Taking COSATU Today Forward, 11 December 2025 #Cosatu40 #Cosatu40thAnniversary #HappyFestiveSeasons
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY Happy Festive Season to all workers and their families! #HappyBirthdayDENOSA #HappyBirthdayNUM #HappyBirthdayCOSATU! #Cosatu40 #VioletSeboniBrigade #Cosatu@40 #Cosatu40thAnniversary #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
10 December 2025
“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- NEHAWU Central Executive Committee [CEC] Statement
- South Africa
- Political address by COSATU General Secretary to the DENOSA NEC in Pretoria
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- International Human Rights Day: Free Lee Cheuk-yak
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
NEHAWU Central Executive Committee [CEC] Statement
Zola Saphethda, NEHAWU General Secretary, December 11, 2025
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] convened its fourth Central Executive Committee [CEC] of the 12th National Congress on the 07th – 09th of December 2025.
The CEC considered the international context, national political and socio-economic situations as well as organisational matters affecting members and the working class in general. This was the last CEC of the 12th National Congress, which assessed the implementation of the resolutions adopted at 12th Congress through our four-year programme of action.
The CEC meeting took place against the background of a momentous year where the union was tasked with a mammoth task to convene the Provincial Congresses, National Organising, Servicing and Collective Bargaining Conference including growth as part of the renewal process of the national union. Furthermore, the union had to adequately prepare for the 8th Central Committee and also provincial congresses and gender conferences of the federation, COSATU.
The CEC congratulated the momentous 80th anniversary of the founding of our militant and class oriented international centre, the World Federation of Trade Unions [WFTU] together with the 76th anniversary of its strategic sector component, the Trade Union International Public Service and Allied [TUI-PS&A].
The CEC congratulated our glorious workers movement, the Congress of the South African Trade Unions (COSATU), coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU), a pioneering radical and non-racial trade union movement that was founded three months before the adoption of the Freedom Charter, whose 70th anniversary have been also celebrated this year.
International Situation
In assessing the international situation and the current epoch, the CEC premised succinctly and best from the great Italian communist, Antonio Gramsci’s, dictum: “The old is dying and the new cannot be born. In this interregnum there arises a great diversity of morbid symptoms”, coupled with the definition by Vladimir Lenin on imperialism that “Imperialism is the highest and final stage of capitalism”.
Indeed, the CEC agreed that the world order is undergoing a seismic shift amidst political and socioeconomic degeneration of the United States (US), the economic stagnation and political instability within the European Union and the rise of China.
Furthermore, the CEC agreed that a handful of monopolies that are more powerful than many nation-states dominate the global economy. They control strategic resources, production, and finance and extract super-profits through super-exploitation of the working-class.
The CEC further received an update report on major international developments with particular focus on developments in Africa, Latin America, Europe and Middle East and Asia.
The CEC meeting strongly condemned the US aggression and military strikes against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The CEC fully pledges its unwavering support with the people of Venezuela and progressive governments in Latin America.
The CEC expressed solidarity and commitment to intensify our international working class solidarity through campaigns with the peoples’ struggles in Palestine, Cuba, Western Sahara, Venezuela as well as the peoples of Swaziland, Sudan, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The union agreed to pay attention to the broader implications of tariffs imposition by the US.
The CEC agreed to jointly discuss with the SACP and the WFTU on convening a meeting of the Africa Left Networking Forum (ALNEF) in 2026 as it is critical in changing the correlation of class forces in the African continent; more so in the light of the general crisis of capitalism globally and the decline of Western imperialism.
The CEC noted the rise of social movements on immigration issues with large support of the working class and immediately directed the union to deepen its analysis regarding the false consciousness and the potential of these social movements to reverse the progressive politics.
In the final analysis of the prevailing epoch, the meeting of the central executive committee agreed that class struggle and waging an irreconcilable ideological struggle is key to changing the correlation of class forces. The crisis of capitalism is an opportunity for socialism. In this regard, the rebuilding, strengthening and forging of new militancy of the international communist movement is a top priority.
National Political Situation
The CEC meeting took place post the 40th anniversary rally of our gigantic federation, the Congress of the South African Trade Unions (COSATU) which was held on the 6th of December 2025.
Furthermore, the CEC was convened when the ANC was also convening its National General Council under theme: The Year of Renewal to Make the ANC a More Effective Instrument of the People to Achieve the Vision of the Freedom Charter: The People Shall Govern! The People Shall Share in the Wealth of the Country!”
The ANC NGC as a midterm platform is tasked with reviewing progress in implementing the resolutions and its renewal programme of ensuring that the ANC remains the revolutionary movement of the people. However, the renewal programme leaves much to be desired, as once again, the organisation has proven that it has lost its moral and ethical compass and this is evident with scandals of corruption, factionalism, and organisational paralysis and how the organisation has continuously failed to pay our members and workers their salaries, provident fund and medical aid for months.
As NEHAWU, we condemn the ANC for its continuous failure to pay workers’ their salaries. Equally, we strongly condemn the uncomradely conduct of delegates at the NGC towards the SACP 1st Deputy General Secretary, Comrade Madala Masuku when he was delivering a message of support of the Party at the NGC.
The CEC made an in-depth assessment on the state of our National Democratic Revolution [NDR] and agreed that the past three decades in South Africa is a continuous single story of the ideological derailment of the National Democratic Revolution [NDR] based on the adoption of a rightwing macroeconomic policy agenda in cahoots with monopoly capital and the abandonment of progressive and developmental economic strategy.
The implementation of neo-liberal macroeconomic policies has reproduced the crises of unemployment, inequalities and poverty at a larger scale.
The CEC agreed that the Freedom Charter has been reduced to a fetish for celebrations during annual anniversaries but no longer regarded as the lodestar in advancing the course of National Democratic Revolution.
On the strategic way-forward for the Socialist-Axis, the CEC reaffirmed the correctness of the SACP resolution to contest elections independently in the 2026 local government elections and beyond. This resolution is an integral part of the Party’s strategic perspective, which include the tasks of building a powerful socialist movement of the workers and poor and building a left popular front, amongst others.
In this regard, the CEC directed the union to go ahead in preparing itself to embark on a massive election campaign in the 2026 local government elections in support of the SACP, as a vanguard of the working class.
Furthermore, the union will develop a comprehensive program of action inclusive of political classes, rolling-out massive political education, town based meetings for office bearers, shop stewards and members at the workplace to keep members abreast on the developments regarding the SACP contesting in 2026 local government elections.
The CEC directed the national union to support and participate in full-swing on the SACP Red People’s Caravan and its participation should be impactful and noticeable.
Socio-Economic Situation
The CEC expressed concern that the economy remains stagnant as it is expected to grow by a mere 1.2% in 2025 and this is in line with trend over the past decade due to austerity measures. The stagnation of the economy is largely as a result of the dogmatic pursuance and implementation of neo-liberal macroeconomic policies whose foundation were laid by the Growth, Employment and Redistribution [GEAR] strategy.
The CEC concluded that over the past 18 months of the Government of National Unity, in the overall there has not been any change in the direction of macroeconomic policies since the sixth administration, despite the fact that these policies have been reproducing the prevailing crisis-levels in the rates of unemployment, poverty and inequalities.
Furthermore, the CEC agreed that under the current administration, there is an intensification of the implementation of the so-called structural reforms that are intended to end the monopoly of State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) in the infrastructure network industries such as electricity, freight rail and the ports, and now these Neoliberal reforms are extended to the service delivery of water, sanitation, electricity and the roads at municipal level.
On Education, the CEC noted the announcement by the Department of Higher Education and Training that a comprehensive student funding model for higher education, specifically designed for students who fall outside the current NSFAS criteria and those who are regarded as the “missing middle” has been finalised. Furthermore, the DHET states that this funding model shall be implemented over five years and that it has already started with Phase 1 in 2025 in which it has committed an initial capitalization of the fund by R3,8 billion to support 10 000 students.
The CEC called on the DHET to desist from imposing this funding model and subject it to an engagement with students and labour at NEDLAC, which is the forum that developed the current NSFAS bursary scheme after the 2015-2017 students’ uprisings under the banner of the Fees Must Fall.
Furthermore, the CEC agreed that the union must convene the national and provincial education committees in January 2026 to prepare for the convening of the Right to Learn Campaign meetings with the Progressive Youth Alliance and other Progressive Forces to campaign against poor institutional governance for transformation and funding to ensure access in the Post-Schooling Education and Training (PSET) as part of the long-term objective of building a popular front in the education sector.
On health, the CEC agreed that the phased implementation of the NHI Act is increasingly shrouded in doubt, amidst the rolling budget cuts in healthcare that undermine the project of health system strengthening and the lack of a dedicated programme that is nationally and provincially coordinated to fill vacancies, improve occupational health and safety, raise clinical standards, ensure compliance with protocols and the availability of medicine and equipment in public hospitals and clinics.
The CEC directed the union must drive practical activities around the state of the public healthcare system as part of our NHI Campaign and the implementation of the Phase I ahead of the creation of the NHI Fund.
Furthermore, the CEC directed all provinces to sustain our Public Service Delivery Campaign in healthcare, with the national launch anchored in the Johannesburg Health District at the Helen Joseph Hospital during the first quarter of 2026.
The union will exert pressure on the management of health institutions, district authorities and provincial departments with a view to force improvements in service delivery to the certified level of the Office of Health Standards and Compliance (OHSC) in the context of a properly functioning district health system and ultimately to the level of accreditation by the NHI Fund itself. Critically, the union directed all its structures over December holidays to remain vigilant in monitoring the verification process on the full employment of the CHWs guided by the signed implementation agreement by NEHAWU and DoH including working with members towards the day of action in Forensic Pathology component of Health.
Organisational
The CEC spent a great deal of time focusing on the organisational assessment as anchored around the key main activities for the year which included; convening of provincial congress, National Organising, Servicing and Collective Bargaining Conference, 8th COSATU Central Committee and recruitment.
Indeed, the CEC proudly declared that the union successfully implemented the key organisational activities and priorities for the year. The CEC congratulated the union for the sterling job that it did in implementing the organisational priorities for the year.
As part of ramping-up the tasks leading to the 13th National Congress, the CEC agreed to step up recruitment drive targeting the healthcare workers particularly the Community Health Workers (CHWs), nurses, forensic pathologists and the emergency services personnel.
The CEC congratulated the union for victory for the permanent employment of the CHWs, who are the foot-soldiers in the strengthening of primary healthcare as a foundation for the creation of Universal Health Coverage.
Equally, the CEC directed the union to pay particular focus to State Administration in particular the Department of Home Affairs and Department of Justice and Constitutional Development as part of strengthening workplace organization.
The CEC once again condemned the unilateral hiking of the premiums by GEMS without any corresponding positive changes in the benefits. The CEC agreed convene membership meetings in the public service to obtain a mandate on the review of the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council [PSCBC] agreement that gave rise to the GEMS. This shall be coupled with a legal opinion for the stay of the implementation of the proposed subscription increments, until a solution is found.
The CEC condemned the reported corruption at the Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA) and called for expedited action against the suspended CEO upon the completion of investigations over the R1 billion “ghost contract” for new offices, irregular payments and attempts to silence whistleblowers.
Furthermore, the CEC called for an independent review of the new GEPF’s actuarial factors, in the light of the increase in the value of its Assets Under Management (AUM) by 13.1% to a record 2.69 trillion from the previous year.
Lastly, the union shall be convening its 13th National Congress on the 26th – 29th June 2026. The congress shall look at the work of the national union in the implementation of the four year programme of action.
END
Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat.
Political address by COSATU General Secretary to the DENOSA NEC in Pretoria
Solly Phetoe, COSATU General Secretary, 10 December 2025
To the President Cde Simon Hlungwani
The General Secretary Cde Kwena Manamela
The National Office Bearers of DENOSA,
The entire National Executive Committee (NEC) members.
We bring revolutionary greetings from the National Office Bearers of COSATU.
We are aware that this is the first time addressing the newly elected leadership which emerged from your national congress which was held on the 25-28 March of this year. While the leadership may have attended our CEC and we congratulated those who were in attendance, we want to extend also to the leadership collective.
Your national congress was a success as it entrenched the compliance of DENOSA with its constitution. We are raising this matter of compliance because often, the registrar is putting an eye on those unions not complying and would engage COSATU on non-compliance of some of our affiliates.
Policy trajectory - (NHI, GEMS).
Comrade president, we also want to note that this NEC is held on the sideline of an ongoing National General Council of the ANC which of course will deliberate on matters of policy, some of which affects DENOSA directly.
While most of the focus in on the local government elections next year, we should not lose sight of the fact to observe the policy proposal from the NGC. We must be vigilant of any such policy that may be against the interests of the workers in general and nurses in particular.
One such policy is on the implementation of National Health Insurance. DENOSA, as a sector focused affiliate, has always been a great advocate of NHI. Comrades, let’s keep the pressure on government and help to fight against those who are enemies of NHI.
The Medical Aid industry and the most of the private health providers do not want the present system of health funding to be disrupted because it enables them to milk the system which ultimately repels the system.
Medical aids keep pushing for more increase on monthly subscriptions and yet the user’s annual allocation finishes right in the middle of the year.
We are of the debacle in GEMS where last year they increased by 14.9% and this year they want to also increase by 9.8%. They are deliberately ignoring the proposed guide of increase from Council of Medical Schemes. The CMS proposed an increase of about 3.6% plus operational costs, but GEMS has been adamant to increase their subscriptions by more than double inflation.
We call on DENOSA, more-so as the convener of Joint Mandating Committee, to take this fight back to GEMS in rejecting this unaffordable increase.
To also rally all other JMC unions behind the call to reject GEMS. We believe that GEMS as a defined scheme and also a product of its members through the PSCBC must be affordable and should not chase profits like other Medical Schemes.
Comrades, JMC must engage in a discuss that seeks to push for GEMS to get an exemption on the 25% reserves and that such reserves should cushion members against rising subscription.
Labour Relations Act amendments.
The latest adopted revised legislative changes on the Labour Relations Act remains a pain that we must confront collectively. Schedule 8 of the LRA has been amended to allow disciplinary process soft on the side of the employer.
Our legal officer is looking into the matter to advise us on the amenable interaction to counter these effected changes. We shall also engage the CCMA to find better ways to help fight employers that will use these amendments to easily dismiss workers.
The state of COSATU and its affiliates.
Comrades, we continue to report in our CEC about the state of COSATU and its affiliates, we must indicate that we continue to make intervention where some of our affiliates are not performing well, and it is by design that we always ask for affiliates report to ensure that the support work of the federation continues. We must say that some of the affiliate’s leaders do not like this approach as they seem to think that the federation wants to police them on their affiliates’ operations.
We must reiterate the point we raised in our last visit to your NEC, that the constitution of COSATU allows for such an intervention while again upholding the autonomy and independence of unions.
Our recent Central Committee adopted an array of resolutions on organisational commission. Among them is the support initiative by those who are strong to those who are vulnerable. The CC resolved to have twinning approach in which strong unions should twin with weaker unions. In our assessment of the federation, we noted that most of public sector are more stable that traditional industrial unions. This assessment was mainly based on the two facts
- Most unions in the private sector, or the so-called industrial unions suffer a lot of massive retrenchment as compared to public sector unions.
- The composition of members in the public sector are professions and therefor can afford to pay a higher subscription that those in the private sector. An example is the union organising domestic workers which most go for a period without even paying subscriptions and without ant deduction facility.
We call on DENOSA to consider this resolution and adopt one of the struggling unions to assist them to be stable. We also want to thank DENOSA for remaining strong and focused affiliates which is not dropping in membership though there is little growth that is reported to the federation.
The State of Politics
Contesting state power is what has occupied the minds of South Africans and that the election season is commencing. Most political parties are positions themselves to win the much-needed votes from the electorate.
We are fully aware that the working class is confronted with some very difficult choices, on the one hand is the capitalist onslaught against workers, while on the other side is the job losses.
Neoliberal agenda has occupied the policy space across all sectors of the economy, and most employers are on to exploit workers.
The debate is a serious indictment on the biasness of the ANC-led government towards capital. In dealing with the question of the State and working class, please allow me to quote the words of Vladimir Lenin, in his work on ‘The State and Revolution’
“The question of the relation of the socialist proletarian revolution to the state, therefore, is acquiring not only practical political importance, but also the significance of a most urgent problem of the day, the problem of explaining to the masses what they will have to do before long to free themselves from capitalist tyranny.”
― Vladimir Lenin, The State and Revolution
The political terrain.
Comrades, this NEC is taking place within a very volatile environment in which our alliance partners, the ANC and The SACP are gearing to contest each other.
Having emerged from our Central Committee, the federation has resolved to be very careful in how we deal with the question and has requested both the ANC and The SACP to not divide the workers on this question.
Comrades, we have resolve to allow for each of our affiliates to consult their members internally and such a process will culminate into the final consolidated discussion in our coming elective congress in September 2026.
We are also aware that most political parties are waiting on the sideline to use the failures of our alliance partner the ANC as a canvassing platform for more votes. The ongoing Madlanga commission which seeks to reveal what we refer to as the capture of the security cluster (The police).
We are watching with great enthusiasm to see the outcome of that commission, and we believe we will have a chance to reflect on it in one of our CEC or any constitutional meetings. The federation has declared war on corruption and any issue that relates to it, our position remains against any tendency of corruption, and we support the commission of enquiry to get top the facts.
We still hold the view that corruption has negative impact on job creation and sometimes results in direct job losses.
Comrades, the ANC is really confronted with the renewal agenda just to be able to save itself. The NGC is at heart discussion the renewal agenda and we will await the outcomes thereof. We must also say we are invited as participants to the discussion, and we are ensuring that the voice of workers is also heard in that NGC.
Joint Mandating Committee reconfiguration.
The reconfiguration of the Joint Mandating Committee (JMC) is still underway and the NOBs are yet to interact with the report of the task team. Post the interaction, we will convene the much-awaited JMC workshop at which we plan to finalise the process.
Listening campaign.
Comrades, the CEC have declared to continue our visibility on the ground as we interact with our members through our listening campaign, and to sharply raise workers issues even with the very same volatile GNU government led by the ANC. We are not going to take it light that workers should suffer at the hands of this 7th administration government.
We will be running our listening campaign on the sideline of the January 8 celebrations of the ANC.
The focus will be on the North-West province, and we call all on our affiliates to organise workplace meeting to allow for the leadership to address them. We believe that DENOSA will lead in that space and arrange visits to hospital and healthcare centers in and around Rustenburg and Moruleng.
This is an opportunity to service our members right at the beginning of the year. The organising department will consolidate our program and deploy leaders according.
Closing
We want to wish you fruitful deliberations on this National Executive Committee meeting such that the outcomes are for a better and effective DENOSA that will continue to service its members.
We want a DENOSA that will help the federation to advance the struggle of the working class and embrace a notion of an injury to one is an injury to all. Such that when the federation call for solidarity support on one of its affiliates, then DENOSA must heed to that call.
We will continue to intervene where workers need our intervention and let us continue to use the Joint Mandating Committee as our platform to make interventions in the public service.
All the best for you NEC meeting comrades!
Amandla
International-Solidarity
International Human Rights Day: Free Lee Cheuk-yak
10 December 2025
On International Human Rights Day 2025, the ITUC is part of a global coalition calling for the release of Lee Cheuk-yan and all trade unionists and activists imprisoned for exercising their rights.
For 30 years, tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents have gathered in Victoria Park to commemorate the victims of the Tiananmen crackdown and demand accountability from the authorities. Lee Cheuk-yan, former chairperson of the Hong Kong Alliance, and Chow Hang-tung, its former vice-chairperson, have long been committed to safeguarding the memory of the Tiananmen crackdown alongside the people of Hong Kong. However, they are now facing prosecution for exercising their human rights and have been arbitrarily detained for over 1,500 days without a trial.
On World Human Rights Day, a global coalition comprising Amnesty International, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, the International Trade Union Confederation, and more than 20 other human rights, trade unions, and legal professional organisations call on the Hong Kong government to release Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan. The Hong Kong government must stop suppressing individuals who exercise their human rights and ensure that the right to peacefully commemorate 4 June is respected. Additionally, all laws that violate human rights, including the National Security Law, must be abolished.
The ITUC has joined international human rights, legal, and labour rights groups in signing this statement to the government of Hong Kong to remind the people of Hong Kong that they are not forgotten, and that those still imprisoned for exercising their freedom of expression are not alone.
______________________________
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