Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 3 October 2025 #HappyBirthdayWFTU #Cosatu@40 #Cosatu40thAnniversary

[Norman Mampane]

 

COSATU TODAY #Cosatu40Anniversary celebration events are taking place in provinces…. #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

3 October 2025

“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”

Organize at every workplace and demand respect for labour rights Now!

Defend Jobs Now!

Join COSATU NOW!

 

Contents                      

• Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!

• COSATU Draft Deployment List for International Decent Workday – 7^th October 2025

• COSATU to host lectures in the lead up to 40^th anniversary

• South Africa
• COSATU General Secretary Input on G20 Workplace Dialogues on Dignity Advancing Positive Masculinity to End Gender-Based Violence and Harassment in the World of Work
• SACP strongly condemns anti-immigrant vigilantism, calls for working-class solidarity
• International-Workers’ Solidarity!
• COSATU marks working-class internationalism and solidarity in the age of imperialism, tariffs and class struggle on WFTU’s 80^th anniversary
• SACP strongly condemns anti-immigrant vigilantism, calls for working-class solidarity

Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics  

COSATU Draft Deployment List for International Decent Workday – 7^th October 2025

Summary of Activity on the National Day of Action per Province                 

Province		Activity		Start place and time		Venue where Memorandum will be served
Western Cape		March		Assembly point: Hanovor Street, next to CPUT E-learning, Cape town at 08:00 -10:00		To Western Cape Provincial Legislature and the City of Cape Town
Free State		March		Thabo Nkoane Circle in kgotsong   Assembly point: starting at 9h00		Handover the memorandum to Nala Municipality (Bothaville)
Eastern Cape		March (centralised)		Assembly Point is the Bisho Massacre Memorial		Handover the memorandum to Buffalo City
Gauteng		March		Assembly point: Tembisa Hospital   Assembly point: COSATU House   Assembly point: Marabastad Old Putco Depo		Handover the memorandum to Tembisa Police Station (SAPS),     Handover the memorandum to Game Store and Premier’s Office     Handover the memorandum to National Treasury, Employment and Labour, Salga and CCMA
KwaZulu Natal		March		Assembly point: Nkosi Dinuzulu Park Starting time: 11h00		Handover the memorandum Government SOEs and Employers
Limpopo		March		Assembly point: Potgietersrus Comprehensive School		Handover the memorandum Mogalakwena Municipality (Mokopane)
Northwest		March		Assembly point: Montshiwa Stadium		Handover the memorandum to North West Provincial Legislature
Mpumalanga		March		SACTWU Assembly point: Thakasile Farm SACCAWU Assembly point: Old show ground (Nelspruit)     Assembly point: ANC Office (Piet Retief)		Handover a memorandum to: Twiggy Timber Gate in Ngodwana,   Handover the memorandum to: Spar DC, Shoprite, Pick n Pay in Nelspruit Handover memorandum to PG Bison company

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COSATU to host lectures in the lead up to 40^th anniversary

Zanele Sabela, COSATU National Spokesperson, 25 September 2025

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is set the host a series of lectures in the lead up to its 40^th anniversary celebration at Dobsonville Stadium on 6 December.

 

The culmination of four years of unity talks, COSATU came into being on 1 December 1985, and brought together 33 competing unions and federations opposed to apartheid and whose common goal was to bring about a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society.

 

The Federation has been at the forefront of advancing, defending and protecting the interests and rights of workers since, and has led in the formation of the country’s progressive labour laws including workers’ rights to form trade unions, collective bargaining and to strike, minimum conditions of service, National Minimum Wage, etc.

 

From its vehement resistance of apartheid to the ushering in of the democratic dispensation and improving the economic and social wellbeing of the working class 31 years post democracy, COSATU has stood the test of time.

 

In the lead up to its 40^th anniversary in December, the Federation will host a variety of activities starting with a series of lectures by its National Office Bearers.

 

The lectures will tackle diverse subjects from COSATU’s pivotal role in gender struggles to the strike that broke the back of industry-wide exploitative labour practices as far back as 1959.  

 

Province: Mpumalanga
Date: 16 October
Venue: Ikhethelo Secondary School, Bethal     

Topic: Gert Sibande Potato Boycott      

Main Speaker: Duncan Luvuno, COSATU 2nd Deputy President

Province: Northern Cape
Date: 30 October   

Topic: COSATU and the Liberation Movement

Main Speaker: Solly Phetoe, COSATU General Secretary

Province: North-West
Date: 19 November

Topic: Strengthening Industrial Unions to build a militant COSATU        

Main Speaker: Duncan Luvuno, COSATU 2nd Deputy President

Province: Eastern Cape
Date: 20 November

Topic: COSATU and the Reconfiguration of the Alliance      

Main Speaker: Mike Shingange, COSATU 1st Deputy President

Province: Gauteng
Date: 21 November

Topic: COSATU and the Mass Democratic Movement 

Main Speaker: Zingiswa Losi, COSATU President 

 

Issued by COSATU

South Africa

COSATU General Secretary Input on G20 Workplace Dialogues on Dignity

Advancing Positive Masculinity to End Gender-Based Violence and Harassment in the World of Work

Solly Phetoe, COSATU General Secretary, 3 October 2025

Colleagues, Distinguished guests,

It is both a privilege and a moral imperative to address this G20 dialogue on dignity in the workplace, we must say, we are honored to be invited to bring the voice of COSATU into this important forum.

As COSATU, we stand firm in our conviction that the world of work must be a space of safety, respect, and equality not a battleground for gendered violence and harassment.

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is not a private issue, it is a workplace crisis. It is a crime that robs workers, especially women and gender-diverse persons, of their dignity, their income, and their right to exist free from fear. It is a systemic injustice that intersects with race, class, and economic vulnerability. And it is perpetuated by toxic masculinities that glorify dominance, silence, empathy, and punish difference.

The G20 Workplace Dialogues for Dignity remind us that dignity is not an abstract principle. It is lived or denied every day in our workplaces, our homes, and our unions. One of the most urgent threats to workplace dignity remains gender-based violence and harassment. Women workers, especially in precarious and low-paid jobs, bear the heaviest burden. But violence in the world of work does not emerge from nowhere. Let us be clear: dignity is not negotiable, It is a right and ending GBV in the world of work is not a favor it is a responsibility for everyone.

Root Causes: Patriarchy, Racism, Capitalism

We must be clear: toxic masculinity is not natural. It has been shaped by patriarchy, racism, and capitalism.

In South Africa, the migrant labour system under colonialism and apartheid forced men to leave their families and communities to work in the mines under brutal, racialised conditions. Families were torn apart, fathers absent, men humiliated and disciplined through violence. This system normalised domination and exploitation and the violence did not remain in the compounds. It spilled into communities, homes, and workplaces.

Male violence is not separate from these structures. It is born from them. That is why our fight against GBVH must always be linked to the broader struggle against patriarchy, against racism, and against the exploitative logic of capitalism itself.

Toxic Masculinity Harms Everyone

• As men, we must also recognise that toxic masculinity harms us too.
• It harms women through harassment, exclusion, and abuse.
• It poisons workplaces with fear and mistrust.

And it harms men through cycles of male-on-male violence, through pressure to suppress emotions, through silence around mental health.Too many men are told that showing vulnerability is weakness, that seeking help is shameful. This contributes to high levels of stress, depression, and tragically, suicide among men.

When we stand up against violence, we do it not only for women workers, but for ourselves, our children, for our own peace, wellbeing, and humanity.

Positive masculinity is not the absence of violence, it is the presence of care, accountability, and solidarity. It is men standing up against abuse, not standing by. It is unions educating their members, not enabling silence. It is governments funding shelters and survivor services, not cutting budgets

Comrades, as a male leader, I want to speak directly to men.

• Too often, we confuse masculinity with domination, control, or aggression. But let us be clear: that is not strength that is weakness.
• True strength is not in raising your hand against a woman, but in raising your voice against injustice.
• True masculinity is not in controlling others, but in controlling yourself.
• Positive masculinity is standing shoulder to shoulder with women comrades, not above them.

This is the transformation we need, men who reject the false power of domination and embrace the real strength of solidarity, empathy, and equality.

• The good news is that men are already stepping forward.
• COSATU Male Gender Champions are being trained alongside gender coordinators to challenge harassment, support survivors, and create safer union spaces.
• Campaigns like Men-Care are showing that care work is not women’s work alone, but men’s work too.
• In communities, men are mentoring young boys, teaching values of respect and responsibility, breaking cycles of violence.
• Male unionists are serving as allies to women workers facing harassment intervening as shop stewards and organisers, pushing for robust reporting systems, and ensuring that victims are protected, not punished.
• These actions show us that men are not only part of the problem. Men can and must be a decisive part of the solution.

From Policy to Practice

South Africa’s ratification of ILO Convention 190 on Eliminating Violence and Harassment in the world of work, was a historic victory for workers. COSATU was instrumental in mobilizing for this ratification, and we continue to push for its full implementation. C190 is not just a legal instrument, it is a political commitment to end violence and harassment in the world of work, including gender-based violence.

Trade unions have a unique role in transforming workplaces.

In South Africa, we are working to:

• Ensure safe reporting channels for GBVH.
• Train shop stewards to prevent and respond to harassment.
• Bargain for maternity protection, family leave, and recognition of care work.
• Put men’s mental health on the agenda of workplace dignity.
• Encourage male leaders to model positive masculinity and solidarity.

Lived Experiences: Workers Speak

Our members have shared harrowing stories from sexual coercion in informal sectors to psychological abuse in boardrooms. These are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a culture that normalizes violence and silences survivors. COSATU has documented these experiences and used them to inform our advocacy, our bargaining strategies, and our public campaigns.

We affirm that workplace crime, including GBV, must be treated with the same urgency as any other criminal act. It must be prosecuted, not negotiated. It must be prevented, not excused.

A Global Struggle

This is not only South Africa’s story. Around the world, patriarchy, racism, and capitalism have combined to produce cultures of violence. But around the world, workers and unions are resisting.

The G20 has the power to lead by committing to universal implementation of C190, by recognising that workplace violence is rooted in systemic inequality, and by affirming that dignity at work is a human right.

COSATU calls on all G20 nations to:

• Ratify and implement C190 with urgency
• Embed gender justice in labour law reform
• Fund workplace GBV prevention programmes
• Include trade unions in national GBV strategies
• Promote positive masculinity through education and media

Comrades, Brothers and Sisters, let me end with a challenge. Dignity is not only something we demand from employers. It is something we must live in how we treat our comrades, our colleagues, our families.

• When we let go of toxic masculinity, we free ourselves too.
• When we choose positive masculinity, we build workplaces of peace, solidarity, and equality.
• When men stand as allies, we strengthen our unions, our communities, and our societies.
• Mandatory workplace policies on GBV and harassment.
• Gender-sensitive grievance procedures.
• Training on positive masculinity and bystander intervention.
• Protection for whistleblowers and survivors.
• Criminal accountability for workplace violence.

An injury to one is an injury to all. And dignity for one must mean dignity for All.

_____________________

SACP strongly condemns anti-immigrant vigilantism, calls for working-class solidarity

Mbulelo Mandlana, SACP Head of Media, Communications and Information, 2 October 2025\

The South African Communist Party (SACP) strongly condemns the recent actions of anti-immigrant vigilante groups, such as Operation Dudula. These groups have targeted migrants and undocumented South Africans mainly in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, denying them access to essential public services and turning them away from government clinics and hospitals. This has often been done by using abusive and violent tactics. These actions, conducted with impunity, are not only inhumane but also unlawful, violating the constitutional and legal rights of all people in South Africa and undermine the principles of justice and equality enshrined in our Constitution.

Section 27(1)(a) of the Constitution of South Africa, 1996, guarantees everyone the right to access healthcare services, including reproductive healthcare. The National Health Act 61 of 2003 further reinforces that no one may be refused emergency medical treatment, regardless of nationality or documentation status. Vigilante groups claiming to distinguish between emergency and non-emergency cases lack the qualifications or authority to make such determinations or to instruct healthcare workers on patient care. Such actions undermine the rule of law and endanger public health by fostering fear, preventing people from seeking treatment, and increasing the risk of untreated communicable diseases in working-class communities.

This campaign of division has now extended beyond healthcare facilities to public schools, where children are being harassed and intimidated, and workplaces, where workers face demands to leave their jobs. These actions deepen the challenges faced by the working class, exacerbating unemployment and restricting access to education and healthcare. They sow division among workers at a time when unity is critical to address systemic inequalities.

The SACP acknowledges the widespread frustration among the working class and poor, who rely on under-resourced and understaffed public health and education systems that fail to meet their needs. This frustration is compounded by rising insecurity, inadequate policing, and poor border management practices, which have led to an increase in undocumented individuals. The failure of the Department of Home Affairs to efficiently process documentation and capture biometrics has fueled insecurity and provided fertile ground for vigilante groups like Operation Dudula and March & March to gain support among communities desperate for solutions.

The SACP 5th Special National Congress adopted a resolution on immigration, recognising the rise of xenophobia and its corrosive impact on working-class solidarity. The resolution commits the SACP to combat xenophobia, challenge misconceptions propagated by reactionary forces, and advocate for policies that address the root causes of migration. As communists, we remain unwavering in our commitment to international worker solidarity and the protection of the human and labour rights of all workers, their families, and communities, irrespective of citizenship or migration status.

We call on the Department of Home Affairs to urgently implement a comprehensive programme to document and capture the biometrics of all undocumented South Africans and non-South Africans, including those whose documentation has expired due to systemic inefficiencies. Populist vigilantism, reminiscent of apartheid-era practices such as public harassment and demands for identity documents, is not a solution. It only deepens division and distracts from the real issues of systemic inequality and poor governance.

The SACP supports the Minister of Health’s clear stance that preventing access to healthcare is unlawful and inhumane. We also stand in solidarity with the positions of progressive organisations like COSAS and education authorities that have condemned disruptions to teaching and learning caused by vigilante actions. The SACP remains committed to upholding the human rights of all, particularly the most vulnerable, in a society where the rule of law prevails for the benefit of everyone.

The justifiable frustrations of the working class must not be manipulated to target vulnerable workers but should instead be directed at policymakers who prioritise the interests of the private sector and the capitalist class. The SACP will mobilise alongside allied working-class organisations of the left and other progressive forces for national mass action, including marches to the Department of Home Affairs, to demand urgent and effective action on documentation and broader systemic failures.

The SACP calls for unity among the working class to confront these challenges collectively, reject vigilantism and xenophobia, and build a society rooted in justice, equality, and solidarity.

ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY,

FOUNDED IN 1921 AS THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF SOUTH AFRICA.

Media, Communications & Information Department | MCID

International-Solidarity   

Organizing and campaigns to revitalize trade unions in Sub-Saharan Africa

2 October, 2025

In a transforming world of work, organizing and campaigns are becoming critical strategies for trade union survival. Facing a push back from global and national capital, trade unions are developing strategies that respond to local workplaces and sectoral dynamics.

In Sub-Saharan Africa(SSA), a region characterised by high unemployment, poverty and inequality, low wages, precarious working conditions, poor health and safety standards and human and workers’ rights violations, unions are concluding that organizing and campaigns are key to their survival and improved working conditions especially in the context of declining membership.
 
The unions expressed these views at a workshop for organizers, convened from 29 September to 1 October in Boksburg, South Africa, which discussed how to strengthen trade unions using various organizing tools and campaign strategies. These included mapping industries and workplaces and identifying potential union members, recruiting, and retaining them. Identifying and engaging with key stakeholders, using national labour laws and International Labour Organization conventions especially Convention 87 (Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize) and 98 (Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining) effectively is crucial. Further, building union leaders capabilities and curbing gender-based violence and harassment are key. Emphasis was placed on strategic planning, effective communications with clear messages and use of digital platforms such as social media. 

The 25 participants from Botswana, Eswatini, Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe were trade union organizers and union leaders from IndustriALL Global Union affiliates that organize in energy, mining, diamonds, metals and engineering, textile and garment and other manufacturing industries. The workshop underscored that recruitment must pivot on unions primary mandate of protecting workers’ rights, although other benefits could be used to attract workers. The importance of the union as an organization for building solidarity and unity of the workers was key. Organizing was also described as a long-term activity to build union power and density at workplaces especially when done from the shopfloor while campaigns could be short and targeted at specific issues for impact.
 
The workshop included case studies, role plays and future organising plans, that were based on real workplace experiences and challenges that the unions were facing.
 
Global trade union networks like Barrick Gold and AngloGold Ashanti, were identified as providing opportunities for recruitment and organizing. Further, global framework agreements were an example of a transnational collective bargaining agreement that unions could campaign for.
 
Zazi Mugambi, National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa head of secretariat, and one of the participants, hailed the workshop as valuable.

“Unions are facing massive retrenchments because of the geopolitical crisis which weakens us daily. In South Africa we need to find ways to organize workers who are not unionised and increase membership to make our unions stronger.”

 
Aaron Chappell, who has diverse global experience on organizing, facilitated at the workshop with support from the Sub-Saharan Africa regional office. The workshop is the first under the IndustriALL campaigns and organizing project which was adopted by the Executive Committee in 2023 and seeks to bring synergies between organizing and campaigns.
 

“The aim is to build strong unions through effective organizing and campaigns’ strategies and tactics among trade unions in SSA and globally as this is one of the anchors of building trade union power,”

said Walton Pantland, IndustriALL organizing and campaigns director. 

______________________________

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

 

 

 

 

 

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