Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 10 March 2026
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY COSATU Call Center Contacts: 010 002 2590 #EqualPay #GenderEquality #Cosatu40 #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
10 March 2026
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- Media Accreditation: SAMWU 13th National Congress
- South Africa
- COSATU's remains unimpressed with the latest GDP growth figures
- KwaZulu-Natal Education acknowledges Cabinet decision on early retirement and voluntary exit programmes
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- ISTP 2026 in Tallinn: Supporting teachers to build the education systems of the future
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
Media
Accreditation: SAMWU 13th National Congress
Papikie Mohale, SAMWU National Media Officer, 09 March 2026
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) will convene its 13th National Congress from 17 to 19 March 2026 at Church Unlimited, Nelspruit, Mpumalanga.
Held under the theme “Towards Four Decades and Beyond in Defence of Workers’ Interests,”
the Congress marks an important milestone as the Union reflects on nearly forty years of militant struggle, organisational consolidation, and its unwavering defence of municipal and water sector workers.
Members of the media are invited to attend and cover the open sessions of Congress scheduled for 17 and 19 March 2026. Media houses wishing to cover the Congress are requested to apply for accreditation no later than 13 March 2026.
The Congress is expected to receive messages of support and addresses from the following leaders:
· COSATU General Secretary, Cde Solly Phetoe
· SACP General Secretary, Cde Solly Mapaila
· ANC Secretary-General, Cde Fikile Mbalula
· Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, H.E. Dickson Masemola
· SALGA Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sithole Mbanga
· Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, H.E. Jomo Sibiya
These addresses will engage the political, economic, and social challenges confronting workers and outline the programme required to defend and advance working-class interests. The 13th National Congress will deliberate on key organisational, political, and
collective bargaining matters, including strategies to strengthen the Union and respond decisively to the deepening crisis in local government.
Members of the media are encouraged to confirm their attendance with the National Media Officer, Cde Papikie Mohale, via email at
pap...@samwu.org.za
in order to secure accreditation by 13 March 2026.
Please note that only accredited members of the media will be granted access to the Congress venue.
Issued by SAMWU Secretariat
Papikie Mohale
National Media Officer
076 795 8670
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
COSATU's remains unimpressed with the latest GDP growth figures
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 10 March 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) remains deeply unimpressed with the latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth figures.
Whilst appreciating that the economy has posted its fifth straight gain with a 0.4% growth rate for the last quarter of 2025, it is still far from enough to see the economy growing at 2% let alone the 3% plus needed to generate a continuous and meaningful fall in our stubbornly high unemployment rate of 41.1%.
We had hoped that the festive season in 2025 would have seen a much larger boost for an economy stuck at 1% growth for more than a decade.
COSATU acknowledges recent positive trends in the economy and state under the African National Congress led government from overcoming loadshedding to stabilising Transnet, reopening Metro Rail lines, South African Airways returning to the skies, exiting grey listing, turning around the South African Revenue Service and that these must still see their full impact filter down.
Given the devastating war unleashed in the Persian Gulf, the source of 20% of the world’s oil supplies, it is critical that government urgently prepare an economic and social relief package to help shield the working class and the economy from the inevitable steep hikes in the international oil and domestic fuel prices and inflation. It has taken South Africa three years to overcome the previous spillover from the war in Ukraine. We cannot afford yet another blow.
Key elements to such an economic and social relief package need to include measures to reduce the price of fuel and electricity tariffs, our two main domestic inflationary sources. Measures are needed for fragile economic sectors, including those at risk to global trade turmoil and high electricity prices, this should include fixing the long dysfunctional Unemployment Insurance Fund’s Temporary Employment Relief Scheme.
Relief should also be put in place for social and SRD grant recipients as well as the unemployed, including expanding the Presidential Employment Programmes. These should be accompanied by a stimulus package for SMMEs plus industrial and export sectors to help spur economic growth and job creation.
These bold interventions are essential if we are to break out of the tepid economic growth we have stumbled along for more than a decade and reach the 3% needed to tackle unemployment, poverty and inequality.
Issued by COSATU
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KwaZulu-Natal Education acknowledges Cabinet decision on early retirement and voluntary exit programmes
08 Mar 2026
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education acknowledges the decision taken by the Cabinet of South Africa to introduce the Incentivised Early Retirement Programme (EAP) without penalisation of pension benefits and the Voluntary Exit Programme (VEP) for employees in the Public Service, as approved during the special Cabinet meeting held on 10 April 2024.
In implementing this decision, the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) issued a formal determination in October 2025 outlining the framework and procedures for the implementation of the programmes across government departments.
The determination provides for financial incentives to qualifying employees, with certain costs — including the waiving of pension penalties and incentive payments — funded by National Treasury of South Africa. However, other associated costs such as pro-rata service bonus payments, capped leave, unused annual leave and resettlement expenses, where applicable, must be funded from within the baseline budgets of individual departments.
While the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education fully recognises and respects the national directive, it is important to note that approval of applications under these programmes is not automatic. In line with the DPSA determination, departments are required to assess applications against specific criteria, including ensuring that service delivery is not negatively affected, that critical skills are not lost, and that the financial implications remain sustainable within departmental budgets.
Given the current fiscal constraints faced by the Department, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education regrettably does not have the financial capacity at this stage to absorb the additional costs that must be funded from its existing baseline budget.
Accordingly, while employees retain the right to apply for the programme, the Department is presently unable to approve applications under the current phase, particularly in circumstances where the departure of employees may create service delivery gaps that cannot immediately be addressed.
The Department wishes to emphasise that this position does not oppose or undermine the decision of Cabinet or the determination issued by the DPSA. Rather, it reflects a responsible and transparent approach to communicating the Department’s current financial and operational realities to employees while remaining aligned with national policy directives.
"As a Department, we issued HRM Circular No. 3 of 2026 to keep employees informed and ensure clarity within the system as Government continues to work towards sustainable implementation of the programme", said KZNDOE’S Head of Department.
Enquiries:
Mr Muzi Mahlambi
Head of Communication
Cell: 082 519 1420
Mr
Mlu Mtshali
Media Liaison Officer
Cell: 082 088 5060
Issued by KwaZulu-Natal Education
International-Solidarity
ISTP 2026 in Tallinn: Supporting teachers to build the education systems of the future
Leading the profession Artificial intelligence in education, 9 March 2026
The 16th edition of the International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) kicks off today in Tallinn, Estonia, bringing together education ministers and education union leaders from 20 countries and territories.
The Summit provides a unique global forum for genuine dialogue between governments and the teaching profession and their unions on how to strengthen public education systems and ensure quality education for all.
ISTP 2026 is co-hosted by the Government of Estonia, the Estonian Educational Personnel Union, Education International (EI), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
At a time of profound uncertainty, the ISTP will focus on the role teachers play in shaping future-ready education systems.
“How do we prepare teachers for a future that is not yet written? We cannot train teachers for a single, fixed version of the future. What we can do is invest in their capacity to adapt, to think critically, to collaborate, and to exercise professional judgement in the face of the unknown”, stated David Edwards, Education International General Secretary.
Reemo Voltri, Chair of the Estonian Education Personnel Union, an Education International affiliate, said: “Hosting the International Summit on the Teaching Profession in Tallinn is an important moment for Estonia and for the teaching profession globally. Teachers play a crucial role in shaping our societies, and their voices must be part of decisions about education policy. As a country that strongly believes in education, we hope this summit will also encourage concrete decisions that support the teaching profession in Estonia.”
The future of the teaching profession
During the Summit, education union leaders and ministers of education will explore three interconnected themes at the heart of the teaching profession’s future.
ISTP participants will examine the evolving teacher profession, including the changing demands placed on teachers, the persistent shortages that weaken education systems, the imperative to ensure every child has a trained and qualified teacher, and the need to safeguard the irreplaceable teacher-student relationship.
The Summit will explore the professional autonomy of educators and the conditions required for teachers to exercise genuine professional judgement, the accountability systems that either support or constrain them, and the collaborative professional communities that sustain high-quality practice.
The opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence and educational technology will also be analysed, focusing on how these tools can be governed in ways that empower teachers rather than sideline them, and that protect students rather than expose them to harm.
“Whatever changes the future brings, one thing remains certain: teachers’ ability to meet those challenges will rely on their ability to count on fully funded, well-designed, and enabling education systems”, Edwards noted.
Implementing the United Nations Recommendations for a strong and resilient teaching profession remains a priority in order to end the global teacher shortage that is putting the right to education at risk.
“Decent salaries, secure employment, manageable workloads, quality initial training and continuous professional development, as well as the freedom and trust to exercise professional autonomy, and meaningful participation in the decisions that shape their work are not luxuries to be granted in good times and withdrawn in hard ones. They are the foundations upon which every ambition we hold for education must rest”, Edwards stressed.
The livestream of the opening session is available below.
For further background, Education International’s policy briefing for ISTP 2026 provides analysis and recommendations.
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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