LOCAL ELECTIONS 2026: Cosatu breaks with exclusive ANC support to back left-wing ‘super pact’

Mike Shingange was elected as the new president of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on 14 October at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg, succeeding Zingiswa Losi, who takes over as general secretary. The leadership announcement marked the conclusion of the trade union federation’s three-day National Conference, reconvened following its collapse in September.

Shingange won with 973 votes, beating Mabutho Cele, who received 836 votes. He was emotional as he accepted the news and used his opening address to call for unity among members of the Tripartite Alliance: Cosatu, the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP). 

He announced that Cosatu would support both the ANC and the SACP in the upcoming local government elections, as well as left-leaning political parties, in a “super pact” of parties that Cosatu members would commit to voting for.

In essence, this means Cosatu members are free to vote and campaign for the party of their choice. This marks a change from Cosatu’s previous election strategy of campaigning solely for the ANC. The shift was brought on by the SACP’s decision to contest the local government elections independently for the first time. 

“The congress has affirmed its resolution of convening a Conference of the Left,” said Shingange. “Preparation will include selecting the parties that must belong to the Conference of the Left. Of course, who is left, who is more left or more right, is subjective.”

However, he continued, “The DA, the Freedom Front Plus, and all those organisations that support neoliberalism are not welcome in what we call the Conference of the Left.”

Shingange’s turbulent road to presidency

Shingange, who has a long history with trade unions, was the favourite to win. He became a member of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) in 1995 and was elected as a Cosatu national office-bearer in 2013 when he became first deputy president, a position to which he was re-elected the following year. He also serves as a Central Committee member of the SACP. 

Shingange’s election comes after the conference, first held from 14-16 September, collapsed amid fractures within the federation.

His presidential bid was threatened after Nehawu issued him with a precautionary suspension 48 hours before the conference was scheduled to begin. Once stripped of his delegate status, he was unable to run, prompting seven affiliate trade unions to withdraw their credentials. The conference collapsed after failing to reach a quorum. 

Shingange’s ability to stand for president was reinstated by the Labour Court, which ruled that the notice of suspension did not prevent him from attending the conference or running for president. 

Neither Nehawu nor Shingange disclosed the reason the suspension was issued. Speaking to Daily Maverick, Shingange did not offer more details on the suspension but confirmed that he would complete his term as president.

Cosatu’s new national office-bearers

• President: Mike Shingange. 

• First deputy president: Susan Khumalo.

• Second deputy president: Mbali Blose.

• National treasurer: Kgomotso Makhupola.

• General secretary: Zingiswa Losi.

• Deputy general secretary: Gerald Twala.

ANC approached for apology

While Cosatu officially affirmed its support for the Tripartite Alliance, some cracks were apparent during the conference. 

On Monday, the ANC national chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, walked out before his scheduled address because SACP leader Solly Mapaila was scheduled to speak after him – a break from tradition where the ANC usually speaks last. 

Newly elected General Secretary Zingiswa Losi, the previous Cosatu president, said that Mantashe, rather than the ANC, decided to walk out. She confirmed that Cosatu was disappointed with the incident and had requested a formal apology. 

“Congress called for each and every affiliate to write to the ANC [secretary-general] and raise our dissatisfaction with the behaviour of its national chair. So we will continue to engage, and we are hopeful that even the ANC itself will write to us because I think we deserve an apology, of course, from the ANC, because he represented the ANC here,” she said. 

Despite the incident, Losi confirmed that Cosatu had taken a decision “to strengthen the ANC in the Government of National Unity… to make the ANC understand that it has an obligation to be biased towards the working class. It is for us to remind ANC deployees that you are not there for just the ANC, nor for yourselves, but it is to advance the struggle of the working class.” DM