minister of Higher Education, Mr Buti Manamela, has oficially approved the Ministerial Statement on Student Enrolment Planning for Public Universities for the academic period 2026 to 2030, and the associated funding period through to 2032/33.
This marks the culmination of an extensive national planning process involving all 26 public universities, led by the Department of Higher Education and Training. The planning cycle included bilateral engagements with each institution, a national enrolment planning workshop in November 2024, and the submission of Council-approved institutional plans outlining enrolment, graduation and stafing targets for the next five years.
A Milestone for Systemic Stability and Growth
The approved targets project that total university enrolments will grow from just over 1.07 million in 2023 to 1.18 million by 2030, an annual increase of 1.5%. First-time entering undergraduate intake is expected to grow at 1.8% annually, with meaningful improvements also targeted in graduation rates, postgraduate output, and stafing qualifications.
While welcoming the institutional commitment reflected in these targets, Minister Manamela cautioned that these figures alone will not be suficient to meet the broader National Development Plan (NDP) targets, especially in areas such as science and engineering, teacher education, and scarce skill development.
“This enrolment plan provides much-needed stability and predictability for our system. But we must also be honest: at the current rate, we are unlikely to meet the full scope of our NDP targets by 2030. This is not a moment to sit back — it is a call to act,” said Minister Manamela.
Re-Engineering the System for the Future
Minister Manamela stressed that this planning process should not be seen as final, but rather as a baseline from which to re-engineer the post-school education and training (PSET) system.
“We are committed to a more articulated, integrated and responsive PSET system. This means growing our TVET and Community College enrolments, improving quality and relevance, and expanding our digital, work-integrated and occupational training pathways. These shifts may and should inform future revisions of university enrolment targets,” he added.
The Department is currently working on several initiatives to drive this systemic reconfiguration, including:
Developing a Skills for Growth Compact with industry and other government departments;
Revising the Programme Qualification Mix (PQM) of institutions to better align with national priorities;
Strengthening the articulation pathways between TVETs, Community Colleges, and universities;
Expanding distance and blended learning modalities to improve access and success.
Engagements with Department of Basic Education on a STEM programme, specifically Math, to increase the pipeline for STEM in higher education.
Next Steps
The approved Ministerial Statement will now be communicated to all public universities, along with institution-specific targets and expectations. Universities are expected to confirm these with their Councils and align their annual performance plans accordingly.
The Department will monitor implementation annually and will remain open to recalibration in response to policy shifts, budget considerations, and systemic performance reviews.
Media
Enquiries:
Matshepo Seedat
Cell: 082 679 9473
Issued by Department of Higher Education and Training
International-Solidarity
SACP totally rejects Donald Trump’s racist propaganda about South Africa, reiterates its unequivocal condemnation of the apartheid Israeli settler regime’s genocide on Palestinian people and the attacks by the same regime on Lebanon
Mbulelo Mandlana, SACP Head of Media, Communications and Information, 9 November 2025
The South African Communist Party (SACP) condemns and totally rejects United States president Donald Trump’s latest rant of blatant false information and racist propaganda against South Africa in which he claimed that Afrikaners are being slaughtered in South Africa. This lie has been debunked time and again even in his own country as well as by the very Afrikaners he claims to speak on behalf of.
As the SACP stated when Trump began his tirade against South Africa, which he now uses to miss the G20 meeting hosted in South Africa later this month, his baseless claims of white genocide and human rights abuses in South Africa is nothing but a futile effort to divert attention from the real genocide against the Palestinian people by the United States-backed apartheid Israeli settler regime. Trump also arrogantly displays his racist attitude by turning a blind eye to the plight of the landless black majority in South Africa, who were dispossessed under colonisation and apartheid, while falsely elevating claims of land confiscation from white people.
If Trump were genuine about genocide in any part of the world, he would instead focus on addressing the genocide against Palestinians by the apartheid Israeli settler regime, in which his government has played a pivotal role by supporting the apartheid Israeli regime militarily and politically, among other forms of support. The genocide in Palestine has also destroyed Palestinian social and economic infrastructure, including hospitals, healthcare centres, schools, learning institutions and places of worship, all while Trump chose to invest his resources to fabricate false claims of white genocide in South Africa.
In the same vein as we reiterate our strong condemnation of the genocide on the Palestinian people and the destruction of their infrastructure by the apartheid Israeli regime, we also strongly condemn the attacks by the same regime on Lebanon. The Lebanese government has correctly described the attacks as a blatant violation of its sovereign territory and the cease-fire agreement brokered in November 2024. This is also a fully-fledged crime under international humanitarian law. Reports indicate that Israeli forces have continued near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon despite the cease-fire, resulting in civilian casualties and extensive damage to civilian infrastructure.
The leaders of the apartheid Israeli settler regime must be held to account and must stop the aggression on Palestinians and Lebanon immediately.
The SACP calls for the people of South Africa to unite in defence of our national sovereignty and self-determination. We also reiterate the call for worldwide unity of the working class and all progressive forces against the United States-led imperialist war-mongering offensives, including direct military and trade wars. In addition to supporting the move towards a multipolar world, against the unipolar world which Trump is desperate to maintain, the SACP reiterates its support for the BRICS Plus partnership, which must become a vehicle to build a just and better world and systematically end uneven global development and the exploitation of one country’s resources and people by another.
ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY,
FOUNDED IN 1921 AS THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF SOUTH AFRICA.
Media, Communications & Information Department | MCID
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International Relations and Cooperation notes President Trump’s regrettable Truth Social post
08 Nov 2025
The South African Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation has noted the content of a post by President Donald J. Trump on the Truth Social platform.
The South African Government wishes to state, for the record, that the characterisation of Afrikaners as an exclusively white group is ahistorical. Furthermore, the claim that this community faces persecution, is not substantiated by fact.
Our position on this matter remains consistent with our previous statements.
The previous statements can be accessed here:
https://dirco.gov.za/statement-on-the-us-special-refugee-programme/
https://dirco.gov.za/south-african-government-sets-record-straight-on-farm-crime/
https://dirco.gov.za/south-africa-rejects-inaccurate-and-deeply-flawed-account-of-human-rights-practices/
https://dirco.gov.za/government-of-south-africa-notes-the-usa-executive-order/
Against this backdrop, South Africa’s focus remains on its positive global contributions. Drawing on our own journey from racial and ethnic division to democracy, our nation is uniquely positioned to champion within the G20 a future of genuine solidarity, where
shared prosperity bridges deep inequalities. We look forward to hosting a successful G20 Leaders’ Summit.
Enquiries:
Mr Chrispin Phiri
Spokesperson for the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
Issued by Department of International Relations and Cooperation
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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