Taking COSATU Today Forward, 10 February 2026
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY COSATU Call Center Contacts: 010 002 2590 #HandsOffVenezuela #HandsOffCuba #Back2SchoolCampaign continues… #Cosatu40 #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
10 February 2026
“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!
- COSATU KZN Statement on King Misuzulu’s Comments on Mining
- COSATU North West welcomes the decision of the ANC Provincial leadership directing its deployees in the provincial government to intervene in the City of Matlosana.
- DITSELA Institute invites Educators, Skills Development Officers in all federations at the 2026 Worker Education Program Launch
- African Unions invited to Trade Unions for Energy Democracy Africa Regional Quarterly Virtual Meeting
- South Africa
- Gauteng Provincial Legislature on Illegal mining in Bekkersdal
- National Planning Commission on reasserting centrality of National Development Plan
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Message of Solidarity with the Working Class of India
- German supply chain act is working – But planned weakening poses major risks
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
DITSELA Institute invites Educators, Skills Development Officers in all federations at the 2026 Worker Education Program Launch
January 2026
Attention: Educators & National/Provincial Office Bearers Responsible for Education
Dear comrades and colleagues,
Ditsela Programme 2026 Theme: “Educate, Engage, Empower for Resilient and Inclusive Labour Movement”
You are invited to the launch of the 2026 Ditsela Programme
Date: Thursday 12 February 2026
Time 10h00 – 12h00
Venue: Ditsela Offices
Johannesburg Office
21 Marshall Street
4th Floor t
Johannesburg
We would like to urge educators to make every effort to ensure that office bearers responsible for education are available for this meeting. In 2025 we tried to include office bearers in all strategic activities so that they could engage with Ditsela on the priorities for workers’ education; this has proved to be a very successful way of communicating with our constituency about workers’ education.
In this meeting we will be sharing:
▪ New developments for 2026 Programme
▪ Recruitment processes to Ditsela Programme
▪ Required documentation for the application
Note: Ditsela would like affiliates to share their Union programme as well to establish areas of collaboration.
Please confirm your attendance by completing the reply slip to vero...@ditsela.org.za
Fax: 011 492-0302
Yours in the continued struggle for power through education.
Khanyisile Khanyi
Programme Manager
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African Unions invited to Trade Unions for Energy Democracy Africa Regional Quarterly Virtual Meeting
Dear Comrades
SAVE THE DATE: 10th February 2026
Africa Regional Quarterly Virtual Meeting
Please join us for a virtual meeting of African unions and their allies on:
February 10th, 2026. Time: Johannesburg. South Africa/16:00, Tunisia/15:00.
Find your local time here:
https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html
Anyone that wants to attend must please register. All registrants will receive a zoom link. RSVP:
Please register HERE. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/g1hf5pbiS5WPSMXDB92Ziw#/registration
Interpretation: to be confirmed! Dependent on the need and resources required.
Why This Meeting?
Join the meeting to listen to updates from Tunisia, South Africa, and Ghana regarding renewable energy costs, the unbundling and privatization of energy institutions, and the role of private sector participation, amongst other things.
See article attached on the Tunisia case study of the cost of renewable energy.
Kind Regards
Suraya Jawoodeen
on behalf of the TUED team
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
Gauteng Provincial Legislature on Illegal mining in Bekkersdal
09 Feb 2026
Illegal mining turns bekkersdal into a war zone
The Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety expresses its deep concern and unequivocal condemnation of the escalating activities of illegal mining in the Bekkersdal community, which have plunged the area into lawlessness, violence and fear.
The Committee is gravely disturbed by the unacceptable and violent nature of crimes linked to illegal mining. In December last year, a mass shooting at an illegal tavern in Bekkersdal left 21 people shot, with nine lives tragically lost.
Last week, the Committee was further briefed on another violent incident in which an alleged zama zama was shot and wounded during night-time gunfire in the area.
Police recovered 17 rifle cartridges and 12 9mm cartridges at the scene, a clear evidence of the presence and use of high-calibre firearms and organised criminal activity.
Illegal mining has also fuelled a surge in kidnappings in Bekkersdal. Following illegal mineral transactions, victims are reportedly followed to their homes, where family members are abducted and ransoms demanded. In cases where ransoms are not paid, victims are brutally murdered, further entrenching fear and contributing to the alarming escalation of violent crime in the community.
These deeply worrying developments compelled the Portfolio Committee on Community Safety to conduct an oversight visit to the Bekkersdal Police Station on Friday, 6 February 2026 to assess its capacity to effectively respond to and combat these crimes.
The Committee identified serious shortcomings that undermine effective policing, including critical resource shortages and poor, inadequate infrastructure.
Of particular concern is that a facility initially intended to function as a satellite police station is currently being used as a fully-fledged station. The facility is small, overcrowded and wholly unsuitable for the scale and severity of criminality in the area, negatively impacting both the morale of police officers and their ability to fight crime effectively.
The Committee reiterates that the situation in Bekkersdal is unacceptable and requires urgent, coordinated intervention. Within its oversight mandate, the Committee has resolved to engage relevant authorities to address the identified deficiencies, including infrastructure upgrades, resource allocation and strengthened operational capacity.
The Committee remains committed to contributing to decisive action that will restore safety, uphold the rule of law and ensure a significant reduction in crime in Bekkersdal.
The people of Bekkersdal deserve to live without fear. The Committee will continue to exercise robust oversight to ensure that law enforcement agencies are adequately equipped and supported to decisively dismantle illegal mining networks and protect the community.
For interview requests with the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee please contact: Mr Thebe Khumalo on 072 266 1021 email: TKhu...@gpl.gov.za
Issued by Gauteng Provincial Legislature
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National Planning Commission on reasserting centrality of National Development Plan
06 Feb 2026
Ahead of the State of the Nation Address, the National Planning Commission (NPC) calls upon the President to reassert the centrality of the National Development Plan: Vision 2030 (NDP) as the lodestar and planning blueprint of the country, as we move towards the 2030 developmental horizon. The 2026 SONA presents the perfect opportunity for the President to affirm the importance of long-term planning to improve the lives of all South Africans, even in these times of coalition governance.
Over the past four years, the NPC has published a combined total of 25 research reports and advisories in which, amongst others, the following are addressed:
The Transformation of South Africa’s Monetary Architecture, 1983 – 2024 Research Report,
Trends in the Cost of Living in South Africa between 2011 and 2023,
The implementation of the Integrated Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy,
SMME Red Tape Reduction
Accelerating the Implementation of the Agriculture and Agro-Processing MasterPlan,
Effective Cross-departmental and Inter-Governmental Coordination in Early Childhood Development,
And Advisory on NDP Implementation Priorities for the 2024-2029 MTDP, among many others.
In addition, the Commission released a Ten-Year Review of the NDP and a Call to Action in 2023, providing a frank assessment of progress to date. The full list of research outputs, advisory notes and statements can be found on the NPC’s website.
In our capacity as the custodian of the NDP, we offer the above-mentioned, evidence-based outputs of the NPC, as some of the resources available for the President, as he prepares the 2026 SONA. More importantly, we offer these to the government and to the people of South Africa to anchor and to steer the developmental trajectory of the country.
The NPC takes its role of overseeing the implementation of the NDP and mobilising society around the NDP most earnestly. South Africa is at a crossroads. South Africans are buckling under the weight of unemployment, inequality, poverty and corruption. The national morale is low, and hope is in short supply. We urge the President to use the 2026 SONA to give South Africans some tangible reasons to be hopeful again.
The Commission will host a virtual post-SONA engagement on Monday, 16 February 2026 at 10:00. This engagement will provide an opportunity for deeper analysis and dialogue on the priorities articulated in the Address as well as the implications for long-term development. Further information and the invitation will be shared in due course.
Enquiries:
Director
Dr Sandisiwe Mapine
Cell: 071 370 1048
E-mail: Sandisiw...@dpme.gov.za
Director
Ms Dakalo Netswera
Cell:
072 713 3047
E-mail: Dak...@dpme.gov.za
Issued by National Planning Commission
International-Solidarity
Message of Solidarity with the Working Class of India
by WFTU HQ, 09 Feb 2026
The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) expresses its solidarity with the working class of India, on the upcoming Nationwide General Strike on 12th February 2026.
The WFTU notes with pride that ten Central Trade Unions of India have jointly given a call for Nationwide General Strike Action. The issues before the strike include fundamental trade union rights of the Indian working class and the toiling people.
We understand with shock and anguish that the Narendra Modi Government of India has passed and notified Four Labour Codes superseding 29 labour related Acts of Indian Parliament. These Labour Codes are designed to hit hard the Right to Association, Right to Collective Bargaining and Right to Strike. The joint strike action of the Indian trade unions is demanding outright scrapping of these anti-worker Labour Codes along with the ‘Shram Shakti Niti, 2025’.
The other important demands include strong opposition to economic onslaughts on the toiling people arising out of imperialist globalization. The joint declaration of the striking trade unions has noted, “The government of the country continues its agenda of privatisation and sale of all strategic Public Sector Undertakings and Public services such as railway, port and docks, coal mines, oil, steel, defence, roadways, airports, banks, insurance, telecom, postal, Atomic energy, electricity generation and supply etc. to the big Corporates of Indian and foreign origin thus endangering indigenous industrial growth and self-reliant economy. The commercialisation of education and health are severe jolt to the people as they cannot afford the unbearable cost. The prices of essential commodities are rising unabated. With inequalities growing, a very large number of people are getting pushed to a life below poverty line.” WFTU reiterates its understanding that the deepening of the systemic crisis of capitalism makes the attack against the toiling people all over the world.
Strike actions in India always enjoy special international significance due to inter alia, the vastness of the Indian Working Class. This time the Worker-Peasant-Agricultural Worker unity in India is unique. With the participation of the farmers and agricultural workers in the strike action on 12th February shall attain unprecedented dimension and shall convey a strong message of class oriented militant action to the working class all the world.
WFTU with its 105 million members spread over 133 countries extends total support to the demand and action of the working class and peasantry of India and conveys best wishes for a grand success of the strike action. WFTU also supports the warning sounded by the trade unions that “12th February strike has to convey strong message if the Government still pursue the Labour Codes, Central Trade Unions will be compelled to go for further stronger actions.
On behalf of the World Federation of Trade Unions,
Pambis Kyritsis
WFTU General Secretary
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German supply chain act is working – But planned weakening poses major risks
09 February 2026
Based on concrete examples, Germanwatch and Misereor demonstrate that Germany’s Supply Chain Act is effective in protecting human rights. In several cases, these successes would have been in doubt following the recently announced weakening of the law.
In a new report published today, Germanwatch and Misereor show how the German Supply Chain Act (LkSG), which has been in force since 2023, works in practice and how it is being used by people worldwide to defend their rights. Using several case studies — including examples from UNI and our affiliates — the authors warn that the recently announced weakening of the law could significantly limit its effectiveness.
“Whether in the transport sector in Germany, in enforcing freedom of association in Turkey, or concerning raw material extraction in West Africa: people and companies worldwide are already successfully using the Supply Chain Act to take action against human rights violations. In West Africa, for example, German companies have for the first time begun working with local partners to implement measures against the severe environmental consequences of bauxite mining,” comments Finn Schufft, study author and policy advisor for corporate accountability at Germanwatch.
The Supply Chain Act is an important instrument for truck drivers, whose rights are repeatedly violated even in Germany – for example, by withholding wages they are entitled to. “With the Supply Chain Act, we can hold the often influential client companies accountable to prevent violations by their suppliers. This way, truck drivers in many cases finally receive the wages they are owed,” explains Anna Weirich, a sector coordinator at the Fair Mobility Network who advises affected drivers.
Another example is the enforcement of freedom of association in the supply chains of German companies: “The Supply Chain Act has opened new doors for us when it comes to enabling employees to organize in trade unions,” says Alke Boessiger, Deputy General Secretary of UNI Global Union. “With the help of the law, our member unions in Turkey have already successfully taken action against anti-union activities by German companies in numerous cases and have thus been able to secure better working conditions through collective bargaining.”
However, the findings also show: Recently proposed plans to weaken the Supply Chain Act could jeopardize many of the successes described. “With the LkSG amendment, the federal government intends to eliminate sanctions for cases where companies fail to analyse their human rights risks and the effectiveness of their countermeasures. The preventive effect of the law would be massively weakened – and human rights violations would become more likely,” warns Armin Paasch, policy advisor for responsible business at Misereor.
For the study, more than 20 experts from trade unions, associations, companies and civil society organizations who work with the Supply Chain Act were interviewed.
The German Bundestag is currently debating the planned amendment to the German Supply Chain Act. Just last week, some industry associations called for a complete suspension of the law.
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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