Congress of South African Trade Unions

2025-07-19T12:57:13Z

105.245.20.98: /* Current affiliates */

{{Short description|South African trade union federation}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox union
| name = COSATU
| location_country = South Africa
| affiliation = [[International Trade Union Confederation|ITUC]] [[World Federation of Trade Unions|WFTU]] [[ICFTU African Regional Organisation|ICFTU-AFRO]]
| members = 2,193,965
| full_name = Congress of South African Trade Unions
| native_name =
| image = [[Image:COSATU logo.svg|150px]]
| founded = {{start date and age|1985|11|30|df=y}}
| dissolved =
| merged =
| headquarters = Cosatu House 110 Jorissen Street [[Johannesburg]] [[Gauteng]]
| key_people = [[Zingiswa Losi]], President [[Solly Phetoe]], General Secretary
| website = [http://www.cosatu.org.za/ www.cosatu.org.za]
| footnotes =
}}

{{Apartheid}}
[[File:COSATU state capture protest.jpg|thumb|A COSATU organised protest in Cape Town calling for an end to [[state capture]] and for the prosecution of those involved in the administration of President [[Jacob Zuma]].]]
The '''Congress of South African Trade Unions''' ('''COSATU''' or '''Cosatu''') is a [[trade union]] federation in [[South Africa]]. It was founded in 1985 and is the largest of the country's three main trade union federations, with 21 affiliated trade unions.<ref group=note>One Union expelled, and seven Unions voluntarily suspended their participation in COSATU</ref><ref name="fin24.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.fin24.com/Economy/Labour/News/More-unions-quit-Cosatus-exec-body-20141110|title=More unions quit Cosatu's exec body|website=fin24.com|access-date=9 April 2018}}</ref>

==History==
===Founding and early history===
On 30 November 1985, 33 unions met at the [[University of Natal]] for talks on forming a federation of trade unions.<ref name="sahistory.org.za">{{cite web|url=http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/congress-south-african-trade-unions-cosatu|title=Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)|last=tinashe|date=8 December 2011|website=sahistory.org.za|access-date=9 April 2018}}</ref> This followed four years of unity talks between competing unions and federations that were opposed to [[apartheid]] and were "committed to a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa." COSATU was officially established on 1 December 1985.<ref name="SA History">{{cite web |url=http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/congress-south-african-trade-unions-cosatu |title=Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) |last1=South African History Online |website=sahistory.org.za |access-date=15 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="Cosatu History">{{cite web |url=http://www.cosatu.org.za/show.php?ID=925 |title=Brief History of Cosatu |last1=Cosatu |website=cosatu.org.za |access-date=15 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627230639/http://www.cosatu.org.za/show.php?ID=925 |archive-date=27 June 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Among the founding unions were the affiliates of the [[Federation of South African Trade Unions]] (FOSATU),<ref name="Future">{{cite book |last=Friedman |first=Michelle |title="The Future is in the Hands of the Workers": A History of Fosatu |url=http://www.historicalpapers.wits.ac.za/docs/fosatu/fosatu.pdf |access-date=15 July 2013 |year=2010 |publisher=Mutloatse Heritage Trust |location=Johannesburg |isbn=978-09869833-1-3 |page=122–124}}</ref> the small [[National Federation of Workers]],<ref name="history">{{cite web |title=Directory: South Africa's Independent Unions |url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/sites/default/files/archive-files/LaJan86.0377.5429.011.003.Jan1986.16.pdf |website=South African History Online |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref> and some independent unions, notably the [[National Union of Mineworkers (South Africa)|National Union of Mineworkers]]. [[Elijah Barayi]] was the organisation's first president and [[Jay Naidoo]] the first general secretary.<ref name="sahistory.org.za"/>

Several resolutions were passed at this first meeting that defined the aim of the federation and how the federation operates, namely:<ref name="sahistory.org.za"/>
* To establish one union for each industry within six months.
* To focus on the exploitation of women workers.
* To call for the lifting of the state of emergency, withdrawal of troops from the townships and release of all political prisoners.
* To continue the call for international pressure, including disinvestment.
* To demand for the right to strike and picket.
* To determine a national minimum wage.
* To extend the struggle for trade union rights in the homelands.

On 5–6 May 1987 a strike as part of COSATU's Living Wage Campaign was held coinciding with [[1987 South African general election|1987 General Election]]. More than 2.5 million workers took part in the stay-away. On 7 May 1987, in the early hours of the morning two bombs exploded near the support columns in the basement of the federation headquarters, COSATU House. The resulting damage caused the building to be declared unsafe.<ref name="sahistory.org.za"/>

===Fight against Apartheid===
At the second national congress held from 14 to 18 July 1987, the [[Freedom Charter]] was adopted by the federation after the resolution was proposed by the [[National Union of Mineworkers (South Africa)|National Union of Mineworkers]]<ref name="sahistory.org.za"/>

At the third congress held from 12 to 16 July 1989, a resolution was adopted that called on the members of COSATU to join a campaign of "sustained action" against apartheid, in the week leading up to the [[1989 South African general election|1989 General Election]] of South Africa.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wren |first1=Christopher S. |title=South African Labor Federation, Defying Pretoria, Calls for Protests |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/17/world/south-african-labor-federation-defying-pretoria-calls-for-protests.html |access-date=4 November 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=17 July 1989 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219202652/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/17/world/south-african-labor-federation-defying-pretoria-calls-for-protests.html |archive-date=19 December 2017}}</ref>

On 26 July 1989, COSATU, the [[United Democratic Front (South Africa)|United Democratic Front]] and the [[Mass Democratic Movement]], instigated the National Defiance Campaign, in which facilities reserved for whites were invaded, and organisation that had been banned by the state declared themselves 'unbanned'.<ref name="sahistory.org.za"/>

===Post apartheid activities===
{{expand-section|date=January 2023}}
The COSATU congress decided in 2012 to affiliate with the [[class struggle|class-struggle]] oriented [[World Federation of Trade Unions]], while maintaining its membership within the [[International Trade Union Confederation]].

During the 2016 Congress that was held in Durban, Michael Mzwandile Makwayiba, president of COSATU affiliate NEHAWU Michael Mzwandile Makwayiba was elected President of the World Federation of Trade Unions.

By 2012 the trade union had a total of 2,191,016 members and 20 affiliated unions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=COSATU`s membership: All the facts - DOCUMENTS {{!}} Politicsweb |url=https://www.politicsweb.co.za/documents/cosatus-membership-all-the-facts |access-date=2024-07-18 |website=www.politicsweb.co.za |language=en}}</ref> Since then Cosatu experienced a large drop in membership partially due to a decline in affiliate membership numbers,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Malobola |first=Bomkazi |date=29 September 2022 |title=The number of unions affiliated to Cosatu declines: Report |url=https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/the-number-of-unions-affiliated-to-cosatu-declines-report/ |website=SABC News}}</ref> between 2015 and 2022 it lost over 416 000 members.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 September 2022 |title=Cosatu continues to bleed members |url=https://www.iol.co.za/sundayindependent/news/cosatu-continues-to-bleed-members-9ab3a3dc-f53d-47ac-9460-a95929ff95e4 |website=IOL}}</ref>

==Affiliates==
===Current affiliates===
The following unions were listed by COSATU as their affiliates:<ref>{{cite web |title=Organisational Report on the Federation's Activities Consolidated Departmental and Provincial Reports Towards the COSATU 13th National Congress |url=http://mediadon.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Book-3-Organisational-Activity-Report-13th-COSATU-National-Congress-Consolidated-Departmental-and-Provincial-Reports-Final-For-PRINT.docx |website=COSATU |access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Union !! Abbreviation !! Founded !! Membership (2014)<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ashman |first1=Sam |title=The Social Crisis of Labour and the Crisis of Labour Politics in South Africa |journal=Revue Tiers Monde |date=2015 |volume=224 |issue=4|page=47 |doi=10.3917/rtm.224.0047 |s2cid=155766018 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
|-
| [[Agricultural Food and Allied Democratic Workers Union]] || AFADWU || 2016 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers' Union]] || CEPPWAWU || 1999 || 80,331
|-
| [[Communication Workers Union (South Africa)|Communication Workers Union]] || CWU || 1999 || 22,007
|-
|-
| [[Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa]] || DENOSA || 1996 || 81,319
|-
| [[National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union]] || NEHAWU || 1987 || 277,317
|-
| [[National Union of Mineworkers (South Africa)|National Union of Mineworkers]] || NUM || 1982 || 270,649
|-
| [[Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union]] || POPCRU || 1989 || 149,339
|-
| [[Public and Allied Workers Union of South Africa]] || PAWUSA || 1967 || 17,146<ref name="2012figure">Figure is for 2012</ref>
|-
| [[South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union]] || SACCAWU || 1975 || 120,352
|-
| [[Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union]] || SACTWU || 1989 || 85,000
|-
| [[South African Democratic Teachers Union]] || SADTU || 1990 || 253,039
|-
| [[South African Emergency Personnel's Union]] || SAEPU || 2006 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[South African Medical Association Trade Union]] || SAMATU || 1998 || 8,166
|-
| [[South African Municipal Workers' Union]] || SAMWU || 1987 || 161,490
|-
| [[SASBO – The Finance Union]] || SASBO || 1916 || 66,539
|-
| [[South African Transport and Allied Workers Union]] || SATAWU || 2000 || 152,254
|}

===Former affiliates===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Union !! Abbreviation !! Founded !! Left !! Reason not affiliated !! Membership (1985)<ref name="baskin">{{cite book |last1=Baskin |first1=Jeremy |title=Striking back: A history of COSATU |date=1991 |publisher=Verso |location=London |isbn=0860913457 |page=55}}</ref> !! Membership (1993)<ref name="catchpowle">{{cite book |last1=Catchpowle |first1=Lesley |title=A Case Study of the South African Municipal Workers' Union (SAMWU) in the Western Cape (1992-1997) |date=2002 |publisher=University of Greenwich |location=Greenwich |url=https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/8615/5/Lesley%20Catchpowle%202002%20-%20redacted.pdf |access-date=18 March 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[Amalgamated Black Workers' Union]]|| ABWU || 1984 || 1986 || Merged into TGWU || 1,000 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union of South Africa]] || ACTWUSA || 1987 || 1989 || Merged into SACTWU || ''N/A'' || ''N/A''
|-
| Brick, Clay and Allied Workers' Union || BRICKAWU || || 1987 || Merged into CAWU || 748 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[Cape Town Municipal Workers' Association]] || CTMWA || 1928 || 1987 || Merged into SAMWU || 11,097 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[Chemical Workers' Industrial Union]] || CWIU || 1974 || 1999 || Merged into CEPPWAWU || 20,700 || 41,462
|-
| Cleaning Services and Allied Workers' Union || CSAWU || || || Merged into TGWU || 850 || ''N/A''
|-
| Commercial and Distributive Workers' Union || CDWU || || || || 1,600 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[Construction and Allied Workers' Union]] || CAWU || 1987 || 2001 || Merged into NUM || ''N/A'' || 24,300
|-
| [[Food and Allied Workers Union]] || FAWU || 1986 || 2016 || Disaffiliated || ''N/A'' || 121,534
|-
| [[Food and Canning Workers' Union]] || FCWU || 1941 || 1986 || Merged into FAWU || 26,455 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[General and Allied Workers' Union]] || GAWU || 1980 || 1987 || Merged into NEHAWU || 19,076 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[General Workers' Union (South Africa)|General Workers' Union]] || GWU || 1977 || 1986 || Merged into TGWU || 20,000 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[General Workers' Union of South Africa]] || GWUSA || 1981 || 1987 || Dissolved || 2,905 || ''N/A''
|-
| Health and Allied Workers' Union || HAWU || || 1987 || Merged into NEHAWU || 1,111 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[Hotel and Restaurant Workers' Union (South Africa)|Hotel and Restaurant Workers' Union]] || HARWU || 1926 || 1990 || Merged into SACCAWU || || ''N/A''
|-
| Institute of Public Servants || IPS || || || || ''N/A'' || ''N/A''
|-
| [[Liberated Metalworkers' Union of South Africa]] || LIMUSA || 2015 || 2021 || Merged into NUM || ''N/A'' || ''N/A''
|-
| [[Metal and Allied Workers' Union]] || MAWU || 1973 || 1987 || Merged into NUMSA || 38,789 || ''N/A''
|-
| Motor Assembly and Component Workers' Union of South Africa || MACWUSA || 1982 || 1987 || Merged into NUMSA || 3,100 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[Municipal Workers' Union of South Africa]] || MWUSA || 1982 || 1987 || Merged into SAMWU || 9,249 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[Musicians Union of South Africa]] || MUSA || 1994 || 2014 || Merged into CWUSA || ''N/A'' || ''N/A''
|-
| [[National Automobile and Allied Workers' Union]] || NAAWU || 1980 || 1987 || Merged into NUMSA || 20,338 || ''N/A''
|-
| National General Workers' Union of South Africa || NGWUSA || 1984 || || || 6,037 || ''N/A''
|-
| National Iron, Steel and Metal Workers' Union || NISMAWU || 1980 || 1986 || Merged into MAWU || 976 || ''N/A''
|-
| National Post Office and Allied Workers' Union || NAPAWU || || || || 2,163 || ''N/A''
|-
| National Unemployed Workers Co-ordinating Committee || NUWCC || 1987 || 1991 || Dissolved || ''N/A'' || ''N/A''
|-
| [[National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa]] || NUMSA || 1987 || 2014 || Expelled<ref name="mg.co.za">{{cite web|url=http://mg.co.za/article/2014-11-08-numsa-expelled-from-cosatu|title=Numsa expelled from Cosatu|first=Qaanitah|last=Hunter|website=Mail & Guardian|date=8 November 2014 |access-date=9 April 2018}}</ref> || 100,000 || 253,796
|-
| National Union of Printers and Allied Workers || NUPAWO || 1984 || 1987 || Merged into PPWAWU || || ''N/A''
|-
| [[National Union of Textile Workers (South Africa)|National Union of Textile Workers]] || NUTW || 1973 || 1987 || Merged into ACTWUSA || 23,241 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers' Union]] || PPWAWU || 1974 || 1999 || Merged into CEPPWAWU || 11,856 || 37,951
|-
| [[Performing Arts Workers' Equity]] || PAWE || || 2014 || Merged into CWUSA || ''N/A'' || ''N/A''
|-
| [[Post and Telecommunication Workers' Association]] || POTWA || 1986 || 1996 || Merged into CWU || ''N/A'' || 23,081
|-
| Retail and Allied Workers' Union || RAWU || 1984 || 1986 || Merged into FAWU || 3,830 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[South African Agricultural Plantation and Allied Workers Union]] || SAAPAWU || 1995 || 2004 || Merged into FAWU || ''N/A'' || ''N/A''
|-
| [[South African Allied Workers' Union]] || SAAWU || 1978 || 1987 || Merged into NEHAWU || 25,032 || ''N/A''
|-
| South African Domestic Workers' Association || SADWA || 1981 || 1986 || Merged into SADWU || 4,500 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[South African Domestic Workers' Union]] || SADWU || 1986 || 1998 || Dissolved || ''N/A'' || 16,172
|-
| [[South African Football Players Union]] || SAFPU || 1997 || 2016 || Disaffiliated || ''N/A'' || ''N/A''
|-
| South African Mineworkers' Union || SAMWU || 1983 || 1987 || Dissolved || 3,029 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[South African Railways and Harbours Union]] || SARHWU || 1936 || 2000 || Merged into SATAWU || 8,220 || 41,081
|-
| South African Scooter Transport and Allied Workers' Union || SASTAWU || 1981 || 1986 || Merged into TGWU || 4,700 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[South African State and Allied Workers' Union]] || SASAWU || 2000 || 2015 || Disaffiliated || ''N/A'' || ''N/A''
|-
| South African Textile and Allied Workers' Union || SATAWU || 1984 || 1988 || Merged into GAWU || 1,900 || ''N/A''
|-
| South African Tin Workers' Union || SATWU || 1937 || || || 581 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[Sweet, Food and Allied Workers' Union]] || SFAWU || 1974 || 1986 || Merged into FAWU || 19,596 || ''N/A''
|-
| [[Transport and General Workers' Union (South Africa)|Transport and General Workers' Union]] || TGWU || 1973 || 2000 || Merged into SATAWU || 11,000 || 38,036
|-
| United Mining, Metal and Allied Workers of South Africa || UMMAWOSA || 1983 || 1987 || Merged into NUMSA || 8,335 || ''N/A''
|}

==Expulsion of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa==
On 8 November 2014, [[Irvin Jim]], the general secretary of the largest COSATU affiliate,<ref name="citizen.co.za">{{Cite web |url=http://citizen.co.za/271622/numsa-will-fight-expulsion-cosatu/ |title=Numsa will fight expulsion from Cosatu | the Citizen |access-date=8 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108100620/http://citizen.co.za/271622/numsa-will-fight-expulsion-cosatu/ |archive-date=8 November 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the [[National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa]] (NUMSA), announced that the union had been expelled from the COSATU after a vote at a special central executive committee had been convened resulting in a 33–24 vote in favour of the expulsion.<ref name="mg.co.za"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/Numsas-expulsion-from-Cosatu-painful-20141108|title=Numsa's expulsion from Cosatu 'painful'|website=news24.com|access-date=9 April 2018}}</ref> NUMSA was charged with violating the constitution of COSATU<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fin24.com/Economy/Labour/News/No-fair-hearing-for-Numsa-says-Jim-20141106|title=No fair hearing for Numsa, says Jim|website=fin24.com|access-date=9 April 2018}}</ref>

On 6 November 2014, an urgent legal application by NUMSA to prevent the special central executive committee from being convened was postponed by South Gauteng High Court, thus allowing the meeting to take place.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fin24.com/Economy/Labour/News/Numsa-expulsion-Cosatu-meeting-to-go-ahead-20141106|title=Numsa expulsion: Cosatu meeting to go ahead|website=fin24.com|access-date=9 April 2018}}</ref>

On 10 November 2014, 7 unions announced they were voluntarily suspending their participation in COSATU's decision-making bodies due to the expulsion of NUMSA and called for a special national congress to be convened.<ref name="fin24.com"/>

Irvin Jim described the expulsion as "a dark day for workers".<ref name="citizen.co.za"/>

==Government==
COSATU is part of an alliance with the [[African National Congress|ANC]] and the [[South African Communist Party]], called the "[[Tripartite Alliance]]". COSATU's role in the alliance has been the subject of debate, since the organisation has been critical of some of the ANC government's policies. While some affiliates have argued for greater independence from the ruling political party, others have argued that the arrangement gives COSATU a political influence beneficial to its members."<ref>[http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20100828072655675C916446 Zuma slammed as strike builds], ''The Star'', 28 August 2010</ref>

==Labour and social movements==

South Africa has one of the largest [[AIDS pandemic#Sub-Saharan Africa|incidence of HIV/AIDS]] in the world, with a 2005 estimate of 5.5-million people living with HIV – 12.4% of the population.<ref>{{cite web
|title=2006 Report on the global AIDS epidemic
|website=[[UNAIDS]]
|url=http://www.unaids.org/en/HIV_data/2006GlobalReport/default.asp
|access-date=2006-07-11
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060712195008/http://www.unaids.org/en/HIV_data/2006GlobalReport/default.asp
|archive-date=12 July 2006
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| title=Country profile - South Africa
| website=[[ILO#HIV/AIDS|ILOAIDS]]
| url=http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/trav/aids/countryprofile/sa.htm
| access-date=2006-07-11
}}</ref> In 2020, around 20.6-million people in eastern and southern Africa were living with HIV.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Pillay |first1=Yogan |last2=Venter |first2=Francois |last3=Hassan |first3=Fatima |date=2022-03-30 |title=What is the use of anti-HIV injections when those who need it most can't use it? |url=https://bhekisisa.org/article/2022-03-30-what-is-the-use-of-anti-hiv-injections-when-those-who-need-it-most-cant-use-it/ |access-date=2022-03-30 |website=Bhekisisa |language=en-US}}</ref> The trade union movement has taken a role in combating this pandemic. COSATU is a key partner in the [[Treatment Action Campaign]] (TAC), a registered charity and political force working to educate and promote understanding about HIV/AIDS, and to prevent new infections, as well as push for greater access to [[antiretroviral drug|antiretrovirals]]. In 1998, COSATU passed a resolution to campaign for treatment. "It was clear to the labour movement at that time that its lowest paid members were dying because they couldn’t afford medicines", says Theodora Steel, Campaigns Coordinator at COSATU. "We saw TAC as a natural ally
in a campaign for treatment. We passed a formal resolution at our congress to assist and build TAC.<ref>{{cite web
| title=Stepping back from the edge
| website=UNAIDS
| url=http://whqlibdoc.who.int/unaids/2004/9291733237.pdf
| access-date=2006-07-11
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060215184214/http://whqlibdoc.who.int/unaids/2004/9291733237.pdf
| archive-date=15 February 2006
| url-status=dead
}}</ref>

Notwithstanding the formal alliance of COSATU with the ruling ANC party, it has been at odds with the government, calling for the roll-out of comprehensive public access to antiretroviral drugs.<ref>{{cite web
| title=South African Union Boss Demands Government Supply Anti-AIDS Drugs
| website=The Body.com
| url=http://www.thebody.com/cdc/news_updates_archive/feb20_02/cosatu_aids.html
| access-date=2006-07-11
}}</ref>

[[Abahlali baseMjondolo]] offered a strong statement of support to the 2010 Public Sector Worker's strike.<ref>[http://observers.france24.com/en/content/20100819-south-africa-strikes-unions-block-hospitals Hospitals blocked as South African unions resume massive strikes], Sipho January, Observer, 19 August 2010</ref>

==Logo==
The wheel in the logo represents the economy. The gold colour of the wheel represents the wealth of the country. The figures pushing the wheel, consisting of two men and a woman carrying a baby, represent the challenges that workers face namely, racial and gender oppression as well as economic exploitation. These figures are black as they represent the black majorities struggle against racial oppression. The figures are holding a red flag that represents the working class.<ref name="cosatu.org.za">{{cite web|url=http://www.cosatu.org.za/show.php?ID=925|title=History of COSATU|website=cosatu.org.za|access-date=9 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627230639/http://www.cosatu.org.za/show.php?ID=925|archive-date=27 June 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The slogan on the logo is "An injury to one is an injury to all" signifies the vision the union has of social solidarity that binds the working class.<ref name="cosatu.org.za"/>

==Zimbabwe==
{{Update section|date=May 2010}}
In October 2004 and February 2005 COSATU sent delegations to [[Zimbabwe]] to judge conditions in that country before the [[2005 Zimbabwe parliamentary elections]]. They were expelled from the country on both occasions.

COSATU has arranged protests and border blockades against the regime in [[Harare]].

In 2016, COSATU voiced support for #ThisFlag protestors in Zimbabwe, stating "heavy-handedness of the Zanu-PF regime in dealing with perceived enemies was similar to that of Operation Restore Order/Murambatsvina in 2005."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cosatu breaks ranks with ANC over Zim protests |url=https://www.news24.com/News24/cosatu-breaks-ranks-with-anc-over-zim-protests-20160713 |access-date=2022-03-30 |website=News24 |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Palestine activism ==
In 2020, COSATU voiced their solidarity with Palestinian peoples on 15 May ([[Nakba Day]]) and have linked the Palestinian right to land to COSATU's struggle against apartheid in South Africa.<ref>{{Cite web |title=COSATU condemns Israel impunity and annexation of Palestinian territories |url=https://www.polity.org.za/article/cosatu-condemns-israel-impunity-and-annexation-of-palestinian-territories-2020-06-03 |access-date=2022-03-30 |website=polity.org.za |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lynk |first=Michael |date=25 March 2022 |title=Israel's 55-year occupation of Palestinian Territory is apartheid – UN human rights expert |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/03/israels-55-year-occupation-palestinian-territory-apartheid-un-human-rights |access-date=30 March 2022 |publisher=United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner}}</ref> In 2021 Palestinians protested against an Israeli court ruling which stated that residents of [[Sheikh Jarrah|Sheik Jarrah]] need to be evicted from their homes in Jerusalem.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Israeli-Palestinian Conflict |url=https://cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/israeli-palestinian-conflict |access-date=2022-03-30 |website=Global Conflict Tracker |language=en}}</ref> Israeli troops attacked [[Al-Aqsa]] during [[Ramadan]], a holy month for many Palestinians. COSATU marched to the [https://za.usembassy.gov/ US Embassy in Sandton, Johannesburg] as a show of support for Palestinians, stating that the US government needs to recognize the sovereignty of Palestine as well as the gross human rights violations against Palestinians.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ndlovu |first=Siyanda |date=18 March 2021 |title=Cosatu bashes US foreign policy on Palestine, Israeli territories |url=https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/politics/2457788/cosatu-bashes-us-foreign-policy-on-palestine-israeli-territories/ |access-date=30 March 2022 |website=The Citizen}}</ref>

==Current officeholders==
National Office Bearers:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cosatu.org.za/show.php?ID=1026|title=National Office Bearers|website=cosatu.org.za|access-date=9 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120810055312/http://www.cosatu.org.za/show.php?ID=1026|archive-date=10 August 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* President: Zingiswa Losi
* First Deputy-President: Mike Shingange
* Second Deputy-President: Duncan Luvuno
* Secretary General: Solly Phetoe
* Deputy General Secretary: Gerald Twala
* Treasurer: Freda Oosthuysen

Provincial Secretaries:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cosatu.org.za/contact.php?p=2|title=Welcome to the Congress of South African Trade Unions website|website=cosatu.org.za|access-date=9 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180409110213/http://www.cosatu.org.za/contact.php?p=2|archive-date=9 April 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Eastern Cape: Mkhawuleli Maleki
* Free State: Tiisetso Mahlatsi
* Gauteng: Louisa Modikwe
* KwaZulu-Natal: Edwin Mkhize
* Limpopo: Hangwani Mashao
* Mpumalanga: Thabo Mokoena
* North West: Kabelo Kgoro
* Northern Cape: Orapeleng Moraladi
* Western Cape: Malvern de Bruyn

== See also ==
{{Portal|Organized labour}}
* [[Trade unions in South Africa]]
* [[1973 Durban strikes]]
* [[2007 South African public servants' strike]]
* [[Siphiwe Mvuyane]]
* [[John Gomomo]]

== Further reading ==
* [[Jeremy Baskin]], Striking Back: A history of Cosatu, Routledge (September 1991), an account of COSATU's early years from 1985 until the release of [[Nelson Mandela]] in 1990

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.cosatu.org.za/ Official homepage]
* [http://groups-beta.google.com/group/COSATU-Daily-News COSATU Daily News] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706160016/http://groups-beta.google.com/group/COSATU-Daily-News |date=6 July 2008 }}
*cosatu Twitter @_cosatu
* [https://groups.google.com/group/COSATU-press COSATU Press Releases]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041013013128/http://www.southafrica.info/doing_business/economy/fiscal_policies/tradeunions.htm South Africa Info: Trade Unions in South Africa]

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