By Khumo Makame
The Congress of South African Trade Unions in the Northern Cape marked International Workers’ Day with a strong call for worker protection and unity in the alliance during its Workers’ Day celebrations at the Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre on 1 May 2026.
The event brought together alliance partners, including the African National Congress, South African Communist Party, and South African National Civics Organisation.
Workers’ struggles dominate May Day message
Delivering the keynote address, COSATU national treasurer Freda Oosthuysen set a strong reminder that International Workers’ Day is rooted in sacrifice.
“This day is not a day of comfort. It is born out of struggle,” she said.
Oosthuysen highlighted the scale of the country’s labour crisis, pointing to the persistent high unemployment and the rapid growth of the informal sector.
She warned that many workers remain excluded from formal employment, while others face increasing financial pressure.
She reiterated COSATU’s call for a universal basic income grant and stressed the federation’s ongoing engagement with the Reserve Bank to resist interest rate hikes that deepen household debt.
Despite current challenges, she pointed to gains such as the national minimum wage and the two-pot retirement system as evidence of organised labour’s impact.
Oosthuysen cautioned that 2026 would be a difficult year, with multiple wage negotiations underway, and growing political strain within the alliance threatening the future of the national democratic project.
Alliance unity under pressure
In its message of support, SANCO linked the recent Freedom Day commemorations to present-day socio-economic realities. While recognising democratic progress, the Organisation warned that worsening conditions for workers could erode those gains.
“The movement is crumbling, and if we do not take steps to reunite, all our labour laws and gains will be reversed,” a SANCO representative said, calling for renewed unity and a stronger focus on the social economy.
Speaking on behalf of the ANC’s National Executive Committee, Febe Potgieter-Gqubule pointed to more than a decade of weak economic growth, rising poverty and unemployment, and ongoing service delivery challenges in the Northern Cape. She also reaffirmed support for the National Health Insurance as a necessary intervention in a deeply unequal healthcare system.
The SACP, Norman Shushu, echoed concerns about inequality, unemployment, and privatisation, warning that the transfer of public services into private hands undermines workers and communities. The party reaffirmed its commitment to the alliance and to advancing the interests of the workers.
The May Day rally concluded with a unified call for stronger collaboration among alliance partners to defend workers’ rights amid mounting economic and political pressures.
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