Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 8 April 2026 #CosatuMayDay2026
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY COSATU Call Center Contacts: 010 002 2590 #COSATU National May Day will be celebrated at Polokwane, Limpopo on May 1 #ClassWar #Cosatu40 #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
8 April 2026
“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- Media accreditation for COSATU May Day celebrations officially open
- Stakeholders and interested parties invited to make written and/or oral submissions on the Special Appropriation Bill [B3 – 2026].
- South Africa
- South African Communist Party condemns Trump's threats of war crimes and genocide against Iran
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- South African Communist Party congratulatory message to the newly elected President of Vietnam
- Greece: PAME Conference – Greeting of the WFTU General Secretary
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
Media accreditation for COSATU May Day celebrations officially open
Zanele Sabela, COSATU Spokesperson, 08 April 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has officially opened media accreditation applications for Workers’ Day celebrations on 1 May 2026. The Federation will continue with its tradition of hosting celebrations across the country, with the national rally to be held at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
The President of COSATU, Zingiswa Losi will deliver the keynote address, with messages of support from leaders of Alliance Partners: the African National Congress (ANC), South African Communist Party (SACP) and South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO).
COSATU National Office bearers will lead provincial commemorations, alongside leaders of affiliated trade unions and members of the Federation’s Central Executive Committee (CEC).
Applications to cover the national rally may be submitted to mam...@cosatu.org.za or non...@cosatu.org.za.
Alternatively, an application form can be completed via this link:
Media accreditation for COSATU May Day celebrations officially open – Fill out form
Applications to cover provincial rallies can be sent to the following contacts:
1. Western Cape- Mbekweni Sport Stadium (Paarl) at 10:00
Malvern de Bruyn 060 977 9027 or Cleopatra Kakaza 072 312 6822
2. Gauteng - Tsakane Stadium (Brakpan) at 10:00
Louisa Modikwe 082 297 2659 or Itumeleng Moloantoa 071 873 5238
3. Free State- Bultfontein Stadium (Bultfontein) at 10:00
Tiisetso Mahlatsi on 077 607 3012 or Mongezi Mbelwane on 072 308 7658
4. KwaZulu Natal Curries Fountain Stadium (Durban) at 10:00
Edwin Mkhize 082 339 7756 or Khaliphile Cotoza 082 339 5760
5. Mpumalanga- Kamagugu Stadium (Mbombela) at 10:00
Thabo Mokoena 082 799 5699 or James Mahlabane 064 753 9055
6. Northern Cape- Open Air Arena (Galeshewe) at 10:00
Thandi Makapela 079 481 9077
7. North West- Olympia Stadium (Rustenburg) at 10:00
Kabelo Kgoro 067 410 4696
8. Eastern Cape - Nangoa Jebe Hall – Gqeberha, Orient Theatre (kuGompo) – Buffalo City, Tobi Kula Indoor Sports Centre (Komani) and Lusikisiki College Great Hall at 10:00
Mkhawuleli Maleki 082 339 5482
Issued by COSATU
Zanele Sabela (COSATU Spokesperson)
Mobile: 079 287 5788 / 077 600 6639
Email: zan...@cosatu.org.za
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Stakeholders and interested parties invited to make written and/or oral submissions on the Special Appropriation Bill [B3 – 2026].
The Select Committee on Appropriations invites stakeholders and interested parties to make written and/or oral submissions on the Special Appropriation Bill [B3 – 2026]. The Bill was introduced by the Minister of Finance on 25 February 2026. The Money Bills and Related Matters Act, No. 13 of 2018, requires Parliament to conduct public hearings and report on all Bills.
The closing date for written submissions, or to indicate your intention to make an oral presentation, is 14:00 on Friday, 24 April 2026. Public hearings on the Bill will be held virtually by the Select Committee on Appropriations on Tuesday, 28 April 2026 at 09:00.
Submissions must be sent to the Committee Secretariat: Mr Lubabalo Nodada at Lno...@parliament.gov.za or Ms Estelle Grunewald at egrun...@parliament.gov.za.
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
South African Communist Party condemns Trump's threats of war crimes and genocide against Iran
Mbulelo Mandlana, SACP Head of Media, Communications and Information, 8 April 2026
The president of the US, Donald Trump, announced the US regime’s commitment to war crimes against Iran through his declaration to bomb civilian infrastructure as part of the US regime’s ongoing illegal and unprovoked war against Iran.
This pronouncement is unprecedented in its blatant disregard for international law and the rules of engagement. In the context of modern warfare, the US has violated more international laws than any other superpower at least over the past half-century. This includes a 20-year occupation and destruction of Vietnam, a nine-year war in Iraq and a 19-year war in Afghanistan, among others.
The threat to destroy energy generation capabilities, desalination facilities, bridges and other critical infrastructure reveals a US regime that has transgressed all boundaries in its pursuit of greater power and the annihilation of Iran, which has resisted that expansionist agenda.
This threat is further compounded by the belligerent genocide-orientated apartheid regime of Israel as a co-conspirator, creating an even more perilous environment for the Iranian people. It extends beyond the violation of the letter of the Geneva Conventions and standards generated in that respect and concerns the moral standing of the US as a proponent of human rights and the so-called “rules-based international order”.
As the SACP, we unequivocally condemn these threats from the US and its president as a public affirmation of war crimes. We condemn the ongoing genocide in Palestine by apartheid Israel, which is supported and protected by the US government. This imperialist alliance is currently cooperating to carry out a war crime in Iran.
We call on the international community to act in this regard. The now mooted ceasefire as negotiated through Pakistan must serve to remove US interference in the Gulf region and wider West Asia as well as end the war against Iran and Palestine.
ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY,
FOUNDED IN 1921 AS THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF SOUTH AFRICA.
Media, Communications & Information Department | MCID
International-Solidarity
South African Communist Party congratulatory message to the newly elected President of Vietnam
Mbulelo Mandlana, SACP Head of Media, Communications and Information, 8 April 2026
The South African Communist Party (SACP) congratulates the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Comrade Tô Lâm, for his election as the President of Vietnam.
With his unquestionable record as a key role player in government structures, Comrade Tô Lâm brings invaluable experience and knowledge to the executive position of President and will only move the national cause forward.
The Communist Party of Vietnam has stood as an exemplary revolutionary force in an imperial-dominated global system and has thus inspired the alternative voice across the world and the global south in particular. At the height of the anti-colonial struggle in Africa, the Communist Party of Vietnam conducted a successful political struggle and long-lasting military campaign against a belligerent US regime.
The struggle against US occupation of Vietnam and the anti-colonial struggles for the independence of Africa are struggles that were connected at the hip in the context of an imperialist global balance of power. The lessons, strategies and perspectives among the revolutionary forces located in different territories shaped our shared understanding of the world and deepened common struggles against imperialism.
The Communist Party in Vietnam and in South Africa developed an enduring brotherhood and solidarity that remains intact to this day.
The economic advancement of an independent Vietnam serves as testament to the validity of the cause of communists in contemporary society. The leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and that of the Communist Party of China represent a brighter future for the cause of socialism in the Asian region. The state-led economic development of Vietnam articulates a statement in the affirmation of socialism as a path to development and prosperity.
As the SACP, we offer our continued solidarity and brotherhood to the people of Vietnam.
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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Greece: PAME Conference – Greeting of the WFTU General Secretary
by WFTU HQ, 04 Apr 2026
Greeting Message
WFTU General Secretary
To the Panhellenic Conference of PAME
Dear comrades, brothers and sisters,
I convey to the Panhellenic Conference of the All-Workers Militant Front the warm, militant and combative greetings of the hundreds of trade unions affiliated with the World Federation of Trade Unions, representing more than 105 million members who live and struggle in 134 countries around the world.
Your conference is taking place at a time when global geopolitical and economic rivalries continue to directly threaten world peace and security, with the risk even of nuclear catastrophe. Imperialist wars, interventions, sanctions and blockades continue and intensify.
The genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza and the unimaginable brutality of the Israeli state, the new unprovoked and murderous attack by the United States and Israel against Iran, the invasion of Venezuela and the abduction of the country’s legitimate president, the terrorist threats against Cuba’s territorial integrity and the attempt to economically strangle it through the disgraceful energy embargo, have once again revealed in all their magnitude the hypocrisy, cynicism and inhumane character of imperialism.
The WFTU stands actively and militantly alongside the people of Palestine, alongside the people of Iran and the other peoples of the Middle East suffering from imperialist and Zionist aggression. We stand with the people of Cuba in their struggle to defend their independence and the achievements of the Cuban revolution, and with the people of Venezuela for their right to utilize their country’s natural resources and decide their own path.
Workers around the world are facing the generalization and deepening of the capitalist crisis, accompanied by new attacks on their rights and
gains, by a dramatic widening of social inequalities, by further environmental degradation and by reckless overexploitation of the planet’s natural resources.
Temporary, precarious and uninsured employment is expanding and has significantly undermined work with rights regulated by collective agreements.
Human sacrifices continue, as occupational safety and health are treated as undesirable costs that reduce profits.
The shift toward a war economy clearly constitutes a priority for today’s ruling circles of capitalism.
The new massive increases in military spending, besides posing a threat to global peace and security, also imply even harsher austerity policies and a widening of social inequalities.
The encouraging and hopeful element in the grim picture of today’s world is that workers do not passively accept the anti-people and anti-labor offensive. Guided by class-oriented trade unions, through militant struggles and mobilizations in every corner of the planet, they demand work with rights that ensure the satisfaction of their contemporary needs.
Workers’ collective struggles often confront not only employers and the state, but also unions that promote class collaboration and integration into the system. Employers and governments attempt to manipulate workers’ struggles, relying on the role of “yellow” unions and compromised trade union leaderships.
As workers’ resistance strengthens and struggles become more massive and militant, so too do phenomena of authoritarianism and repression. The police persecution of trade union leaders and attacks on trade union freedoms, especially the right to strike, are intensifying.
For the WFTU, it is clear that only through struggles can the front be built that is capable of defending workers’ rights and opening the road for a different course of political, economic and social development—one that leads to peace, social justice and the abolition of the exploitation of man by man.
On this occasion, allow me, on behalf of the leadership of the WFTU, to express our heartfelt fraternal congratulations to PAME, because through its mass and militant mobilizations it keeps high the banner of class struggle, solidarity and anti-imperialist consistency, making us all proud.
We are confident that PAME, strengthened and equipped with the decisions you will take at your Conference, will continue and further intensify its struggles for better days for Greek workers and, as a member of the WFTU family, with solidarity and internationalism, will continue to play a leading role in the struggles for a world free from imperialist wars and interventions, a world without discrimination and without exploitation of human by human.
· Long live the struggles of workers for peace and social emancipation
· Long live solidarity and internationalism!
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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