Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 6 May 2026
Norman Mampane
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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
6 May 2026
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- SAMWU rejects Treasury Interference and DA attempts to reverse workers’ gains in Johannesburg
- Minister Leon Schreiber invites public comment on draft Digital Identity regulations
- South Africa
- COSATU Greater Johannesburg expresses outrage at Minister Godongwana’s refusal to implement PFA
- Social Development Committee underscores importance of ministerial oversight on appointments
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Hard as steel: workers stand firm at ArcelorMittal AGM
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
SAMWU rejects Treasury Interference and DA attempts to reverse workers’ gains in Johannesburg
Mpho Tladinyane, SAMWU Gauteng Provincial Secretary, 6 May 2026
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) notes with serious concern the recent intervention by National Treasury regarding the implementation of the Politically Facilitated Agreement (PFA) concluded between the City of Johannesburg and SAMWU. The union rejects both the substance and political posture underpinning this intervention, which amounts to a dangerous encroachment into collective bargaining and municipal labour relations.
The PFA is not an illegal agreement as some would now want the public to believe. It is the outcome of a long process of engagement aimed at addressing historical wage disparities suffered by workers in the City of Johannesburg over many years. Workers did not arrive at this point overnight. They pursued every available institutional avenue, engaged in negotiations and demonstrated patience while waiting for justice and fairness to prevail.
National Treasury must understand that the PFA remains valid and binding. In terms of our constitutional and legal framework, only a court of law can set aside a legally concluded agreement. Treasury therefore has no authority to unilaterally declare the agreement unlawful and instruct the City not to proceed with implementation. Such conduct amounts to unlawful interference in collective bargaining and undermines established labour relations processes.
SAMWU further finds it deeply suspicious that National Treasury chose to remain silent when the Democratic Alliance approached the courts in an attempt to interdict the implementation of the agreement, only to emerge now advancing the very same arguments that were rejected in court. Workers are justified in asking serious questions about whether Treasury is now doing political favours for its allies in the DA after the DA suffered defeat both politically and legally.
Having failed in Council and failed in court, the DA now seeks to govern Johannesburg through Treasury directives. The DA’s celebration of Treasury’s intervention confirms that its real objective has always been to reverse gains won by workers through struggle and collective bargaining.
This development exposes the growing alignment between sections within Treasury and political forces that have consistently opposed workers’ gains in municipalities such as Tshwane and Johannesburg. Workers must not be deceived into believing that these attacks are merely about financial discipline or governance concerns. At the centre of this campaign is an attempt to weaken collective bargaining, undermine organised labour and roll back gains won through decades of worker struggle.
SAMWU rejects the narrative that workers’ gains are incompatible with service delivery. Municipal workers are themselves the backbone of service delivery. They are the workers who maintain water infrastructure, keep cities clean, ensure electricity distribution and sustain municipal operations under increasingly difficult conditions. It is dishonest for political parties and state institutions to suddenly invoke austerity and fiscal discipline only when workers stand to benefit, while remaining silent on corruption, outsourcing, consultant expenditure and wasteful spending that continue to cripple municipalities.
At the recently concluded 13th National Congress of SAMWU, delegates resolved that workers would resist all attempts to undermine collective bargaining and that unresolved issues affecting workers would increasingly be confronted through mass mobilisation and struggle. The recent mobilisation of thousands of workers during the Johannesburg court process demonstrated exactly what Congress meant.
This renewed attack on workers by both the Democratic Alliance and National Treasury has only served to rejuvenate workers’ determination to intensify the struggle in defence of their hard-won gains.
We will organise; We will mobilise; We will fight!
SAMWU rejects this emerging alliance between the DA and National Treasury, which seeks to undermine collective bargaining and reverse gains won by workers through years of struggle. This alliance will never see the light of day without being exposed for what it truly is: an anti-worker agenda aimed at weakening organised labour and rolling back workers’ rights. Workers must reject it.
As resolved at the 13th National Congress of SAMWU, workers do not negotiate with National Treasury. Treasury has increasingly sought to interfere in collective bargaining processes and municipal labour relations, despite not being a party to these negotiations. We have seen these forms of interference before and SAMWU will not allow them to continue unchecked.
SAMWU also condemns the conduct of the Democratic Alliance, which today rushed to convene what can only be described as a political circus disguised as a media briefing in celebration of Treasury’s letter. The speed and enthusiasm with which the DA welcomed Treasury’s intervention raises serious concerns and reinforces workers’ suspicions that the DA may have known about the contents of this letter even before the City itself was formally engaged.
Workers are no longer prepared to quietly accept delays, reversals and interference in agreements that directly affect their livelihoods and families.
The union calls on the City of Johannesburg to remain firm and proceed with the implementation of the PFA without retreat or delay. Workers have waited long enough and there can be no justification for any attempt to reverse commitments already made.
SAMWU Gauteng will not fold its arms while workers’ gains are under attack and will continue to defend the interests of municipal workers at all material times.
Issued by SAMWU Gauteng Province
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Minister Leon Schreiber invites public comment on draft Digital Identity regulations
05 May 2026
The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, has gazetted draft amended regulations in terms of the Identification Act of 1997 for public comment until 6 June 2026. The draft regulations are designed to create the required regulatory framework for the introduction of a cutting-edge Digital Identity system in South Africa.
The draft regulations propose the creation of secure Digital Identity credentials that will co-exist alongside the Department’s physical products. This will enable citizens to store, access and utilise secure digital versions of their identity document, birth certificate, marriage certificate and other Home Affairs products directly on their smartphone, and introduce the ability for users to remotely confirm their identity using biometric verification. Use of the Digital Identity system will be optional, and physical products like Smart ID cards will continue to exist in parallel to this new digital system.
The draft amendments are intended to:
Clarify the status of Digital Identity credentials as an additional form of valid identity under the Act, without affecting the continued validity of physical identity cards;
Prescribe standards for enrolment, biometric capture and identity assurance for Digital Identity credentials;
Lay the foundation for interoperability with both the public and private sectors, including to enable the delivery of government services in digital format;
Tighten safeguards for how identity information may be shared with accredited institutions, with access strictly regulated under the Identification Act of 1997, the Promotion of Access to Information Act of 2000, and the Protection of Personal Information Act of 2013; and
Strengthen the population register as the single authoritative record of identity and civic status information.
Minister Schreiber said: “The draft regulations propose the creation of a world-class Digital Identity system as the ultimate expression of our vision to leverage digital transformation to deliver Home Affairs @ home. This system can greatly enhance our ability to combat identity theft, financial crimes, corruption and illegal immigration, while delivering efficient services to citizens in the comfort of their own homes and improving privacy protections and data management.”
Minister Schreiber added: “We are already working closely with a number of partners in government, including the Presidency, to ensure that the foundational system we are building supports the Digital Transformation Roadmap’s goal of digitalising government services. Technical work is well underway, and the finalisation of these regulations will enable us to complete our digital service delivery revolution by bringing services right onto your smart device.”
Members of the public, civil society organisations, industry and other stakeholders are invited to review the draft regulations and submit written comments by 6 June 2026, before the regulations are finalised for promulgation. The gazette is available here.
Submissions should be addressed to the Chief Director: Legal Services and be forwarded to the Department in any of the following ways:
By hand to the Department at 10th Floor, Hallmark Building, 230 Johannes Ramokhoase Street, Pretoria, 0001;
By post to the Department at Private Bag X114, Pretoria, 0001; or
By e-mail to Moses.M...@dha.gov.za
Media
enquiries:
Carli
van Wyk – Spokesperson to the Minister
Cell: 079 166 3899
Issued by Department of Home Affairs
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
COSATU Greater Johannesburg expresses outrage at Minister Godongwana’s refusal to implement PFA
Louisah Modikwe, COSATU Gauteng Provincial Secretary, 6 May 2026
JOHANNESBURG – The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in Johannesburg condemns Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s continued reluctance to fully implement the Payment Framework Agreement (PFA) for municipal workers.
We view this obstruction as a direct assault on the livelihoods of workers who have already endured years of financial uncertainty. It is unacceptable that the Treasury, under Minister Godongwana, continues to prioritise fiscal austerity over the livelihoods of workers. The refusal to fully implement the PFA, which was adopted to address legitimate grievances regarding wage disparities, demonstrates a blatant disregard for collective bargaining and worker solidarity. This failure to implement the PFA is not just a technicality; it is an economic injustice that leaves municipal workers vulnerable to poverty despite being employed.
We demand that the National Treasury cease its adversarial approach toward workers and honour the agreements made to ensure fair compensation. COSATU will not stand by while workers are treated as expendable. We call on Minister Godongwana to reconsider this hostile stance and fully fund the implementation of the PFA immediately. If the Minister continues to hold back, COSATU will escalate this matter to the highest levels of struggle to ensure that workers receive what is rightfully theirs.
Workers Unite!
Issued by: COSATU Gauteng
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Social Development Committee underscores importance of ministerial oversight on appointments
Parliament, Wednesday, 6 May 2026
The Portfolio Committee on Social Development has affirmed the importance of ministerial oversight on senior departmental and ministerial appointments.
This is following the Public Service Commission’s (PSC) briefing of its provisional findings into irregular appointments within the office of the Minister of Social Development, to the committee today.
The committee, which has been closely monitoring the matter since October 2025, believes the PSC provisional findings confirm serious and systemic failures in recruitment processes at ministerial level.
At the centre of the findings is the irregular appointment of Ms Lesedi Mabiletja as Private Secretary and later acting Chief of Staff. The PSC found that she did not meet the required qualifications or experience and had misrepresented her credentials, including falsely claiming higher qualifications and work experience. The Commission also identified failures by senior officials who enabled the appointment despite clear non-compliance with public service regulations.
Moreover, the Minister’s Special Advisor, Mr Ngwako Kgatla, and former Chief of Staff, Ms Zanele Simmons, incorrectly amended Ms Mabiletja’s CV to include false information that was not in the original version she submitted to Mr Kgatla.
The PSC has provisionally recommended that the Minister facilitate disciplinary action against several officials, including a senior human resource practitioner and the former Chief Director for Human Capital Management, for supporting the irregular appointment despite clear shortcomings. It further found that the former Director-General contravened public service regulations and financial management laws by approving and signing off on the appointment.
In addition, the PSC directed that disciplinary action be instituted against Ms Mabiletja for fraud related to misrepresentation of qualifications and experience. However, she has since resigned. Similar action was directed against a former Chief of Staff for misrepresentations on official documentation, although she has also since been dismissed. The committee also noted that the PSC’s directives are binding and can only be set aside through the courts.
The Minister may rely on officials for administrative processes, but she cannot abdicate her responsibility. She must satisfy herself that every appointment, without exception, is done in line with the law, policy and prescripts governing the public service.
Furthermore, the Minister distanced herself from the allegations in the media about the Food Aide, saying she was not aware of the payment arrangements between her daughter and the Food Aide. The committee will refer this matter to the PSC for further investigation.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, MS BRIDGET MASANGO.
For media enquiries, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Ms Faith Ndenze
Parliamentary Communication Service
Email: fnd...@parliament.gov.za
International-Solidarity
Hard as steel: workers stand firm at ArcelorMittal AGM
6 May, 2026
On 5 May, more than 150 workers and trade unionists from across the world gathered outside ArcelorMittal's annual general meeting (AGM) in Luxembourg. The protest focused on urgent concerns including ArcelorMittal workers safety social dialogue. Standing side by side in a powerful joint action between IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll European Trade Union, they delivered a clear message. Enough is enough.
Workers travelled from across Europe, Brazil and Mexico to make their voices heard. At the heart of their demands was ArcelorMittal workers safety social dialogue, emphasising the need for real commitment and action. They demanded investment in people and the planet and respect for workers’ rights. They also called for genuine social dialogue. Their lives, their dignity and their futures, they said, must come before profit.
The demonstration comes against a backdrop of deepening crisis. Over 300 workers have died at ArcelorMittal in the past decade. Thousands of jobs are being cut without consultation, climate commitments are being abandoned and trade unions are being systematically silenced. At the same time, the company has returned billions to shareholders. Yet, investment in safety, jobs and a just transition has fallen critically short.
The human cost is not abstract. It’s felt in every plant, on every shift, by every worker who clocks in. Sadly, they do not know if they will return home safely.
A pattern of failure, not isolated incidents
Flavio Cordeiro De Paiva, from IndustriALL affiliate CNM-CUT (Confederação Nacional dos Metalúrgicos da CUT), in Brazil described the daily reality inside ArcelorMittal’s plants:
“We are facing increasing fatigue from imposed schedules, wage stagnation, unsafe equipment conditions and mounting pressure. In just twelve months at my plant in João Monlevade, we have recorded twenty accidents and numerous near misses involving cranes, molten steel and heavy loads. Weakened social dialogue must be restored. We call for negotiation, respect and dignity. Our message is clear: workers’ lives must take priority over financial targets.”
In Mexico, the consequences of deferred investment have already proved fatal. In June 2025, a preventable boiler explosion at ArcelorMittal’s power plant in Lázaro Cárdenas – the result of years of deferred maintenance – killed a supervisor and seriously injured a worker. The company had repeatedly patched boiler leaks rather than addressing underlying equipment failures. As a result, production was halted for over six months.
Francisco Galiana Mejia of Mineros de México, an IndustriALL affiliate, told those gathered outside the AGM:
“In 2025 a supervisor was killed after a boiler exploded. This is due to the company’s failure to invest in the plant. Production was then stopped for seven months and this caused so much hardship for our families, because incomes were cut in half. But thanks to leadership and global solidarity, people were able to push through. If we remain united, we will be victorious in the end.”
The pattern extends far beyond the Americas. In Liberia, when workers employed by ArcelorMittal’s security contractor, SEGAL, staged a peaceful protest in October 2025, sixteen of them were beaten and arrested on SEGAL’s orders. Workers who organize, who speak up, who demand what is rightfully theirs, are being met with repression.
In Europe, the company has repeatedly sidelined its European works council (EWC). It failed to consult it on major restructuring decisions in violation of both EU law and its own EWC agreement. The situation became so untenable that in March 2026 the EWC was forced to demand mediation. European trade unions describe the company’s approach as gaslighting, claiming to inform the EWC while not doing so at all. ArcelorMittal workers safety social dialogue.
Shareholders rewarded, workers sacrificed
A 2025 study by SteelWatch found that despite receiving over €3 billion in public subsidies for decarbonisation across Europe and beyond, ArcelorMittal “has not taken a single final investment decision on any of its five announced Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) projects in Europe and Canada.” SteelWatch accused the company of backtracking on its climate commitments and abdicating its role as an industry leader. Between 2021 and 2024, the company spent only US$800 million on decarbonisation. However, it returned US$12 billion to shareholders in dividends and buybacks during the same period.
The world’s steel cannot be made on promises. It is made by workers, workers who deserve safety, fair wages and a seat at the table.
“Yesterday’s action proved that solidarity knows no bounds! ArcelorMittal does not invest in decarbonization and new technologies. It puts profits over people and the planet. Instead of creating new jobs in Europe through decarbonization, they are planning to relocate one third of the European workforce.
It is unacceptable that ArcelorMittal receives 3.5 billion dollars in public subsidies worldwide. Meanwhile, their workers are suffering and dying in poorly maintained factories.
With the EU Steel and Metals Action Plan in place, there is a supportive policy framework, solid financial results and massive public support. As a result, ArcelorMittal has no justification for standing still on investment in decarbonization. Investing in decarbonization means investing in decent union jobs and skills. In addition, it secures the long term future of steel in Europe, and the company must now do its part.
Workers and the environment are paying the price of ArcelorMittals decisions and enough is enough,” said Judith Kirton-Darling industriAll Europe’s general secretary.
“ArcelorMittal signed a global health and safety agreement in 2008. Eighteen years later, workers are dying from preventable accidents and being beaten for peaceful protest, while 450 of our brothers and sisters in Ohio were forced to strike for over two months to get a fair contract. IndustriALL is calling on the company to account for the implementation of that agreement at every plant worldwide. We also call on the company to sit down with us and strengthen the existing agreement with binding targets, transparent fatality reporting and real consequences for non-compliance. The framework already exists, what is missing is the will to implement it,” said Alex Ivanou, IndustriALL base metals director.
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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