Taking COSATU Today Forward, 17 September 2025 #CosatuCC2025
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY #Cosatu ordinary 8th Central Committee is in session at Benoni #CosatuCC2025 #WorkerControl #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
17 September 2025
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- SAMWU demands real solutions, not scapegoating, for Mangaung Metro's financial failures
- COSATU 8th Central Committee Livestream
- South Africa
- COSATU Western Cape condemns abrupt closure of taxi routes, calls for urgent stakeholder engagement
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Mental health, a common concern for the network of CMPC workers’ unions
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
SAMWU demands real solutions, not scapegoating, for Mangaung Metro's financial failures
Thabang Tseuo, SAMWU Free State Provincial Secretary, September 2025
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) in the Free State strongly rejects the recent public statement by City Manager Mr. Sello More regarding the proposed implementation of a new shift system.
While the City Manager attempts to frame the shift system as a financially prudent and efficiency-driven solution, this narrative is both misleading and a gross oversimplification of the deep-rooted, systemic failures plaguing the municipality.
The assertion that excessive overtime is the central cause of the municipality’s financial difficulties is fundamentally false. The most recent audit outcomes from the Auditor-General of South Africa paint a clear picture of a far-reaching governance and financial crisis, not a problem of worker overtime. The audit reveals a third consecutive qualified audit opinion, a material deficit of R468 million, and staggering amounts of unauthorised (R1.8 billion), irregular (R278 million), and fruitless and wasteful (R130 million) expenditure. These figures, along with the under-utilisation of grants and a lack of investment in critical infrastructure, point to a crisis that cannot be attributed solely to employee overtime.
To reduce these complex failures to a matter of worker costs is disingenuous and shifts blame away from the poor planning, leadership instability, and mismanagement that are the true source of the problem.
The City Manager's call for a shift system also fails to acknowledge the severe staffing shortages that have plagued the municipality for years. The Auditor-General has explicitly highlighted high vacancy rates, especially in critical technical and operational posts. It is unclear how a shift system can be effectively implemented when there are not enough workers to fill the shifts. Workers are often forced to work extended hours to compensate for chronic understaffing and ensure essential services are rendered to residents.
This is not an abuse of the system, but a necessity driven by the municipality’s failure to fill posts and implement a sustainable workforce strategy.
SAMWU supports legitimate efforts to reduce wasteful expenditure and improve service delivery. However, these efforts must be grounded in fairness, legality, and sound labour practices. SAMWU will oppose any measures that unilaterally impose new working conditions, violate existing collective agreements, or penalise workers while ignoring the municipality’s own financial and governance failures.
We therefore call upon the Mangaung Metro Municipality to immediately halt the unilateral implementation of the shift system and engage in formal consultation with organised labour as prescribed by the Labour Relations Act. We also demand that the municipality address the high vacancy rate by urgently filling critical posts and investigate and act on the Auditor-General’s findings concerning wasteful expenditure.
We wish to place on record that SAMWU has exhausted all internal avenues for resolution. We have written several formal communications to the Mangaung Metro, held multiple engagements with administrative management, and met with political leadership in good faith.
Despite our attempts to find a collaborative solution, the municipality has persisted in acting in bad faith, continuing to unilaterally implement measures in violation of both the Labour Relations Act and binding collective agreements.
It is only after these efforts proved fruitless that SAMWU reluctantly approached the courts to protect the rights and dignity of municipal workers.
We reaffirm our readiness to engage constructively on matters of efficiency and financial sustainability, but we will not allow workers to be used as scapegoats for failures caused by poor leadership and mismanagement.
Issued by SAMWU Free State
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COSATU 8th Central Committee Livestream
Day 1 (Monday - 15 Sep)
https://youtube.com/live/uxHueFx6RfI?feature=share
Day 2 (Tuesday - 16 Sep)
https://youtube.com/live/IHSq7Oz34mE?feature=share
Day 5 (Friday - 19 Sep)
https://youtube.com/live/gS32xH7gZBk?feature=share
SACP Western Cape Provincial Executive Committee Meeting Statement
Benson Ngqentsu, SACP Western Cape Provincial Secretary, 14 September 2025
Communist to the front! You have nothing to lose but your chains
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Western Cape Province convened its ordinary Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) meeting in Bellville South, Cape Town, on 13 and 14 September 2025. The PEC received reports on preparations for the 2026 elections, the Political Report presented by Provincial Secretary Comrade Benson Ngqentsu, and the current state of the Party’s financial position.
These reports provided an in-depth analysis of both the international and local political contexts, revealing the terminal crisis of the unipolar neoliberal capitalist order, which is evolving into a barbaric and predatory stage of capitalist accumulation.
The outdated neoliberal capitalist trajectory, pursued by capitalists and political elites with the backing of the liberal intelligentsia, remains prevalent in this country. Despite a decade of self-defeating neoliberal policies characterised by consistently low annual growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) the state has chosen to intensify the dismantling of public services and the privatisation of public entities by deregulating the productive base of our economy, thereby undermining the socio-economic capacity of the state.
Our economy increasingly resembles a financialised casino, with financial services accounting for a staggering 22 per cent of our economy’s productive output. This trajectory exacerbates the living and working conditions of the working class, fostering a conducive environment for regressive political mobilisation. Predatory criminal networks, extortionists, and mafia syndicates have normalised and entrenched themselves in our communities, resulting in conditions comparable to war zones.
In the Western Cape, these disastrous effects are manifested in a chronic crisis of underdevelopment, where working-class townships are characterised by rising unemployment, poverty, inequality, violent crime, and gangsterism, alongside expanding informal settlements, pothole-riddled roads, and inadequate access to housing, affordable sanitation, electricity, and water, coupled with escalating property rates.
Thus, the SACP in the Western Cape fully acknowledges the perils associated with the continued neoliberal trajectory, forecasting that the conditions confronting the working class will deteriorate further as the costs of services escalate and the provision and quality of these services decline.
The comprador nature of our tendering state, characterised by outsourcing and privatisation, has severely undermined the developmental trajectory of the state. Once the public sector has been diminished and assets transferred to the private sector, essential services and their provision will become entirely commodified within a profit-driven paradigm.
This scenario constitutes a class struggle, propelled by regressive policy shifts, which represents a profound betrayal of the NDR. It unfolds against the backdrop of escalating crises of unemployment, inequality, poverty, social reproduction, and the rising cost of living.
In response to the assault on the working class, the SACP in the province has been collaborating with various progressive organisations to mobilise support for an alternative People’s Budget. People Against Budget Cuts (PABC) embodies a broad left and progressive socio-economic coalition seeking to challenge the persistent neoliberal trajectory during the November 2025 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS).
Retrenchments in the retail sector – Call for intervention and mass action
The impending retrenchments in the retail sector, particularly with the potential closure of approximately 44 Pick n Pay stores in the Western Cape, must be met with resolute opposition.
These closures could lead to the loss of around 3,000 jobs, significantly impacting many working-class families. In this context, the PEC calls upon Pick n Pay management and the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (SACCAWU) to take all necessary measures to prevent these closures.
The PEC resolved to convene with SACCAWU and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in the province to strategise on interventions, including solidarity mass action and lunchtime picketing, while the Section 189 retrenchment processes are ongoing.
NUM’s Labour Court victory – A vote of confidence in unionisation
The PEC welcomed the landmark Labour Court victory for Baseline Construction workers affiliated with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in Cape Town. These workers were unjustly dismissed following the employer’s unilateral decision in December 2022 to modify bonus payments without prior consultation.
This ruling represents not solely a triumph for NUM and the affected workers but also a significant victory for workers across the construction industry. It reaffirms the critical importance of unionisation and should inspire workers in all sectors to join trade unions as a safeguard against exploitative employers.
Towards the 2026 Local Government Elections and the Alliance
The PEC expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved in formulating the SACP election strategy and establishing the requisite structures for the 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE). The Party will now consolidate its tactical approach towards the forthcoming by-elections and the 2026 LGE through the implementation of political education, party-building, and electoral workshops and activities at the district, sub-district, and branch levels.
Furthermore, the PEC reaffirmed its principled stance of not limiting itself to a narrow electoral path; hence, our campaign is firmly anchored in a long-term strategy aimed at building hegemony and influence among workers and our communities.
In this context, the Party will reassert its presence within communities and workplaces through our flagship campaigns, “Know and Act in Your Neighbourhood,” “Qina Msebenzi,” “Triple H,” and the “People’s Red Caravan.”
Moreover, the meeting reaffirmed the SACP’s unwavering commitment to the Tripartite Alliance, comprising the African National Congress (ANC), SACP, COSATU, and the South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO), both in theory and practice.
The PEC emphasised that the decision to contest the 2026 local government elections independently of the ANC does not signify the abandonment of the Alliance. Central to this decision to engage directly in the electoral political platform is the necessity to address the crisis of working-class representation and to reconfigure the Alliance as one comprised of equals.
Furthermore, the PEC discussed emerging issues related to dual membership. In this regard, the Party calls upon all communists who hold public representative roles on the Alliance ticket, or who occupy positions within ANC structures, to resist political pressure from anti-communist elements intent on purging Party leaders from within the ANC.
Additionally, the Party in the province is initiating a process to examine the multi-class nature of our Alliance while ensuring that the working-class bias of the left axis remains uncompromised in light of diverging neoliberal consolidations within the ANC. This will necessitate a detoxification process to ensure that only the most principled and dedicated cadres are identified and empowered to lead our Party structures at all levels.
In this context, the PEC resolved that, during these uncharted waters, quality over quantity is paramount, and the prevailing conditions dictate the need for fewer but more capable cadres within the Party.
Crisis facing the TVET college sector – A call for action
The PEC expressed its appreciation for the political intervention by Minister Buti Manamela, which aims to initiate an inquiry into the reported governance collapse at the College of Cape Town. Considering the historical context of governance failures and institutional deterioration at the college, it is imperative that the inquiry should not only identify the underlying causes but also establishes a framework for restoring integrity and effective governance.
The PEC emphasised that the governance crisis extends beyond the College of Cape Town, however. Other Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges across the province are similarly experiencing significant uncertainties in leadership, compounded by chronic senior-level vacancies that threaten institutional stability.
The PEC asserts that the governance crisis within TVET colleges stems from a precarious emerging nexus among executive management, certain student leaders, council members, and segments of trade union leadership. This nexus is increasingly distinguished by characteristics of patronage, cronyism, and the co-option of shop stewards and student leaders by executives for corrupt purposes.
Accordingly, the PEC urges student and trade union leaders to resist the allure of becoming entangled in these corrupt networks. Instead, they should reaffirm their historical role as protectors of students, workers, and the broader working-class struggle.
Collapsed salary negotiations between NSFAS and NEHAWU
The PEC extends its full solidarity to NSFAS workers affiliated with the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU) in their ongoing dispute concerning salary negotiations and the enhancement of their working conditions.
The PEC implores NSFAS management to resolve the dispute urgently in order to avert the potential for mass action. Any strike would adversely affect not only the institution itself but also the millions of students who depend on NSFAS for access to higher education. Should the unions at NSFAS activate their strike certificate, the SACP in the province will mobilise its Chris Hani Red Brigades to demonstrate solidarity with the workers on the picket lines.
For years, NSFAS has confronted severe issues related to maladministration, governance failures, patronage, cronyism, and outsourcing. In recognition of this, the PEC calls upon NSFAS workers and NEHAWU leadership to revive their previous case before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee, thereby exposing and confronting the entrenched corruption within the entity.
The nexus of crime and politics – Capturing leaders and institutions
The explosive press briefing by Lieutenant-General Mkhwanazi reaffirmed the SACP’s long-held thesis regarding a dangerous nexus between underworld criminal networks, corrupt officials within the criminal justice sector, and opportunistic political elements.
This unholy alliance signifies not only individual acts of corruption but also the systematic capture of leaders and institutions by criminal syndicates. On 25 June 2021, the SACP, led by its then First Deputy General Secretary and now General Secretary, Comrade Solly Mapaila, engaged in a protest outside the South African Police Service (SAPS) Provincial Headquarters in Cape Town.
The SACP then demanded the establishment of a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate corruption within the police force and to assess SAPS's capacity to prevent, combat, and investigate crime.
In this context, the PEC welcomed the establishment of the Madlanga Commission but further called for its scope to be expanded beyond the issues identified by Lieutenant-General Mkhwanazi to encompass broader questions regarding SAPS's capacity to prevent, combat, and investigate crime, particularly in light of the government's neoliberal austerity measures.
Moreover, the PEC cautioned that the increasing connection between political activists and criminal syndicates poses a direct threat to democracy. If this nexus is not dismantled, public representatives risk being driven not by the will of the people but by criminal networks. This situation amounts to the capture of leaders and institutions for corrupt and anti-people purposes.
The SACP advocates for vigilance and united mass action to expose and dismantle this criminal-political nexus before it further undermines our hard-won democracy and the working-class struggle.
Call for coordinated response to combat the surge of violent crime in the Western Cape
In light of the rise in illegal firearms and the alarming increase in violent crimes, particularly against women and children, the PEC calls for a coordinated, multi-faceted response to effectively combat violent crime and gangsterism in the Western Cape.
On one hand, the DA-led City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Provincial Government must be held accountable for their billion-rand so-called “Safety Plan,” which has proven to be ineffective. For instance, of the 3,297 surveillance cameras deployed across Cape Town, only 1,786 are actively monitored, while 1,530 are inoperative.
What is more troubling is the fact that not a single camera in working-class townships has contributed to a successful investigation. This highlights both the inefficiency and class bias of the Safety Plan, systematically neglecting the very communities most affected by violent crime.
The PEC further calls on municipalities and the provincial government to address the chronic underdevelopment crisis within working-class communities. Violent crimes thrive in areas characterised by informal settlements, pothole-ridden roads, and a lack of access to basic infrastructure. Addressing these conditions is a critical component of fostering safer communities.
Conversely, the PEC demands accountability from the Minister of Police concerning the destabilisation of intelligence structures and the chronic under-resourcing of the SAPS.
In this regard, the PEC calls for the urgent appointment of a Provincial Head of Police Intelligence in the Western Cape to enhance the state's capacity to combat organised crime.
Finally, the PEC calls upon the City of Cape Town, SAPS, and the provincial government to build upon the cooperation agreement reached in August 2024, ensuring that collaboration and coordination are central to combating crime in the province; otherwise, the Western Cape risks remaining a crime scene.
SACP rejects DA’s call for devolution of police powers as political deflection
The PEC dismissed the DA’s call for devolving police powers as mere political deflection, designed to obscure the provincial government’s failure to address the crisis of violent crime and gangsterism in the Western Cape, despite the existence of the billion-rand so-called “Safety Plan.” The collapse of this plan serves as clear evidence that the DA administration has exhausted its ideas and lacks a credible strategy to meet the safety and security needs of the populace. The PEC further cautioned Acting Minister of Police, Professor Cachalia, against legitimising the DA’s call for devolution, as their agenda does not concern the improvement of safety for working-class communities. Instead, it aims at consolidating provincial and municipal power while diverting attention from their own failures and inefficiencies.
The PEC resolved that the real focus must be on rebuilding the national police service’s capacity, strengthening intelligence structures, and ensuring the equitable allocation of policing resources to working-class townships, where the burden of violent crime is most severe, as well as addressing the chronic crisis of underdevelopment.
Call for peace in the minibus taxi industry and resolution of violent tensions
The PEC unequivocally condemns all individuals who are either actively involved in or complicit in the renewed wave of violence within the minibus taxi industry. This violence continues to take innocent lives, destabilise communities, and further weaken an already fragile economy. The DA-led provincial government bears responsibility for this violence and must take full accountability. Its belief that “closure of ranks” constitutes a solution exemplifies a lack of leadership in the province; this approach will only escalate violence and jeopardise many lives.
The PEC therefore calls upon the two principal associations, CATA and CODETA, to urgently engage in dialogue and work towards a mutually beneficial resolution for the sake of commuters, workers, and communities. The PEC expressed confidence in the efforts of the Alliance Task Team, led by former Community Safety MEC Comrade Leonard Ramatlakane, which is facilitating peace talks between CATA and CODETA. The PEC believes that this intervention will yield positive outcomes if pursued with urgency and commitment.
Furthermore, the PEC urges the Western Cape Premier to implement the recommendations of the 2005 Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza Commission Report concerning the conflict within the minibus taxi industry. The findings of this report remain pertinent today and provide a framework to resolve the persistent challenges facing the industry.
DA’s dissolution of Knysna Municipality a neoliberal offensive disguised as governance
The dissolution of the Knysna Municipality by the DA’s provincial government constitutes a neoliberal offensive aimed at eroding public trust in the ANC and all other coalition parties within the municipality. This decision represents not only an abuse of power but also a calculated effort to delegitimise democratic local governance. Ironically, the municipality has demonstrated significant improvement over the past twelve months, rendering the DA’s intervention both unjustified and politically opportunistic.
The PEC condemns the misuse of Section 139(1)(c) of the Constitution by the DA-led provincial government in its attempt to dissolve the Knysna Municipal Council. MEC Bredel’s intervention exemplifies a political witch-hunt, motivated not by genuine concerns for service delivery but by the DA’s persistent refusal to accept the results of democratic elections in Knysna. Sections 139 and 154 of the Constitution were designed to strengthen governance when municipalities falter, not to function as political instruments for the removal of opposition.
The DA has long sought the collapse of the Knysna coalition; when this did not occur, it resorted to exploiting constitutional provisions to achieve, through indirect means, what it could not realise at the ballot box. If the reasons presented by the DA for this intervention were genuinely objective, the City of Cape Town would be the primary candidate for dissolution. For years, townships have endured the issue of raw sewage flowing in their streets, with no urgent action taken by the provincial government.
ISSUED BY SACP Western Cape
International-Solidarity
Mental health, a common concern for the network of CMPC workers’ unions
16 September, 2025
Mental health emerged as a common concern during the recent online meeting of the CMPC workers’ unions network, which brought together union representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Uruguay, along with Alejandro Valerio, IndustriALL deputy regional secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean and Tom Grinter, IndustriALL pulp and paper sector director.
The aim of the meeting was to strengthen the regional network of unions representing workers at CMPC – a Chilean pulp and paper multinational with manufacturing operations in more than 10 countries, including Chile (its headquarters), Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay – and to promote experience sharing and joint initiatives to improve working conditions.
One of the main points agreed on was the need to prioritise action in the area of occupational health and safety, with particular emphasis on mental health. This issue was repeatedly raised by representatives from different countries, concerned with the consequences of the excessive work pace, staff shortages, long working hours and unsafe or violent work environments, risk factors identified by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Reflecting the article Mental health – an important part of health and safety, published by IndustriALL, it was highlighted that while protecting mental health at work is part of an employers’ duty of care, trade unions also have a key role to play in preventing and tackling these issues. Understanding the risks and knowing how to intervene is fundamental to improving the quality of working life.
During the meeting, the network’s coordinators, Walter Fogaça (Brazil) and Claudio Ríos (Chile), gave an update on trade union actions at regional level, while the country representatives presented the situation at their plants. Mental health was highlighted as an issue common to all of them.
Tom Grinter gave a global overview of the sector, mentioning the progress made at the recent conference in Jakarta and suggesting ways forward, such as regular meetings, targeted research on production and supply chains, a regional database and initiatives to strengthen trade union networks.
Alejandro Valerio closed the meeting by outlining the next steps to be taken, such as conducting trade union mapping of the region, making progress with the drive to unionise outsourced workers and creating a joint space for health and safety at work, with
special emphasis on mental health.
Finally, he stressed the crucial role played by trade union networks:
“They are a very useful tool for people working for the same multinational in different countries, helping them build union power and develop joint actions to achieve better social dialogue with the company, establishing regional benchmarks to try level up labour rights and social benefits in every country where the same company operates.”
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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