Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 14 October 2025 #Cosatu@40 #Cosatu40thAnniversary
Norman Mampane
|
COSATU TODAY #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 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
14 October 2025
“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”
Organize at every workplace and demand respect for labour rights Now!
Defend Jobs Now!
Join COSATU NOW!
Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- All-Africa Trade Union Virtual Forum Energy Poverty, “Mission 300” and the Fight to Reclaim & Restore Public Energy Systems
- COSATU to host lectures in the lead up to 40th anniversary
- South Africa
- COSATU is proud of its leadership role contributing towards bringing game changing HIV prevention drug LEN into the country
- POPCRU calls for clarity and transparency on GEPF pension reductions
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Indonesia: seven Freeport workers killed at a landslide at Grasberg
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
All-Africa Trade Union Virtual Forum Energy Poverty, “Mission 300” and the Fight to Reclaim & Restore Public Energy Systems
13 October 2025
Please join us for a virtual meeting of African unions and their allies on:
October 22nd, 2025. Time: 13:00 Lome, Togo/14:00 Tunisia/15:00 Johannesburg, South Africa. Find your local time here.
Anyone that wants to attend must please register. All registrants will receive a zoom link. REGISTER HERE!
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/VpEYufYwSAK3aoP-5TJnpQ
Interpretation: to be confirmed! Dependent on the need and resources required.
Why This Meeting?
In early August 2025, the Africa Region of the ITUC convened an 80-person convening in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, that committed to lead broad-based effort to Reclaim & Restore public energy systems.
Consistent with this commitment, national centres, affiliated unions, representatives of Global Union Federations and other allies are invited to join us for a discussion on the recently released “Mission 300” electrification proposal from the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank.
Informed by existing anti-privatisation struggles and campaigns being waged by unions in several countries on the continent, the meeting will consider ways to develop a unified response to Mission 300 and its push for further privatisation.
Attached please find the invitation to the meeting and ensure that you register so as to receive the link for the meeting. Here is the link to information on Mission 300 and the latest push to privatise public energy systems in Africa: “Mission 300” electrification proposal.
This meeting is co-hosted by the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation, Public Services International and Trade Unions for Energy Democracy.
Kind Regards
Suraya Jawoodeen
on behalf of the TUED team
__________________
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:
Mpumalanga
Date:
16 October
Venue: Ikhethelo Secondary School, Bethal
Topic: Gert Sibande Potato Boycott
Main Speaker: Duncan Luvuno, COSATU 2nd Deputy President
Province:
Northern Cape
Date:
30 October
Topic: COSATU and the Liberation Movement
Main Speaker: Solly Phetoe, COSATU General Secretary
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 is proud of its leadership role contributing towards bringing game changing HIV prevention drug LEN into the country
Mulalo Murudi, COSATU HIV/AIDS Health and Safety Coordinator, 14 October 2025
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is proud of the leadership role it has played in contributing towards securing the game changing HIV prevention drug, lenacapavir (LEN), for the nation.
LEN prevents new HIV infections; but unlike other pre-exposure prophylaxis, it is injectable and administered twice a year - only. Meaning an individual who receives a jab in January will receive the next jab six months later but will be protected throughout. It is for this reason that LEN is seen as a gamechanger in the fight against HIV and AIDS because it will drastically reduce HIV incidents and infection rates and if successfully rolled out, bring us closer to ending HIV as a public health threat by 2030.
South Africa has the largest number of people living with HIV and will be among the first African countries to receive LEN. The procurement of LEN into South Africa is made possible through funding from the Global Fund. Various countries contribute to the Global Fund, which grants allocations to qualifying countries to fund the implementation of TB, HIV and malaria interventions. South Africa receives funding for TB and HIV.
Since the Global Fund doesn’t have an office in South Africa, it has created a Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) to oversee this rollout. The CCM has two co-chairs; namely COSATU’s HIV/ AIDS, TB and Occupational Health and Safety Coordinator, Ms Mulalo Murudi, representing Organised Labour and the CEO of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), Dr Thembisile Xulu. In addition to providing oversight, the CCM is charged with developing the Request for Funding (RFF), engaging the funder and appointing the Principal Recipients who ultimately run the programmes.
The Global Fund offers cyclical grants every three years. South Africa has just emerged from Grant Circle 6 (GC6), which expired on 30 September and is now in GC7 from 1 October, which will come to an end in March 2028. For GC7, South Africa has successfully secured $402,450,343 million to implement TB and HIV interventions over 3 years. This will provide an invaluable boost towards our badly overstretched healthcare, in particular for the poor and the working class. South Africa’s allocation is implemented by the Principal Recipients with 55% allocated towards TB interventions through the Department of Health with the remaining 45% shared among the HIV intervention programmes.
The Minister for Health Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi played a key role in ensuring South Africa’s selection among the early adopter countries to roll out LEN. The Global Fund secured $29 million for these initiatives and put in place measures to ensure this would be done in a way that would not compromise other community led interventions.
Currently South Africa does not have the rights to manufacture LEN locally or to procure LEN directly, and therefore the drug will be procured by the Department of Health through the Global Fund selected procurement mechanism. Processes to finalise the LEN implementation plan by NDOH are underway with the starting date aimed for April 2026. Engagements are underway as LEN is a new drug that requires buy-in from all key stakeholders and active collaboration and coordination to ensure its successful rollout. It is critical that discussions about the local manufacturing of the LEN are expedited to not only help sustain and grow our domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity, save and create badly needed jobs, but also to ensure South Africa and the continent have the security of such essential medication.
Whilst welcoming this potentially game changing development that if successful will save millions, it is important that space be given for its roll out, including the need to make adjustments as required.
It is equally critical that society continue to embrace the ABC campaign of abstain, be faithful and condomise as the most effective means of preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Vaccinations are key but so are behavioural changes.
COSATU is proud of the leadership role it has played as Co-Chair of the CCM, in securing this game changing drug that will see high risk groups including adolescent girls and young women, sex workers and the LGBTQI Plus communities protected from one of the most deadly diseases.
This is a positive vote of confidence in South Africa at a time when the prophets of doom have sought to constantly denigrate the nation.
Issued by COSATU
_____________________
POPCRU calls for clarity and transparency on GEPF pension reductions
Richard Mamabolo, POPCRU National Spokesperson, 14 October 2025
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) has noted with serious concern reports from our members who have observed unexplained reductions in their pension fund values as reflected in their most recent statements from the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF).
As a union representing thousands of employees within the Criminal Justice Cluster — including the South African Police Service, Correctional Services and Traffic — we find it deeply troubling that such material changes appear to have been implemented without any consultation, prior notice, or adequate explanation to the affected members.
The GEPF has attributed these reductions to actuarial projections, yet POPCRU finds this reasoning problematic.
By definition, actuarial projections are forward-looking tools meant to assess and plan for future risks and obligations — not to be applied retrospectively in ways that affect existing member balances. This raises serious questions about the legitimacy, timing, and governance of this decision.
We therefore demand immediate and full disclosure from the GEPF Board of Trustees and the Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA) on the following:
1. Whose decision it was to implement these retrospective adjustments;
2. When the actuarial review that informed these changes was conducted and approved;
3. Why there was no consultation with labour representatives and stakeholders, as is required by good governance and accountability standards; and
4. What the long-term implications of this adjustment are for public sector employees’ pensions and retirement security.
POPCRU reminds the GEPF of its public commitment that workers’ pensions would not be negatively affected by any internal actuarial recalculations or administrative adjustments. We view any deviation from that commitment as a serious breach of trust between the Fund and its members.
We therefore call upon all POPCRU members to review their pension statements for the months of July, August, and September 2025, and to immediately report any discrepancies or unexplained reductions to their provincial POPCRU offices. This collective verification process will enable the union to consolidate evidence and pursue this matter formally with the relevant authorities.
POPCRU will further engage with COSATU and other public sector unions to ensure that the GEPF and GPAA are held accountable and that the hard-earned savings of public servants are protected.
We reaffirm our position that workers’ retirement funds are sacrosanct and must not be subjected to unilateral administrative or actuarial decisions that compromise transparency, fairness, and the long-term security of members.
Issued by POPCRU
International-Solidarity
Indonesia: seven Freeport workers killed at a landslide at Grasberg
14 October, 2025
After a month-long rescue mission, the bodies of seven Indonesian and migrant workers were discovered on 5 October at Freeport-McMoRan’s Grasberg mine. The workers had been trapped underground following a landslide on 8 September, when an estimated 800,000 metric tonnes of mud suddenly flowed into the cave.
Over the past decade, trade unions have repeatedly reported mine accidents and violations of workers’ rights at Freeport’s Grasberg mine in Central Papua. In 2017, the company dismissed 4,220 mine workers, including members of IndustriALL Global Union, triggering violent clashes that resulted in nine deaths following the termination of health insurance coverage.
In a letter to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, IndustriALL General Secretary Atle Høie urged the company to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the sudden landslide at the Grasberg Block Cave. He emphasized that trade unions must be included in the investigation process and called for the strengthening of the occupational safety and health committee and management system.
“Freeport should also engage trade unions in implementing corrective and preventive actions, ensuring that accidents like this one will not be repeated and that mine workers' safety is guaranteed. It is also important that the temporary closure of the Grasberg Block Cave does not affect workers' wages,”
said Atle Høie.
IndustriALL extends its deep condolences to all victims and their families, and stands its solidarity with the mine workers,
particularly members of CEMWU and FPE, traumatized by the accident.
IndustriALL will stand shoulder to shoulder with Indonesian affiliates to improve occupational safety and health in mining and continue the campaign for ratification of ILO Convention 176.
______________________________
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