Taking COSATU Today Forward, 4 July 2025
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY #CosatuNGC concludes its business today #C189 #Equalpay #CosatuRedFridays #DecentWork #DecentLives #FreedomCharter70 #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
4 July 2025
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- COSATU condemns the City of Cape Town’s anti-transformation agenda
- South Africa
- COSATU mourns the passing of former Deputy President DD Mabuza
- SADTU mourns the passing of former Deputy President David Mabuza
- COSATU welcomes announcement by Transport Minister to table RAF and RABS Bills at Parliament
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Alang workers, industry and global allies unite for Hong Kong Convention
- From private failures to public futures: Why FFD4 must Go Public
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
COSATU condemns the City of Cape Town’s anti-transformation agenda
Malvern De Bruyn, COSATU Western Cape Provincial Secretary, 4 July 2025
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in the Western Cape strongly condemns the City of Cape Town’s continued exclusionary employment practices, particularly in its executive leadership, where White male dominance persists at the expense of equitable transformation.
Despite South Africa’s constitutional commitment to redress and equality, the City of Cape Town’s executive leadership remains overwhelmingly white and male, with little to no meaningful progress in diversifying its top management.
This blatant disregard for employment equity and demographic representation undermines the principles of fairness, inclusiveness, and justice.
Key Concerns
- Lack of transformation in executive appointments - the city’s senior management remains disproportionately white and male, failing to reflect the demographics of Cape Town, where black (African, Coloured, and Indian) professionals remain grossly underrepresented in decision-making roles.
- Violation of the Employment Equity Act (EEA) - the city’s hiring practices appear to contravene the spirit and letter of the EEA, which mandates equitable representation of designated groups (black people, women, and persons with disabilities).
- Systemic exclusion of Black professionals who are qualified and experienced continue to face barriers in accessing leadership positions, reinforcing apartheid-era patterns of privilege.
- Hypocrisy in public commitments - while the City of Cape Town claims to promote inclusivity, its actions reveal a resistance to meaningful transformation, perpetuating economic and racial disparities.
COSATU is calling for the following from the City of Cape Town:
- For an immediate audit of the city’s employment equity compliance, with transparent reporting on executive appointments.
- Urgent corrective measures to ensure fair representation of Black professionals, women, and other marginalised groups in leadership.
- A public commitment to transformation, with clear timelines for diversifying senior management.
- Independent oversight to investigate allegations of systemic bias in recruitment and promotions.
The people of Cape Town deserve a government that reflects their diversity and actively works to dismantle apartheid’s lingering inequalities. The city’s current trajectory is unacceptable and must be challenged.
We call on the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), the Commission for Employment Equity (CEE), and the national government to intervene and hold the City of Cape Town accountable.
Issued by COSATU Western Cape
COSATU mourns the passing of former Deputy President DD Mabuza
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 03 July 2025
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) mourns the passing of former Deputy President David Dabede “DD” Mabuza. The Federation offers its deepest sympathies to the family, friends, comrades and colleagues of comrade DD Mabuza.
Whilst Deputy President Mabuza sadly departed at a youthful 64 years of age, he led a full life. Comrade DD dedicated his time on earth in service of the people, not only in his home communities and the broader Mpumalanga Province, but the entire nation.
Comrade Mabuza’s political consciousness was sparked by his humble origins in the most rural communities of Hazyview in the then Eastern Transvaal, where his parents were small farmers. This journey led him as a young man to become a student activist during the darkest days of apartheid in the 1970s and 1980s.
Deputy President Mabuza was amongst the founding generation of teacher activists, then split amongst many different trade unions scattered across the country, and often along racial lines to form the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU), the first national non-racial teachers’ union and today the largest teachers’ union.
His experience as a teacher and principal made him a fitting choice as the first MEC for Education in Mpumalanga Province after the democratic breakthrough of 1994.
Comrade DD, alongside stalwarts like Mathews Phosa, Thabang Makwetla, Che Masilela raised the profile of Mpumalanga from the quiet Eastern Transvaal, to the land of the rising sun.
It is a sign of how far South Africa has come that a young man born in poverty stricken Phola, eMalahleni can rise to be an MEC, a Premier and a Deputy President.
History will remember DD as a humble leader, one who was not afraid to lead, to make difficult decisions, and to be led. When South Africa was at the crossroads after the painful decade of state capture and corruption, then Premier Mabuza played a seminal role within the leadership collective of the African National Congress, to place it, the broader liberation movement and the nation firmly on the path of renewal.
When the time came to hand the baton to the next generation, Deputy President Mabuza did not hesitate to do so humbly and always emphasising the importance of discipline.
He continued to play his role as a former Deputy President and an elder. We are grateful not only for his decades of service but also that he was able to spend the last chapter of his life’s journey at home with his family, friends, and community.
Hamba kahle Mkhonto.
Issued by COSATU
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SADTU mourns the passing of former Deputy President David Mabuza
Dr Mugwena Maluleke, SADTU General Secretary, 03 July 2025
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) joins the nation in mourning the passing of former Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, former Deputy President of the African National Congress (ANC), and former Premier of Mpumalanga, comrade David Mabuza.
SADTU extends its heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, comrades, and all those whose lives he touched through his dedicated service to the people of South Africa.
An activist and a teacher by profession, comrade Mabuza understood and championed the power of education as a tool for liberation and transformation. His commitment to education as a pillar of social justice was evident in his activism during the height of apartheid, where he aligned himself with progressive organisations advocating for non-racial, equitable education.
Comrade Mabuza was one of the founding members of SADTU and played a pivotal role in its formation. He was instrumental in building the Union’s structures in the then Eastern Transvaal, now known as Mpumalanga. His efforts helped lay the foundation for a strong, non-racial, unitary teachers’ union committed to advancing the rights of educators and learners alike.
Before the formation of SADTU, he was an active member of the National Education Union of South Africa (NEUSA), which was a vocal and fearless force during the apartheid era, famously advocating for “liberation before education.”
He also served as a coordinator of the National Education Crisis Committee, which mobilised communities to confront the deeply entrenched inequalities in the education system and promoted the vision of “People’s Education for People’s Power.”
David Mabuza’s legacy is one of principled leadership, unwavering commitment to social justice, and a deep-rooted belief in education as a foundation for freedom. SADTU will remember him as a comrade, a teacher, and a revolutionary who never abandoned the classroom, even as he ascended to the highest echelons of political leadership.
May his soul rest in revolutionary peace.
ISSUED BY: SADTU Secretariat
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COSATU welcomes announcement by Transport Minister to table RAF and RABS Bills at Parliament
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 03 July 2025
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) welcomes the announcement made by the Minister for Transport, Ms. Barbara Creecy, at Parliament to revive and retable the Road Accident Fund (RAF) and Road Accident Benefits Scheme (RABS) Bills.
The Federation supports this progressive commitment by the Minister and looks forward to the Bills’ tabling at Parliament.
The disaster site known as the RAF has been allowed to fester for far too long with current liabilities exceeding R400 billion. Road accident claimants, the overwhelming majority of whom are working class, struggle to submit claims and receive compensation due to them. The RAF has occupied headlines countless times with property attached due to unpaid claims, at times leaving RAF employees resorting to sitting on milk crates.
The RAF is crippled by three fundamental crises. First is legislative where all claimants are treated equally, this has led to instances of a Swiss tourist claiming R50 million whilst hundreds of thousands of poor South Africans wait in vain to receive their monies.
Second is administrative, with archaic RAF systems and infrastructure being saddled with critical vacancies leaving claimants battling to submit claims and waiting for years to receive relief.
Lastly, the RAF has been subject to state capture and corruption of a special type with lawyers and senior management being implicated in very worrying allegations of grotesque profiteering and pilferage.
The RAF and RABS Bills provide a sustainable path for the RAF with monies to be earmarked for working class road users to ensure its limited funds reach all claimants and in particular low-income workers and victims.
The Bills institute a no-fault rule which will remove excessive administrative burdens on claimants and the RAF, as well as avoid penalising victims and their families.
COSATU engaged extensively on the Bills at Nedlac a decade ago. We have supported their progressive provisions. We were deeply dismayed that these long overdue Bills were rejected by the Portfolio Committee: Transport in the 5th Parliament for deeply suspicious reasons and after massive lobbying by accident claims lawyers who have a vested financial interest in stopping these sober reforms.
Whilst the Bills provide common sense solutions, they will remain little more than nice English words on paper, unless the rot in the RAF is dealt with, corruption is exorcised, competent management appointed, vacancies filled and infrastructure modernised.
COSATU will continue to push for these critical Bills to be tabled at Cabinet and Parliament as a matter of the highest urgency. We are heartened to have Minister Creecy and government led by the African National Congress as an ally in this journey to salvaging the RAF.
Issued by COSATU
International-Solidarity
Alang workers, industry and global allies unite for Hong Kong Convention
3 July, 2025
In a display of unity, workers, government, industry and global organizations came together to mark the historic entry into force of the Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) on 26 June 2025. To commemorate this milestone, a tripartite meeting and workers’ rally were held on 29 June in Alang, India—home to some of the world’s largest ship recycling yards led by the Alang Sosiya Ship Recycling and General Workers’ Association (ASSRGWA), reaffirming their shared commitment to fair and effective implementation of the Convention.
IndustriALL joined key stakeholders including the International Labour Organization (ILO), India’s director general of shipping,
Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) and the Ship Recycling Industries Association (SRIA).
The brainstorming meeting chaired by ILO India director, Michiko Miyamoto, underlined the importance of social dialogue and the core ILO conventions. She stressed that the HKC offers an opportunity to improve safety and labour standards, ensuring decent work
in ship recycling.
India’s director general of shipping, Shyam Jagannathan, welcomed the Convention, calling it a chance for India to strengthen its global leadership in sustainable ship recycling. He emphasized the need for an inclusive, worker-centred approach, urging greater
participation of women in the industry.
Technical and operational perspectives were shared by Ajith Kumar Sukumaran, additional director general of shipping, who laid out the Convention’s compliance roadmap for India. GMB chief engineer Talawiya confirmed the board’s readiness to provide hands-on
support at the plot level to meet HKC standards.
While welcoming the Convention, SRIA secretary, Haresh Parmar, cautioned against excessive regulation, advocating for balanced policies that safeguard both workers and business viability.
ILO India national coordinator, Pallavi Mansingh, also called for systemic changes that prioritise workers’ voices and needs throughout the process.
ASSRGWA general secretary, Vidyadhar Rane, demanded an inclusive approach, where workers are respected not merely as beneficiaries, but as equal partners in shaping the future of ship recycling.
IndustriALL assistant general secretary speaking Kan Matsuzaki reaffirmed that the transition to HKC compliance must be just and fair.
“Workers have to be placed at the centre of reforms, emphasizing their rights, livelihoods and representation.”
Walton Pantland, IndustriALL shipbuilding and shipbreaking director at stressed that HKC must lead to a safer and cleaner Alang with more skilled, decent jobs. He emphasized the importance of strong yard-level safety committees, collective bargaining agreements
and protections for downstream workers.
The day concluded with a powerful workers’ Rally, drawing more than 350 workers—including many women—who stood in solidarity for safer, fairer ship recycling.
The day ended with a strong collective pledge to continue working together to make Alang a global model for socially responsible, safe, and environmentally sound ship recycling
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From private failures to public futures: Why FFD4 must Go Public
Equity and inclusionAchieving Sustainable Development Goal 4Go public! Fund education, 3 July 2025written by: David Edwards
The Financing for Development Conference the world cannot afford to waste
For over a decade, Education International has warned that the World Bank's “ Billions to Trillions” agenda—a strategy to leverage small amounts of public money to attract private investment for development— would prioritize private profit over public need. We were dismissed as ideological, anti-market, unrealistic. Then came the evidence.
When economists like Larry Summers, former United States (US) Treasury Secretary, and N.K. Singh, former chairman of India's Finance Commission, reached the same conclusion in their 2023 G20-commissioned expert group report, the development finance establishment could no longer ignore the evidence. Their comprehensive analysis found that this seductive pledge to use public funds to unlock private investment had become exactly what we predicted: an extraction machine. Instead of "billions to trillions" flowing to development, they documented "millions in, billions out"—with 68 billion dollars more flowing out of poor countries than flowing in. It was, they concluded, a "disaster."
While the "billions to trillions" model promised efficiency through market mechanisms, it delivered extraction through debt mechanisms. While it pledged innovation through private competition, it produced stagnation through public austerity. While it offered partnership between public and private sectors, it created parasitism of private profit off public resources.
A system built to extract
This extractive disaster extends far beyond the World Bank's failed strategy. It represents the continuation of colonial financial architecture through modern mechanisms: IMF programs that force austerity on the Global South; bilateral creditors that impose political conditions on aid; private creditors that charge punitive interest rates; credit rating agencies that systematically downgrade African countries regardless of economic fundamentals; and a global tax system that allows multinational corporations to shift profits to tax havens while governments struggle to fund basic services. This system operates as a coordinated web of extraction, where each institution plays its role in ensuring that wealth flows from South to North, perpetuating the same colonial dynamics that have impoverished the Global South for centuries.
The consequences are stark. Less than one-fifth of the world's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on track for 2030, a spectacular miss that can be traced directly to the chronic underfunding of public services globally. The latest UNESCO data from June 2025 reveals the scale of this failure: the global out-of-school population has increased to 272 million children, demonstrating how the current financing system is failing even the most basic development commitments. Meanwhile, three-quarters of lower-income countries now spend more on servicing debt to wealthy creditors than on education or health care for their own people. With 54 developing countries allocating 10 percent, or more, of government revenues to interest payments, we have arrived at the grotesque spectacle of 3.3 billion human beings —nearly half the planet—living under governments that prioritize payments to bondholders over schools and hospitals. This is not the temporary disruption of a pandemic or the unfortunate byproduct of a recession; this is the predictable outcome of a development finance system that promised to harness private capital for public good, but instead created the most efficient wealth extraction machine the world has ever seen.
The Sevilla Commitment: decolonizing financing for development
The question now is whether world leaders will finally listen. The United Nations 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), taking place in Sevilla (Spain) from 30 June to 3 July, provides an opportunity for the international community to chart a fundamentally different course - one that breaks free from the colonial patterns of extraction that have defined development finance for decades. The Conference is a unique global space that brings together governments, international organizations, financial institutions, and civil society to reform development financing.
While the US has chosen to walk out of negotiations rather than challenge a system that serves Northern creditors over Southern development, 127 countries have endorsed the Compromiso de Sevilla —a comprehensive framework that places "public resources, policies and plans at the heart of efforts for a sustainable development investment drive."
The text's emphasis on domestic public resources, transparent public financial management, and strengthened public institutions signals the international community's recognition that private finance-led development has failed spectacularly. When countries commit to “continued reform of the international financial architecture, enhancing its resilience, coherence and effectiveness in responding to present and future challenges and crises”, while acknowledging a US$4 trillion annual financing gap, they are implicitly rejecting the notion that private capital can fill this void.
The declaration calls for multilateral development banks to "further increase and optimize annual lending capacity"—potentially tripling their output to US$300 billion annually while maintaining focus on sustainable development impact. This signals a return to public-led development that puts social outcomes before financial returns, challenging decades of market fundamentalism imposed on the Global South.
Yet for all its progressive language, the Compromiso de Sevilla remains largely aspirational. The document is filled with commitments to “encourage,” “support,” and “consider”, rather than the binding obligations and concrete mechanisms needed to challenge the fundamental architecture of extractive development finance. While countries commit to “scale up investment”, these pledges lack enforcement mechanisms, clear timelines, or accountability structures that would ensure implementation.
The declaration represents what could have been a transformative moment, had governments found the courage to move beyond diplomatic language to binding commitments. Instead, it offers a framework for change without the teeth to enforce it.
Education: a hard-won victory
Education International's advocacy secured explicit language in the Compromiso de Sevilla, with countries committing to support “adequate financing to ensure inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all.”
But, securing even this paragraph on education was an uphill battle throughout the negotiations. The reality is that, while education is universally valued in principle, it remains chronically underfunded in practice. The latest UNESCO SDG4 Scorecard reveals the accelerating scale of this crisis: the global out-of-school population has reached 272 million children and youth—21 million more than previous estimates. Progress since 2015 has been less than 1 percent, with countries already projected to be off-track by 75 million relative to their own national targets by 2025.
Half of lower-income countries still spend more on debt repayment than on public education. Teachers are undervalued, underpaid, and overworked and, as a consequence, the global teacher shortage—an alarming 44 million—grows with every year of neglect.
As Education International's recent research on decolonizing education demonstrates, "The education union movement is, at its core, a decolonial movement"—because we understand that the chronic underfunding of public education is inseparable from these broader patterns of colonial extraction. When teachers in our member unions across Africa, Asia, and Latin America report classes of over 80 students with no textbooks while their governments service debt to Northern creditors, we see the direct link between financial colonialism and educational injustice. The debt crisis is not a bug in the system—it is the feature that ensures wealth continues to flow from South to North.
From Sevilla to implementation
The vision outlined in Sevilla reflects a growing global movement. On UN Public Services Day, Education International joined over 30 civil society organizations in signing the "Financing a Public Future" statement—a declaration that authentic development financing must prioritize public investment over private profit, and democratic accountability over market fundamentalism. These principles are also embraced in the Compromiso de Sevilla, representing a clear rejection of decades of market-first policies. Now comes the critical test: turning declaration into delivery.
Declarations do not build schools. They do not train teachers, restore health systems, or provide clean water. Sevilla's framework provides the architecture for public-led development financing, but translating declaration into delivery requires sustained political will and practical mechanisms.
The declaration includes critical tools: strengthening tax systems, combating illicit financial flows, and enhancing debt transparency. Its call for "responsible sovereign borrowing and lending" principles provides a foundation for rejecting debt arrangements that prioritize creditor profits over public welfare. Crucially, the commitment to “engage constructively in the negotiations on a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation” represents a historic opportunity to finally ensure that multinational corporations pay their fair share. The UN tax convention negotiations, running until 2027, could establish the global tax justice framework essential for governments to raise revenues to fund rights and reduce inequality.
Education International will continue advocating for this public investment approach because we know that quality education systems, like all essential public services, require sustained public funding, professional, well-supported workers, and democratic accountability. None of these emerge from profit-driven private schemes.
The question now is whether this choice can be sustained in the face of inevitable pressure from those who profit from the current system. Sevilla has shown the way forward—towards public investment, tax justice, and democratic accountability. Now comes the harder task: making that choice stick through binding commitments, concrete mechanisms, and the political will to challenge extraction wherever it occurs. It's time to Go Public.
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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