Taking COSATU Today Forward, 23 February 2026 #CosatuCEC
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY #Cosatu ordinary Central Executive Committee commences at Braamfontein #WorkerControl #ClassSolidarity #Cosatu40 #SACTU70 #ClassStruggle “Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism” #CosatuCallCentre 010 002 2590 #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
23 February 2026
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- COSATU Public Service Unions to hold a media briefing on planned action against GEMS, 23 February 2026
- COSATU 2026/27 Budget Expectations Statement
- SACP message of solidarity to workers affected by Ekapa Mine accident
- South Africa
- COSATU welcomes government's slashing the mind boggling planned R372 million budget for Defence Force Day
- SACP rejects and condemns President Ramaphosa's decision to suspend the implementation of the National Health Insurance
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- SACP pays tribute to revered civil rights icon Reverend Jesse Jackson
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
COSATU Public Service Unions to hold a media briefing on planned action against GEMS, 23 February 2026
Zanele Sabela, COSATU National Spokesperson, 22 February 2026
The public service unions affiliated to COSATU — DENOSA, NEHAWU, SADTU, POPCRU, SAMATU, PAWUSA and SAEPU will hold a media briefing on Monday 23 February, to explain workers’ deep anger towards the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS)’s outrageous and inflammatory decision to impose a massive 9.8%-member contribution increase for 2026.
The unions are also disgruntled about governance failures at GEMS’ and its attack on collective bargaining.
Details of the planned action against the medical aid scheme will be provided.
The media briefing to held as follows:
Date : Monday, 23 February 2026
Time : 1pm
Venue : COSATU House, 110 Jorissen Street, Braamfontein
All members of the media are invited to attend the briefing.
For more information please contact:
Zanele Sabela (COSATU National Spokesperson)
Email: zan...@cosatu.org.za
Cell: 079 287 5788 / 077 600 6639
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COSATU 2026/27 Budget Expectations Statement
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 21 February 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), alongside millions of embattled workers, has high expectations for the 2026/27 Budget to be tabled at Parliament on 25 February by Finance Minister, Mr. E. Godongwana. It is critical that the Budget responds decisively to the pains felt by the working class and provides hope to society. The Budget must be anchored upon tackling our dangerously high unemployment rate of 41.1% and weak 1.4% economic growth, entrenched levels of poverty and inequality, and endemic crime and corruption.
COSATU welcomes the massive progress achieved by the African National Congress led government, Eskom and municipal workers in ending the crisis of loadshedding. It is critical that further support be given towards reducing the ever-rising price of electricity. Key to making electricity affordable is for all consumers to be moved to prepaid electricity billing and dealing with the R100 billion municipal debt, corruption and other acts of criminality, wasteful expenditure and enabling Eskom to enter the renewable energy space.
Positive turnarounds being achieved at Transnet and Metro Rail must be expedited, including reducing Transnet’s debt burden, accelerating infrastructure investments and putting in place security to protect commuters and property. Efficient rail and ports are key to thousands of mining, manufacturing and agricultural jobs and providing 10 million urban commuters cheap and quick means to get to work.
Decisive turnaround plans need to be put in place for under siege State-Owned Enterprises, in particular Denel, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, Post Office and Postbank which continue to struggle under incompetent management.
Government needs to end the era of failed neo-liberal austerity policies and budgets, and equip frontline public services with the funds, personnel and infrastructure they need to fulfill their constitutional obligations and developmental mandates. The remarkable turnaround at the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and South African Airways confirms that public institutions with competent management, vacancies filled, critical skills recruited, corrupt elements removed, and modern infrastructure; will deliver the public services that the working class and the economy depend upon and generate the tax revenues the state requires to fund them. This includes defending and rolling out the National Health Insurance as the pathway to universal healthcare.
The deteriorating state of many municipalities is extremely worrying and requires urgent interventions, in particular to remove corrupt leaders, restore municipal services and ensure that workers’ salaries and third-party deductions are paid without fail.
Support must be extended to all struggling municipalities and the new municipal funding model fast tracked. Eskom, Sanral and the Department of Water and Sanitation must be brought in to ensure the delivery of essential services and infrastructure, and the capacitation of dysfunctional municipalities.
South Africa can no longer afford to treat criminals with kid gloves nor allow violent crimes become the norm, especially in working class communities. An aggressive Marshall Plan led by President Cyril Ramaphosa must be our priority. Our law enforcement organs, in particular the South African Police Service, Hawks, National Prosecuting Authority and the Judiciary need strong leadership, the filling of critical vacancies and recruitment of specialised skills, removal of corrupt and criminal elements, and massive investments in infrastructure capacity from working vehicles to state of the art IT, communications and forensic databases.
To win this war, the same decisive leadership, mobilisation of resources and collective ownership by society as was done to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic, is an absolute necessity.
A bold stimulus package mobilising resources from the Fiscus, Developmental Finance Institutions and private banks and investment funds is long overdue to make financing available at the pace and scale required for industrialisation, export sectors and SMMEs; to deliver quality infrastructure and create the millions of decent jobs needed. Tax incentives and rebates must be deployed to ramp up local procurement.
Relief packages for workers, businesses and sectors affected by global trade turmoil and other challenges, including fixing the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s Temporary Employment Relief Scheme can no longer wait.
Whilst the obstacles hindering economic growth are tackled, relief for the poor and unemployed must be enhanced, in particular raising the SRD Grant to the Food Poverty Line and expanding the Presidential Employment Stimulus to one million young people by 1 April and 2 million by 1 November 2026.
Other public employment programmes must be overhauled to ensure compliance with the National Minimum Wage and that they deliver the skills and experience essential for participants to find permanent decent work or become entrepreneurs.
We expect government to work with social partners to fix the Unemployment Insurance and Compensation of Occupational Injuries and Diseases Funds as well as to ensure that the CCMA has the resources it requires to defend workers’ hard-won rights. We need to ramp up inspections of workplaces notorious for undermining labour laws, including hiring the 10 000 permanent and 20 000 contract labour inspectors.
SARS has been one of this administration’s success stories, improving tax compliance from 61% to 67%. It needs to be given the resources to raise tax compliance to 75% over the next three years, thus generating an additional R200 billion in revenue owed to the state and enabling government to fulfill its developmental mandates.
SARS must also be tasked to conduct lifestyle audits of high wealth individuals, including public representatives and senior management of the state and SOEs. Tax loopholes exploited by the rich must be closed and the tax burden upon the working and middle classes reduced.
We applaud the important green shoots emerging as we dismantle the chapter of state capture and corruption, but we cannot afford to continue to normalise anemic 1% economic growth or the ticking time bomb of 41.1% unemployment.
Government must act decisively and deliver on these key issues if we are to reach the 3% plus economic growth necessary to see unemployment fall and hope arise.
The state must be seen to deal with those who break the law, in particular stealing public funds.
Key to turning South Africa around is capacitating the state, stimulating economic growth and providing relief to the poor and unemployed.
Issued by COSATU
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SACP message of solidarity to workers affected by Ekapa Mine accident
Mbulelo Mandlana, SACP Head of Media, Communications and Information, 20 February 2026
The South African Communist Party (SACP) conveys its message of solidarity to workers affected by the mudslide that left five mineworkers trapped since Tuesday morning at Ekapa in Kimberley, Northern Cape Province.
The SACP also supports all measures geared towards the safe return of the five mineworkers who remain trapped close to 900 metres underground. In this regard, the SACP urges the government to ensure that human life is placed at the centre of all search and rescue efforts. Accordingly, efforts to rescue the trapped workers must not be abandoned prematurely to protect the mine’s private profits.
While the cause of the accident has been blamed on an unexpected mudslide, the SACP calls for a comprehensive investigation on the matter, particularly whether there were adequate safety measures to prevent the occurrence of the accident. It must be investigated whether risk assessments, early-warning systems, and emergency preparedness protocols were in place and fully implemented.
The SACP demands full transparency in the investigation process and that families must not be sidelined. Specific investigations must be focused on, but not limited to, the mine’s compliance with occupational health and safety legislation, the status of safety audits, inspections and risk mitigation plans related to mud rushes, and the role of management and regulators in ensuring a safe working environment.
As the SACP, we also call for workers to unite in light of this incident. It has been largely due to organised labour that safety standards have improved in the mining industry over the years, with workers working as a united force to undo centuries of disregard and neglect by mining companies. Accordingly, the SACP urges workers to be organised in progressive unions to ensure that their interests, not least health and safety matters, are always addressed with expediency.
ISSUED
BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY
FOUNDED IN 1921 AS THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF SOUTH AFRICA.
Media, Communications & Information Department | MCID
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
COSATU welcomes government's slashing the mind boggling planned R372 million budget for Defence Force Day
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 21 February 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) welcomes government’s slashing the mind boggling R372 million for the Defence Force Day parade and related activities taking place on 21 February in Thohoyandou by half to R172 million. This was excessive and a grotesque waste of funds which are needed to address the many more pressing needs of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
We are pleased that the leadership of the Ministry and Department of Defence and the SANDF responded positively to COSATU’s call for an urgent reconsideration and reduction of the budget. It is an important cornerstone of our constitutional democracy that government listens to the frustrations of workers and responds with the necessary humility and circumspection.
The planned R372 million budget sent a painful message of insensitivity to the thousands of members of the SANDF who are struggling under some of the most extreme circumstances due to budget cuts and mismanagement. SANDF peacekeeping forces deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo lost lives because of a lack of working air support and armory. The same peacekeeping soldiers saw the SANDF pocket half of their United Nations’ allowances, adding salt to the wound.
A comprehensive review of SANDF expenditure and requirements is now needed. This must include a thorough shake up of leadership, shining a spotlight on corruption and wasteful expenditure, and ensuring that the fundamental needs of our military personnel and the security of the nation are met. A working partnership between the Ministry, Department and the SANDF with the military trade unions, the South African Security Forces Union and South African National Defence Union will be critical to this journey of rebuilding the SANDF.
Soldiers from SANDF bases across South Africa have long complained about deteriorating barracks, broken toilets and worn-out uniforms. We have been alarmed by recent reports from members that they are now being reduced to one meal a day due to cost containment measures and service providers having last been paid six months ago. Many aircraft, ships and vehicles are no longer operable due to the need for maintenance, new parts and even tyres! Pilots and other personnel are receiving far below the minimum hours of training to maintain their operating licenses and levels of combat readiness.
The nation is facing a variety of security threats from the trafficking of people, stolen cars, weapons and drugs across our borders to the need to protect our seas from illegal fishing by foreign and domestic vessels.
It is important that the Budget due to be tabled at Parliament on 25 February begins the process of undoing the damage inflicted by years of ill-considered austerity budget cuts. This can only succeed if the cancers of corruption and wastage in the SANDF are dealt with and commanding officers implicated are removed.
The Budget must ensure that our soldiers receive three meals daily, live in decent barracks, receive their training and equipment, have working vehicles and that all monies owed to service providers are paid.
The SANDF has fulfilled its mission when called upon time and again since 1994, it is time that its members are given the support they deserve.
Issued by COSATU
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SACP rejects and condemns President Ramaphosa's decision to suspend the implementation of the National Health Insurance
Mbulelo Mandlana, Head of Media, Communications and Information Saturday, 21 February 2026
The South African Communist Party (SACP) has learned with great disappointment the decision of President Cyril Ramaphosa to suspend the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI).
As reported on Friday, this decision is framed as a consequence of legal challenges currently being pursued by right-wingers in the courts against the NHI and its implementation. This is hardly a justification that can be accepted by any reasonable progressive person and as the SACP we reject it outrightly as not only opportunistic and irrational, but also as blatantly reactionary.
May 2026, two months from now, will be two full years since the NHI was signed into law and since then the government has provided numerous justifications to explain its clear unwillingness to implement the NHI.
The SACP always anticipated such attacks against the NHI, however. The fact that the NHI was even signed into law is not as a result of the benevolence of the government or its wisdom but a victory of popular working-class struggles that put pressure on the African National Congress (ANC) and the government’s political apparatus to realise this strategic objective of the national transformation.
If the wishes of the political forces of reaction were completely in force, the very conversation of universal health coverage and ending of a two-tier health system would not be a policy discussion on the table, let alone the existence of a signed perpetually delayed National Health Insurance. To that end, the failure of the government to implement the NHI is a political choice of the president and his government and not a random circumstance forced upon him by court proceedings against the scheme.
The SACP is not unsighted to the fact that the president’s political choice occurs within a political ecosystem of the GNU with obvious ideological implications for a policy as redistributive and thoroughly transformative as the NHI. As such, the president’s decision conforms to the general neoliberal tangent of the government and aligns with its austerity policies.
This neoliberal direction is not unavoidable, or perfectly logical, as bourgeois intellectuals and advocates repeatedly claim. It is one of several options in the social and economic policy continuum that the ANC and its leadership have chosen on the grounds of its alignment with class interests and the ideological persuasion of the dominant classes within its elite.
This halting of the implementation of NHI is tantamount to a reversal of a key important transformative policy. An important era of a new public health policy has been reversed before it is born in reality. At the point of the signing of the NHI Act, as the SACP we said that the NHI era must represent a decisive rupture with the present “unequal two-tiered healthcare regime” which is underpinned by income and wealth inequalities. This reversal, which we condemn, undermines that vision.
The principles of the NHI remain valid and we will continue to defend them. As the SACP, we reiterate the centrality of progressive redistribution from the economic surplus appropriated by capitalists to deliver quality universal healthcare coverage for the whole of society and the working class in particular.
In our rejection of the reversal of the NHI, we call on all progressive forces across the board to resist this latest move by the government. We call upon workers in healthcare specifically and workers across the country to join us in rejecting this abhorrent decision. The struggle for an equitable healthcare system continues. The unity of the working class is pivotal in this struggle.
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 pays tribute to revered civil rights icon Reverend Jesse Jackson
Mbulelo Mandlana, SACP Head
of Media, Communications and Information
Friday, 20 February 2026
The South African Communist Party (SACP) pays tribute to revered civil rights icon, Reverend Jesse Jackson, who spent his life in the struggle against racial segregation and all other forms of human subjugation.
The SACP conveys its message of heartfelt condolences to his family as well as the justice loving people of the world for the sad loss.
From a young age, Reverend Jackson threw himself into the struggle against all forms of human subjugation, chief of which was racial subjugation in the US. He waged the struggle for non-racialism and non-sexism till the end of his life.
Reverend Jackson did not limit his struggle to the streets of the US, however. He understood Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s belief that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Accordingly, he fully supported the South African struggle against the apartheid system. A true friend of the South African liberation movement, he spared no resources in practical solidarity with the people of South Africa, and in 1990 was there to witness the release of President Nelson Mandela from prison.
In paying tribute to Reverend Jesse Jackson, the SACP reiterates the importance of waging a relentless fight against injustices happening across the world, the most urgent being the genocide against the Palestinian people by the apartheid Israeli settler state. The SACP will deepen its efforts towards uniting the people of South Africa, not least through the uniting of all the left forces in our country, to deepen the struggle against both colonial and apartheid legacy towards socialism.
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