CONGRESS OF SOUTH AFRICAN TRADE UNIONS SECOND NATIONAL CONGRESS 15-17 JULY CONGRESS REPORT

55pp., illus., paper wraps, some foxing, stain on back cover, Cosatu, no place, 1987

COSATU’s 1987 Congress: A Defining Moment in the Labour and Liberation Struggle

Adapted from mediadon.co.za

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) held its second national congress from 14 to 18 July 1987—a landmark event in the history of South Africa’s trade union movement and the broader struggle against apartheid.

The most fiercely debated issue on the agenda was a proposal from the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) that COSATU formally adopt the Freedom Charter, a foundational document aligned with the African National Congress (ANC) that envisioned a non-racial, democratic South Africa.

This motion encountered significant opposition, most notably from the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), which tabled an alternative resolution. NUMSA urged that COSATU should instead affiliate only with large, mass-based, socialist-oriented movements, cautioning against full alignment with the Charter and its political affiliations.

Ultimately, NUM’s proposal was adopted, marking a symbolic alignment between COSATU and the ANC-led liberation movement. However, the outcome also revealed deep ideological tensions within COSATU, as many members and affiliates remained sceptical of the Charter’s political implications and the broader strategy it represented.