Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 18 February 2026
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY #Cosatu affiliates in the public service mobilizing workers for the 24th Feb lunchtime pickets and 26th Feb National Day of Action against #GEMS’s unaffordable member’s contribution increase…. #ClassSolidarity #Cosatu40 #SACTU70 #ClassStruggle “Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism” #CosatuCallCentre 010 002 2590 #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
18 February 2026
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- COSATU KZN condemns the collapse of the Tongaat Hulett Business Rescue Process and warns against the abuse of Public Funds to Bail Out Private Capital
- SAMWU calls out Maluti-A-Phofung, a municipality at war with its own workers
- COSATU initiative prioritises pupils in flood- and GBV-ravaged communities
- South Africa
- POPCRU tribute to Jesse Jackson
- NUM’s reaction to SONA by President Cyril Ramaphosa and an Update on the Collapsed Eskom Wage Negotiations
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- African Workers pay tribute to Reverend Jesse L. Jackson SR
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
COSATU KZN condemns the collapse of the Tongaat Hulett Business Rescue Process and warns against the abuse of Public Funds to Bail Out Private Capital
Edwin Mkhize, COSATU KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Secretary, 18 February 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in KwaZulu-Natal notes with deep concern the collapse of the business rescue process at Tongaat Hulett, a development that poses a serious threat to jobs, the provincial economy, local supply chains, and the livelihoods of workers and communities who depend on the sugar industry. This collapse is not merely a corporate failure, it is a direct assault on workers, their families, and the economic stability of KwaZulu-Natal.
COSATU KZN emphasises that the crisis facing Tongaat Hulett must be understood within its historical and political-economic context. Like other monopolistic industries such as mining, Tongaat Hulett is part of the conglomerate capitalist system that was built through colonialism and apartheid, driven by land dispossession, cheap labour, exploitation of indigenous communities, and systematic underdevelopment of African people. The collapse of Tongaat Hulett is therefore not an accident, it is the inevitable crisis of capitalist greed, mismanagement, corporate corruption, and reckless accumulation.
We have always maintained that capitalism, by its very nature, produces crises and ultimately “digs its own grave.” What we are witnessing today is yet another example of a system that enriches a few at the expense of the majority, and then demands public rescue when it collapses under the weight of its own contradictions.
Tongaat Hulett has benefitted for decades from the exploitation of workers, communities and small-scale farmers, while accumulating wealth, expanding investments and in many cases exporting profits out of the country. Yet today, when the company faces collapse, workers are expected to suffer job losses while the same capitalist forces look to the democratic state and taxpayers for a bailout.
COSATU KZN rejects the dangerous narrative that the state must rescue private capital without accountability. It would be criminal and morally indefensible for public funds, generated through the taxes of workers and the poor, to be used to save private companies that have historically enriched shareholders, executives and monopoly capital, while suppressing wages and deepening poverty. We must save jobs, but with conditions and accountability
As COSATU we are clear, South Africa cannot afford to lose a single job. KwaZulu-Natal in particular is already suffering from deep unemployment, poverty, and inequality. The collapse of Tongaat Hulett will worsen this crisis and undermine efforts to rebuild the provincial economy.
For this reason, COSATU KZN supports urgent government intervention to protect jobs, stabilise the sugar sector and the economy. However, we state unequivocally that any state intervention must come with strict and non-negotiable conditions.
If government is expected to inject resources into Tongaat Hulett, then government must not act as a charity for private capital. The state must intervene in a manner that advances public ownership, worker control, and long-term industrial sustainability.
COSATU KZN therefore demands that any financial support or intervention from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) or any state institution must include the following:
- Equity ownership by the state and workers in exchange for any public funding;
- Worker representation and participation in governance and strategic decision-making;
- Full disclosure and forensic accountability regarding the causes of the collapse and past mismanagement;
- Commitments to job protection, including a moratorium on retrenchments;
- A clear industrial plan to stabilise production and support small-scale farmers and local suppliers;
- Consequences for those responsible, including executives and private actors who benefited while the company was driven into crisis.
The ArcelorMittal experience has already shown that the state is often called to intervene in strategic industries to prevent job losses. COSATU supports intervention, but not at the expense of turning government into a permanent rescue fund for private capital.
The sugar industry is strategic to KwaZulu-Natal. It supports thousands of jobs directly and indirectly, including those of farm workers, mill workers, transport operators, small growers and many rural communities. Allowing Tongaat Hulett to collapse without a worker-centred intervention will have devastating ripple effects across the province and further deepen social instability. This moment must be used not to preserve monopoly ownership, but to restructure the industry in the interests of the working class and the people of South Africa.
COSATU will closely monitor developments and engage with government, relevant stakeholders and affected workers. We remain committed to defending jobs, protecting communities and ensuring that the working class does not carry the burden of corporate failures.
We will not allow state resources, money belonging to the people to be abused to protect the profits of private capital.
The time has come for a new economic path where workers and communities are placed at the centre of industrial development, ownership and decision-making.
Issued by COSATU KwaZulu Natal
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SAMWU calls out Maluti-A-Phofung, a municipality at war with its own workers
Hopolang Lebusho, SAMWU Thabo Mofutsanyane Regional Secretary, 18 February 2026
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) Thabo Mofutsanyane Region has concluded a comprehensive listening campaign within the Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality deeply alarmed by a humanitarian, governance, and labour crisis unfolding in full view of the authorities.
In late January, SAMWU leadership engaged with municipal workers across Phuthaditjhaba, Kestell, and Harrismith.
What we encountered was collective trauma, exploitation, and abandonment by an employer that has utterly forsaken its moral and legal obligations.
Municipal workers in Maluti-a-Phofung have still not been paid their COVID-19 allowances, and third-party contributions is consistently delayed. This occurs despite these workers risking their lives to maintain basic services during the darkest days of the pandemic.
These employees are expected to serve their communities while their own families face hunger, debt, and humiliation. For us, the actions of the employer amounts to a form of economic violence. SAMWU has consistently warned that the delayed third parties is a crime against the working class, yet in Maluti-a-Phofung, this deprivation has been normalised. Workers are treated as expendable and invisible while managers, consultants, and private interests thrive.
The Region is further outraged by the blatant disregard for occupational health and safety. Workers have lost their lives while on duty, falling victim to unsafe working conditions, a lack of essential tools, and reckless management. These are the direct result of institutional negligence and indifference. We must ask how many more workers must die before this municipality is held to account. We have further observed a municipality effectively captured by unaccountable individuals, where authority is abused and workers are terrorised. In Harrismith, a Unit Manager operates with unchecked power, while workers labour with broken equipment and no protective gear, only to be blamed for service delivery failures.
Even more disturbing is the rampant outsourcing that has hollowed out the municipality. Entire functions, including workers and equipment, are being handed over to private individuals under suspicious arrangements. For us, the municipality is systematically privatising municipal services, a decision that will not only open the door for further corruption but also make municipal services unaffordable to workers and residents.
The Region has identified the presence of a "construction mafia-style" operation embedded within Maluti-a-Phofung. Under the false banner of "voluntary service," a private individual with no legally binding contract effectively runs parts of the municipality through a so-called gentleman’s agreement with senior management. This individual exerts more power than legitimate structures, openly harasses workers, and allegedly plants spies in SAMWU meetings. This is blatant intimidation, union-busting, and lawlessness.
SAMWU is not intimidated by smear campaigns, spying, or attacks on its leadership, including the targeted hostility towards the Provincial Chairperson. These desperate actions only confirm that powerful interests fear organised labour. Maluti-a-Phofung has become a textbook example of how municipalities collapse when corruption, outsourcing, and political cowardice flourish unchecked.
SAMWU Thabo Mofutsanyane Region now places it on the record that third parties must, from henceforth be paid over, immediately after deducted from workers’ salaries and the outsourcing that enriches a few while impoverishing the many must end. Furthermore, those responsible for worker deaths and the financial collapse must be held accountable, and the lawless presence of private actors masquerading as volunteers must be investigated and halted.
If this situation continues, SAMWU will escalate its response. We will not allow municipal workers to be sacrificed while corruption wears the mask of service delivery. This is no longer just a labour issue, it is a community crisis, a governance failure, and a moral indictment of those entrusted with public power.
Issued by SAMWU Thabo Mofutsanyane Region
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COSATU initiative prioritises pupils in flood- and GBV-ravaged communities
Zanele Sabela, COSATU Spokesperson, 18 February 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is set to do its bit part in restoring dignity to pupils in flood-and GBV-ravaged communities in three provinces.
Following its second successful annual Charity Golf Challenge in December, COSATU will head to Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape this coming Saturday, 21 February, to donate school shoes and dignity bags to learners.
Starting in 2024, COSATU has hosted a Charity Golf Challenge bringing together COSATU leaders, government officials and business partners on the golf course to help raise funds for its activities, school shoes and dignity bags for underprivileged learners.
Every swing contributed to changing a child’s school experience and enhancing their confidence and wellbeing.
In the true spirit of Ubuntu, President Cyril Ramaphosa supported the cause and joined in the merriment on both years.
The communities in Limpopo and Mpumalanga were selected for donations following the devasting floods they suffered early this year, while the Eastern Cape community was chosen due to the scourge of gender-based violence that has pervaded it. Educators, pupils and parents have been invited to handover events across the three provinces as follows:
Province: Limpopo
Venue: Masiza High School Sports Grounds, Mbaula, Giyani
Recipients from: Nyiko Primary School and Masiza High School
Date: 21 February 2026
Starting Time: 11am
Province: Eastern Cape
Venue: Jumba Senior Secondary School Hall, Mqhekezweni, Mthatha
Recipients from: Jumba Senior Secondary School
Date: 21 February 2026
Starting Time: 11am
Province: Mpumalanga
Venue: Sidlemu Primary School Hall, Nkomazi
Recipients from: Silindokuhle Special School and Mphoti Primary School
Date: 21 February 2026
Starting Time: 11am
COSATU President, Zingiswa Losi, has been spearheading this flagship initiative and will be at the Limpopo handover along with General Secretary, Solly Phetoe. The Federation’s 2nd Deputy President, Duncan Luvuno, and Deputy General Secretary, Gerald Twala are headed to the Eastern Cape. While 1st Deputy President, Mike Shingange, and National Treasurer, Freda Oosthuysen, will be in Mpumalanga.
In preparation for the handover, COSATU has received lists from schools detailing the correct shoe size and gender of each recipient to avoid any mishaps. Each child will also receive a COSATU branded school bag with hygiene products including a washcloth, toothbrush, toothpaste, roll-on, lotion and sanitary pads for girls.
The Federation is sincerely grateful to its partners and stakeholders, including the golfers, for their continued support of this vital initiative.
Issued by COSATU
Zanele Sabela (COSATU Spokesperson)
Mobile: 079 287 5788 / 077 600 6639
Email: zan...@cosatu.org.za
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
POPCRU tribute to Jesse Jackson
Richard Mambolo, POPCRU National Spokesperson, 18 February 2026
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) joins millions across the world in mourning the passing of Reverend Jesse Jackson, a towering figure of the global civil rights movement and a fearless champion of justice, equality and human dignity.
Reverend Jackson dedicated his life to confronting racism, inequality and systemic injustice. As a close associate of Dr Martin Luther King Jr., he carried forward the moral force of the American civil rights movement and ensured that the struggle for freedom remained international in outlook and solidarity. His voice resonated far beyond the borders of the United States; it echoed in townships, trade union halls and liberation movements across the globe.
For South Africans, Reverend Jackson was not a distant observer. He was an active mobiliser against apartheid. Through relentless advocacy, he amplified international pressure on the apartheid regime, calling for sanctions, divestment and diplomatic isolation at a time when such positions required courage and conviction. He worked alongside anti-apartheid activists, trade union movements and faith-based organisations to ensure that the brutality of apartheid was exposed to the world. His solidarity strengthened the global movement that ultimately contributed to the democratic breakthrough of 1994.
Reverend Jackson understood that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. He recognised that apartheid was not merely a South African issue, but a moral crisis for humanity. His mobilisation efforts helped build bridges between African-American struggles and African liberation movements, reinforcing the principle that freedom is indivisible.
As POPCRU, a union rooted in the defence of civil rights and human dignity, we draw profound lessons from his life. He taught us that moral leadership requires courage — the courage to speak truth to power even when it is inconvenient. He taught us the importance of building broad coalitions across race, class and geography in pursuit of justice. He demonstrated that faith and activism can coexist as powerful instruments for social transformation. Most importantly, he reminded us that the struggle for equality does not end with political freedom; it must extend to economic justice and the dismantling of structural inequality.
In an era marked by rising inequality, polarisation and social fragmentation, Reverend Jackson’s legacy challenges us to recommit ourselves to principled activism, disciplined organisation and unwavering solidarity with the oppressed.
POPCRU honours his life not only in words, but in our continued commitment to defending workers’ rights, advancing social justice, and protecting the dignity of all people.
May his soul rest in eternal peace. His struggle was not in vain, and his legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.
Issued by POPCRU
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NUM’s reaction to SONA by President Cyril Ramaphosa and an Update on the Collapsed Eskom Wage Negotiations
Khangela Baloyi, NUM Energy Sector Coordinator, 18 February 2026
• On Eskom Wage Negotiations
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is highly perturbed by the failure of both parties at the Eskom Central Bargaining Forum (CBF) to reach a settlement agreement on salaries, conditions of service, and organisational rights. The parties agreed to initiate negotiations early to address the revision of the Recognition Agreement (RA), which was established in 2000. This document governs the relations between Eskom and its recognised trade unions. The CBF failed to conclude a new RA.
Eskom has what it termed a final offer of 6% after the NUM’s revised and consolidated demands from 15% to 12%. For the previous negotiations where Eskom was reporting losses, it offered workers at least 7% with a R10000 once-off payment. For the financial year 2024/2025, Eskom reported a net profit of 16 billion rands. Workers expect better salaries as a reward for their hard work. Eskom further offered a once-off increase of R360 in housing allowance. The demand by trade unions is motivated by the high cost of living in this country. Food, petrol, and electricity have increased to unaffordable levels in this country. We urge Eskom to reconsider its position and enhance its offer to our members. Eskom has attempted to downgrade our conditions of service. Our members are very clear that they reject anything that downgrades the conditions of employment. We also want to state that the recognition of trade unions must remain at the Holding level, including all the subsidiaries.
We have noted the directive issued by President Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation Address of 12 February 2026 instructing that the assets of the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) a wholly owned Eskom Holdings SOC LTD subsidiary, be transferred to a fully independent Transmission System Operator (TSO) outside of Eskom Holdings, despite the Energy Regulation Amendment Act not providing an express empowering provision for such an end state of ownership.
The NUM reiterates its well-established opposition to the unbundling of Eskom in any form. We have consistently maintained that separating Eskom into multiple entities risks serving the interests of private capital at the expense of workers, vulnerable communities, and the long-term energy security of South Africa. The President’s SONA directive does not alter this position.
Inadequate labour consultation
When NTCSA was separated from Eskom in July 2024, organised labour was not meaningfully consulted. The NUM lodged formal disputes with Tokiso Dispute Settlement, which remain unresolved to date, currently at an appeal stage. The announcement of a further and far more significant step, transferring strategic assets to an entity outside the Eskom group, raises the stakes considerably. The NUM insists that structured and substantive engagement with organised labour must take place before the National Energy Crisis Committee (NECOM) finalises any proposals.
Worker protections must be guaranteed
Employees currently within NTCSA were transferred on existing Eskom Holdings SOC LTD terms and conditions and remain members of the Eskom Pension and Provident Fund (EPPF). Moving assets to a fully independent TSO creates unresolved questions regarding the continuity of pension arrangements, medical aid, housing allowances, and other conditions of service. While section 197 of the Labour Relations Act provides a legal floor of protection, government and management must go further by providing written, binding guarantees that no employee will be worse off as a result of restructuring.
Financial risks must not be shifted onto workers
Advice by transaction advisers, according to Mr Dan Marokane (Eskom GCE) have indicated that the proposed transfer could trigger cross-default provisions affecting approximately R400 billion in debt exposure. In addition, it has been indicated that Eskom Holdings would require compensation for the transfer of transmission assets, estimated at approximately R100 billion, in total about half a trillion rands the public fiscus stands to incur in a quest to attain independent TSO. These financial realities highlight the scale of risk and complexity involved. Any instability arising from a poorly managed transition, including debt restructuring, compensation funding, or tariff impacts, will ultimately affect employment levels, operational capacity, energy security and affordability for the public.
The NUM calls on the NECOM task team to:
Convene urgent, structured consultations with all recognised trade unions representing Eskom Holdings SOC LTD and NTCSA employees within the first month of the three months declared by the President, to be consulted and/or discuss in good faith, amongst other things:
Associated risk of transferring ownership of transmission assets to independent TSO, on Eskom Holdings SOC LTD and NTCSA
Written guarantees preserving all employment terms, conditions, and benefits, including EPPF membership, beyond the ones conferred in terms of s197 of the LRA
Transparent and definite plan addressing financial risks, cross-default mitigation, and compensation arrangements
Eskom Holding SOC LTD and NTCSA workers built this country’s grid, in the public interest and energy security of our country, they deserve better than learning about decisions shaping their futures and that of the citizens and economic stability of our country, through a State of the Nation Address.
International-Solidarity
African Workers pay tribute to Reverend Jesse L. Jackson SR
18 February 2026
Today, the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) — pauses to honour the life and legacy of Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr.
A towering figure in the Civil Rights Movement, Reverend Jackson carried forward the torch of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., dedicating his life to fighting racial injustice, economic exclusion, and discrimination. He ran twice for President of the United States, not for power alone, but to give voice to the voiceless and advance a bold vision of social justice for all.
His enduring message — that 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰— is one that resonates deeply across Africa today. Our continent faces renewed pressures on its sovereignty, its natural resources, and the dignity of its working people. Millions of African men and women still struggle to meet their daily needs while global systems of inequality persist.
Reverend Jackson's spirit calls on us to remain resolute: to strengthen self-determination, defend workers' rights, and resist every form of domination and exclusion.
To truly honour him is to continue the struggle.
𝗛𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗮
𝗸𝗮𝗵𝗹𝗲.
𝗟𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗶
𝗻𝗴𝗼𝘅𝗼𝗹𝗼.
𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁
𝗶𝗻
𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿.
______________________________
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