Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 21 November 2025 #Cosatu@40 #Cosatu40thAnniversary
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY Today, #CosatuVioletSeboniBrigades led a massive blitz at Meadowlands and Ndofaya Malls #CosatuRedFridays… #G20SouthAfrica #VioletSeboniBrigade #Cosatu40thAnniversary #COP30noBrasil#JustTransition #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
21 November 2025
“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- Applications for media accreditation to cover COSATU 40th Anniversary rally officially opened
- South Africa
- SADTU supports the calls for a national shutdown to hightlight the scourge of GBVF
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- POPCRU delegation arrives in Victoria Falls to deliver message of solidarity at UG Supreme Council
- Call to solidarity with Jamaican teachers impacted by Hurricane Melissa
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
Applications for media accreditation to cover COSATU 40th Anniversary rally officially opened
Zanele Sabela, COSATU National Spokesperson,10 November 2025
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) invites all members of the media to apply for accreditation to attend and cover the Federation’s historic 40th Anniversary rally. This momentous event is scheduled to take place on 6 December at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto.
COSATU was launched on 1 December 1985, at the height of the struggle against apartheid. Its formation brought together 33 competing unions and federations that were opposed to apartheid but committed to a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa.
Alliance partners, local and international guests have been invited to celebrate 40 years of this vibrant movement advancing, defending and protecting the interests and rights of workers and the working class in South Africa and beyond.
Applications for accreditation may be submitted to mam...@cosatu.org.za or non...@cosatu.org.za with the following details:
Name:
Surname:
ID number:
Media House/Address:
Contact number/email:
Alternatively, an application form can be completed via this link:
COSATU 40th Anniversary Media Accreditation Application Form – Fill out form
Issued by COSATU
Zanele Sabela (National Spokesperson)
Mobile: 079 287 5788 / 077 600 6639
Email: zan...@cosatu.org.za
SADTU supports the calls for a national shutdown to hightlight the scourge of GBVF
Dr Mugwena Maluleke, SADTU General Secretary, 21 November 2025
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) stands in firm solidarity with the millions of South Africans participating in today’s national shutdown and demonstrations calling for Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) to be declared a national disaster.
The shutdown, led by the Women For Change on the eve of the G20 Summit, seeks to draw global attention to the scourge of GBVF and its devastating impact. Gender-Based Violence and Femicide is an assault on human dignity, with far reaching consequences for the well-being, and freedoms of women and girls. It demands a decisive and co-ordinated national response.
We welcome President Cyril Maphosa’s declaration yesterday that GBVF is a national crisis and its classification as a national disaster in terms of Section 23 of the Disaster Management Act of 2002. However, declarations must be followed by practical, sustained, and measurable action. Despite various laws enacted to protect women and children, this scourge continues at an alarming rate, with conviction rates for crimes against women and children remaining low compared to the number of cases reported.
Today’s demonstrations come at a painful time for the Union. We are mourning the brutal killing of the principal of Inxiweni Primary School and an administrative assistant, both women who were gunned at the school premises on Tuesday allegedly by armed men. The killing of the two women, mothers is so painful and barbaric. When you kill a woman, you weaken the foundation of any family and nation; you disrupt the growth and future of our children and nation. Their deaths are a tragic reminder that no space, including schools, is spared from the scourge of gender-based violence.
South Africa cannot continue to be one of the most unsafe countries in the world for women and girls. We call on the G20 Summit to ensure that GBVF is reflected in its declarations and commitments.
SADTU stands with all survivors, families, activists, and communities rising against this crisis. We reiterate our commitment to fighting GBVF within the education sector, and throughout society.
ISSUED BY: SADTU Secretariat
International-Solidarity
POPCRU delegation arrives in Victoria Falls to deliver message of solidarity at UG Supreme Council
Richard Mamabolo, POPCRU National Spokesperson, 20 November 2025
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) has arrived in Victoria Falls as part of a high-level delegation invited to attend the 3rd Supreme Council of the Zambia Union of Government and Allied Workers (UG).
Leading the delegation is POPCRU President, Comrade Thulani Ngwenya, who will deliver a message of solidarity to the leadership and membership of UG on behalf of POPCRU and its thousands of members across South Africa’s Criminal Justice Cluster.
This historic engagement reflects the deepening relations between progressive unions in the Southern African region and forms part of POPCRU’s ongoing commitment to strengthening international working-class solidarity, particularly within the public service and security sector.
The UG Supreme Council serves as an important platform for strategic reflection on the conditions of government workers, labour rights, organisational renewal and the defence of collective bargaining in the face of growing neo-liberal pressures across the continent. POPCRU’s participation affirms its belief that the struggles of workers are interconnected beyond national borders and that regional unity remains critical in building a strong, responsive and progressive labour movement.
Speaking ahead of the engagement, POPCRU President Cde Thulani Ngwenya emphasised that:
“The challenges faced by public service workers across Africa — austerity measures, erosion of labour rights, privatisation and the weakening of collective bargaining — demand a united response from organised labour. Our presence here today is not symbolic, it is practical solidarity rooted in our shared history, struggles and vision for a just and equitable society.”
The delegation will also engage in bilateral discussions with the leadership of UG on areas of mutual cooperation, including:
• Strengthening the role of unions in the Criminal Justice and Public Service sectors
• Exchange of organisational and mobilisation strategies
• Regional solidarity on labour rights and social justice campaigns
• Skills development and political education initiatives for shop stewards and activists.
POPCRU extends its warmest wishes to the UG leadership and delegates for a successful, progressive and unifying Supreme Council, and reaffirms its commitment to building a powerful, united, and militant African labour movement anchored in the interests of the working class.
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Call to solidarity with Jamaican teachers impacted by Hurricane Melissa
Solidarity in emergencies, 20 November 2025
Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, Education International has launched an urgent action appeal in solidarity with its member organisation in Jamaica, the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), to help the union address the needs of affected teachers, school communities and to restore access to learning as soon as possible.
Hurricane Melissa was a catastrophic tropical cyclone which became the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane on record. It caused severe damage upon making landfall in Jamaica, and was the strongest recorded hurricane on the island, surpassing Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. Many towns in western Jamaica were flooded as a result, which has also hampered recovery efforts.
JTA has begun providing concrete assistance to its members, including emergency financial aid, temporary teaching resources, and psychological support. In addition, JTA is coordinating with national authorities and international partners to ensure the rapid reconstruction of educational facilities and restore access to learning as soon as possible.
"Our members have weathered the trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, flash floods, Hurricane Beryl, and now Melissa. They have held the fort through every crisis. But resilience must never be mistaken for invincibility. Empathy must be a cornerstone of our national recovery. Many do not understand the depth of what teachers are facing, but as the union closest to them, the JTA will stand resolutely in defending and protecting their interests," stated JTA President Mark Malabver.
Education system and teachers severely impacted
JTA has informed EI regarding the emergency situation following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa. The hurricane severely impacted the Western region of the country, destroying homes, disrupting transport and electricity networks, and causing significant damage to school infrastructure.
The education sector has been particularly affected: numerous schools have been damaged or rendered unusable, leaving thousands of students without access to classes. Many teachers have lost their homes or essential teaching materials, and connectivity issues are hampering efforts to resume learning. JTA reports that these challenges are placing immense strain on educators and students alike.
JTA is currently conducting assessments of the damage to schools and teachers' homes. Whilst JTA’s assessment is ongoing, JTA indicates that up to 5000 of its members have been affected by Hurricane Melissa. Approximately 2500 of them have been severely impacted. One of JTA’s offices located in Montego Bay suffered flooding.
At the recent COP 30, the Jamaican Minister responsible for Water, Environment, Climate Change, and the Blue & Green Economies, Matthew Samuda, declared that "Hurricane Melissa changed the life of every Jamaican in less than 24 hours." Identifying the hurricane as evidence of "the new phase of climate change," he called on the international community to honour the pledges to mitigate the worst effects of climate change.
Call to solidarity
Education International expressed its solidarity with colleagues in Jamaica and called on all EI member organisations to support JTA by contributing to the EI Solidarity Fund. An initial EI financial contribution from the EI Solidarity Fund has already been earmarked. These contributions will reinforce the significant efforts already deployed by JTA.
“This is not only a financial intervention; it is a statement of solidarity, compassion, and purpose. Our teachers have once again borne the brunt of a national disaster, yet they continue to show extraordinary resilience. It is our duty as their representatives to ensure that they are supported in rebuilding their lives and homes,” JTA President Malabver added.
For more information on how to contribute to the EI Solidarity Fund, please contact the EI headoffice.
EI will continue to provide regular updates on its solidarity work in Jamaica and elsewhere on the dedicated webpage Solidarity in emergencies (ei-ie.org).
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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