Taking COSATU Today Forward, 11 March 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
11 March 2026
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- Media Alert: NUM to Host Press Conference on National Mass Mobilisation Against Eskom Unbundling and Privatisation
- Media Accreditation: SAMWU 13th National Congress
- South Africa
- COSATU congratulates Sasbo on its 110th anniversary
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Go Public! Fund Education: Building union power and quality education across the Pacific
Media Alert: NUM to Host Press Conference on National Mass Mobilisation Against Eskom Unbundling and Privatisation
Livhuwani Mammburu, NUM National Spokesperson, 10 March 2026
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will host a press conference on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, following a National Executive Committee (NEC) resolution to launch a series of coordinated regional marches across all eleven NUM regions.
The union will embark on these mass actions to voice its rejection of the unbundling and looming privatisation of Eskom. The actions will target Eskom offices and various government departments nationwide to protect the interests of workers and the energy security of the country.
In addition to the Eskom mobilisation strategy, the NUM National Office Bearers will provide critical updates on the state of the Ferrochrome industry and other pressing labour, economic and political matters in the country.
The details of the Press Conference are as follows:
• DATE:
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
• TIME: 10:00 AM
• VENUE: NUM Head Office, 7 Rissik Street, corner Frederick, Johannesburg
Members of the media are invited to attend and cover the briefing. There will be opportunities for Q&As and one-on-one interviews. To confirm attendance, please email NUM Media Officer, Luphert Chilwane, lchi...@num.org.za
For more information, please contact:
Livhuwani
Mammburu, NUM National Spokesperson, 083 809 3257
Luphert Chilwane, NUM Media Officer, 083 809 3255
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Media
Accreditation: SAMWU 13th National Congress
Papikie Mohale, SAMWU National Media Officer, 09 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 Four Decades and Beyond in Defence of Workers’ Interests,”
the Congress marks an important milestone as the Union reflects on nearly forty years of militant struggle, organisational consolidation, and its unwavering defence of municipal and water sector workers.
Members of the media are invited to attend and cover the open sessions of Congress scheduled for 17 and 19 March 2026. Media houses wishing to cover the Congress are requested to apply for accreditation no later than 13 March 2026.
The Congress is expected to receive messages of support and addresses from the following leaders:
· COSATU General Secretary, Cde Solly Phetoe
· SACP General Secretary, Cde Solly Mapaila
· ANC Secretary-General, Cde Fikile Mbalula
· Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, H.E. Dickson Masemola
· SALGA Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sithole Mbanga
· Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, H.E. Jomo Sibiya
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, via email at
pap...@samwu.org.za
in order to secure accreditation by 13 March 2026.
Please note that only accredited members of the media will be granted access to the Congress venue.
Issued by SAMWU Secretariat
Papikie Mohale
National Media Officer
076 795 8670
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
COSATU congratulates Sasbo on its 110th anniversary
Zanele Sabela, COSATU Spokesperson, 11 March 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) congratulates its astute Affiliate, the South African Society of Bank Officials (Sasbo) on turning 110 years. First founded in 1916 during World War I, Sasbo is the oldest bank trade union in the Commonwealth.
The union has evolved from a niche whites-only organisation to an influential, diverse finance union representing workers across 200 financial institutions encompassing banking, insurance and fintech.
In the 1990s Sasbo expanded its scope beyond banking into the broader finance sector and became known as Sasbo – The Finance Union. It affiliated with COSATU in 1995.
The union counts among its highlights the end of 1999 and start of 2000, when it acted in the best interest of its members and played a significant role in opposing Nedcor Bank’s attempted takeover of the Standard Bank Group. Sabso had members at both banks and was worried about potential job losses if the merger went ahead. Sasbo lobbied then Minister of Finance, Trevor Manuel, and the Competition Commission to withhold approval and ultimately the merger did not go through.
In 2018, Sasbo caught the attention of the entire nation with its threatened shut down of the banking sector in defence of bank employees subjected to mass retrenchments in favour of automation.
Under Sasbo’s determined leadership, SANLAM and Old Mutual substantially increased their employees’ minimum wage and sought to narrow the shameful wage gap where CEOs in the banking and financial sector pay themselves exorbitant salaries at the expense of low paid rank and file staff.
Another highpoint came late last year when Sasbo appointed its first woman General Secretary – Rosemary Rauleka. Previously employed by Absa for 17 years, Rauleka gave up a senior managerial position and joined Sasbo’s leadership ranks as Deputy President and was eventually appointed General Secretary.
Where others fear changes prompted by the digital era, Sasbo foresees harnessing technology to empower and protect every single member, particularly the next generation.
COSATU pledges its commitment to its financial sector Affiliate and cannot wait to see what it will achieve next. Here’s to another victorious 110 years.
Issued by COSATU
International-Solidarity
Go Public! Fund Education: Building union power and quality education across the Pacific
Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 Fighting the commercialisation of education Standards and working conditions Leading the profession Go public! Fund educationpublished 10 March 2026updated 10 March 2026
The Education International (EI) Go Public! Fund Education campaign has consolidated itself as a central policy and mobilisation framework for education unions across the Pacific. What began as a strategic regional call to address teacher shortages has evolved into a coordinated effort linking national union action to global education policy commitments and urgent education workforce realities.
From global commitments to regional action
The Pacific campaign is explicitly rooted in international policy frameworks, including the UN recommendations on the Teaching Profession and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG 4 on quality education and SDG 8 on decent work. This has given unions a shared political framing of education as a public good and a collective responsibility of the state.
Over time, the campaign has evolved from awareness-raising into a structured regional capacity-building programme, strengthening union advocacy, governance and policy engagement across Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Rather than isolated national initiatives, Go Public! Fund Education has become a regional movement, reinforcing solidarity while responding to distinct national realities.
Commending member organisations for their strong involvement in the campaign in the sub-region, Anand Singh, Director of the EI Asia-Pacific region, said: “Across the Pacific, the Go Public! Fund Education campaign has demonstrated the true power of organised educators. By acting collectively, our member organisations have strengthened their unions, amplified their voices, and turned shared global commitments into concrete political demands at national and regional level. This is union power in action — building the conditions for quality public education, decent work for teachers, and social justice for our communities.”
Addressing the teacher shortage crisis
At the core of the campaign lies the growing global teacher shortage, a crisis acutely felt across Pacific education systems. Chronic understaffing has resulted in overcrowded classrooms, increased workloads and declining learning conditions. The campaign has consistently described this shortage as the direct outcome of chronic public underinvestment, linking workforce recruitment and retention to funding, working conditions and professional status.
This policy framing has enabled unions to advance concrete demands. In the Solomon Islands, the union has campaigned for a 1:35 teacher–student ratio, connecting class size to both health and learning outcomes. In Samoa, advocacy has focused on primary and secondary teacher shortages, supported by direct engagement with high-level political leaders, including the Prime Minister, to underline the urgency radical education reform.
Building union capacity
A key feature of the campaign has been its emphasis on union capacity as a prerequisite for policy change. Across the region, resources have been channelled into leadership development, governance training, communication tools and grassroots organising.
In Papua New Guinea, the teachers’ union has combined a media campaign with an online platform to mobilise public support and prepare formal policy submissions to government. In Vanuatu, targeted training for branch executives has strengthened union governance while supporting advocacy for the creation of an Education Services Commission, aimed at improving education system management.
These developments demonstrate a shift from reactive advocacy to policy-oriented unionism, enabling education unions to engage governments with evidence-based proposals rooted in both national needs and global standards.
Youth, gender and intergenerational continuity
The campaign has also prioritised youth leadership and gender-responsive approaches, recognising that sustainable public education systems require long-term union renewal. In Fiji, the teacher union’s youth movement has emerged as a noticeable force within Go Public! Fund Education, articulating demands for public investment, improved working conditions and professional recognition. Top union leaders have actively supported this engagement, reinforcing intergenerational solidarity and support.
This focus positions unions to engage with current members, and as builders of future leadership to sustain policy pressure over time.
A multi-year horizon for systemic change
The campaign is further explicitly designed as a multi-year initiative, with regional cooperation and collective advocacy. Future directions underline deeper policy engagement with governments, expanded capacity-building programmes and the development of sustainable regional coalitions.
Climate resilience, inclusive education planning and gender equality have also been identified as cross-cutting priorities, ensuring that public education systems are prepared to respond to both social and environmental challenges.
As Neselinda Meta, Secretary General of the Council of Pacific Education and EI Asia-Pacific Regional Coordinator, has underlined, Go Public! Fund Education “positions teachers not only as educators but as nation builders, climate leaders, and champions for justice, while reinforcing the need for resilient, inclusive, and well-resourced public schools.”
From campaign to collective power
The Pacific development demonstrates how local education unions take ownership of Go Public! Fund Education and move beyond slogan to substance. By anchoring union action in global policy commitments and translating them into national and regional advocacy, unions are strengthening their capacity to influence public investment decisions and defend education as a fundamental public good.
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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