Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 31 October 2025 #Cosatu@40 #Cosatu40thAnniversary
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY Today, it’s #CosatuRedFridays… #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
31 October 2025
“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- COSATU to host lectures in the lead up to 40th anniversary
- South Africa
- COSATU welcomes positive increase and renewed focus on workplace inspections by the Department of Employment and Labour
- SACP congratulates South African women's national cricket team on reaching the Cricket World Cup final
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- SACP welcomes United Nations resolution on United States blockade Against Cuba
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
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:
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 welcomes positive increase and renewed focus on workplace inspections by the Department of Employment and Labour
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 31 October 2025
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) welcomes the positive increase and renewed focus on workplace inspections by the Department of Employment and Labour under government led by the African National Congress. We appreciate the spirit of collaboration shown by the Minister, Ms. N. Meth and her Deputies, Mr. J. Sibiya and Ms. J. Nemadzinga-Tshabalala, with COSATU in their inspections and efforts to ensure all workplaces embrace and abide by our labour and related laws.
These efforts have been boosted by the Department’s hiring 10 000 additional labour inspectors this year, with a further 10 000 targeted for 2026. This is a decisive intervention to bolster the woefully inadequate 2 000 labour inspectors employed by the Department for an economy of nearly 17 million workers.
It is encouraging that the Department in Semester 1 of the financial year has been able to inspect 250 840 workplaces, up from its target of 233 394.
It is critical that the Department strengthen its partnership with Organised Labour during these inspections, maintain and intensify its momentum but also continue to target high risk sectors notorious for undermining our labour laws, in particular agriculture, construction, transportation, hospitality, cleaning and security as well as infamous hotspots, e.g. clothing factories in the Free State and farms in Limpopo.
The scale of this crisis is confirmed by the Department finding 122 530 workplaces in violation of various labour laws. This is an abomination and cannot be tolerated.
COSATU welcomes the pending prosecution of 8 921 employers for gross violations of the law as well as the raids that have led to arrests and convictions, including the life sentences recently imposed for human trafficking by the Gauteng South High Court.
The pending Ministerial Directive for labour inspectors to also check compliance by employers of their pension fund contributions will be critical to stemming the theft of workers’ pension funds with over 15 000 employers implicated in the Financial Sector Conduct Authority’s most recent report.
It is critical that this progressive work by the Department be reinforced with additional resources, including through the pending Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement due to be tabled at Parliament on 12 November.
Workers have suffered shameful abuses from sexual harassment to rape, from docked wages to stolen pension funds, from unfair discrimination to hazardous work environments.
Key to building a winning nation is to enforce the rule of law, this includes our clothing factories in KwaZulu-Natal, mines in the North West, construction sites in the Eastern Cape and fishing vessels in the Western Cape. Economic growth can only be sustained when the rights and dignity of all workers are respected and upheld.
COSATU and its Affiliates will ramp up its joint programmes with the Department to help ensure that the constitutional and legal rights of workers are a lived reality for all.
Issued by COSATU
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SACP congratulates South African women's national cricket team on reaching the Cricket World Cup final
Mbulelo Mandlana, SACP Head of Media, Communications and Information, 30 October 2025
The South African Communist Party (SACP) congratulates the South African women's national cricket team on reaching the 2025 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup final, after beating England on Wednesday. The latest win adds to the recent final appearances by Proteas in major tournaments, having reached the final in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2023 and 2024, and the Africa Games in 2023.
The SACP encourages the Proteas squad members to maintain a harmonious relationship and fighting spirit within the team as they prepare for the final to be held on Sunday 2 November 2025 and call upon the masses of our country to fully support the team.
The success of the Proteas should help in the drive towards transformation of cricket in our country. Accordingly, we call upon the department of sports and Cricket South Africa to collaborate meaningfully to develop the sport, paying particular focus on township and rural schools and youth.
ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY,
FOUNDED IN 1921 AS THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF SOUTH AFRICA.
Media, Communications & Information Department | MCID
International-Solidarity
SACP welcomes United Nations resolution on United States blockade Against Cuba
Mbulelo Mandlana, SACP Head of Media, Communications and Information, 30 October 2025
The South African Communist Party (SACP) welcomes the resounding United Nations resolution calling upon the imperialist United States government to unconditionally lift its illegal and criminal blockade on Cuba.
On 29 October 2025, the United Nations General Assembly once again voted overwhelmingly against the United States’ blockade towards Cuba. This marks the 33rd consecutive time the United Nations has expressed a strong opposition to the United States government’s economic blockade against Cuba.
The resolution expressed a clear statement that the United States’ actions against Cuba constitute injustice and persecution. This sentiment has been reiterated 32 times previously. The United States’ actions have been widely condemned as immoral and contrary to the principles of multilateralism, national sovereignty, and a rules-based international order.
The historical justifications for the United States’ actions are lacking in moral substance and are rooted in an unapologetic imperialist imposition of one country’s will over another. This approach disregards the humanity of the Cuban people and relegates them to a subhuman status.
The United States policy towards Cuba is underpinned by a supremacist belief that originated during the colonisation of South America by European governments. While the majority of countries in the Americas have abandoned colonial mentality in their relations with South America, the United States maintains a position of violent suppression of South America in general and Cuba in particular. This repression has led to increased economic challenges for Cuba, placing its people in increasingly difficult economic and social conditions.
We commend and align ourselves with the people of the world who continue to affirm the right to self-determination and sovereignty for the Cuban people. We also commend the progressive governments across the world who have stood with Cuba during these challenging times.
It must be stated, however, that the international law framework, as it is built, permits aggressor nations of the West to act without any accountability. It allows the United Nations General Assembly and other structures of the United Nations to vote and take decisions that are ultimately unenforceable. To that end, the effectiveness of the international conventions is grossly limited. The SACP thus continues to call for important reforms of the multilateral system in order to prevent impunity by the United States and other imperialist countries.
We urge the government of South Africa to deepen its relations with Cuba on various fronts. This collaboration will drive shared development for both countries and contribute to the prosperity of the Cuban people.
We remain steadfast in our opposition to imperialism and its actions towards Cuba. The fact that the United States and apartheid Israeli regime are leading a desperate tiny minority of countries that oppose the granting of full rights to Cuba reflects the backwardness of the imperialist policy as opposed to the unquestionable standing of Cuba and its exemplary cause.
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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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