Media Statements

The African National Congress (ANC) National Officials met with the National Office Bearers of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in a bilateral meeting on Monday, 20 October 2025, at COSATU House, Braamfontein.

The meeting took place on a day of profound historical significance when we celebrated the centenary birthday of Isithwalandwe/Seaparankwe, Dr Tlou Theophilus Cholo, a stalwart of the liberation movement, a founding member of the South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU), the predecessor to COSATU, and a former Commander of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the former military wing of the ANC.

This remarkable coincidence between history and the present moment symbolised the continuity of the struggle for freedom, justice, and workers’ emancipation. In his conversation with the ANC President when he was conferred with the award, Ntate Cholo, an ever a loyal and disciplined cadre of the ANC reminded us that the struggle must continue and reminded us that the revolution remains a living process requiring constant vigilance, unity, and sacrifice.

The meeting was the first formal bilateral engagement between the two historical allies in some time, and was therefore both significant and timely. It reaffirmed the deep bond of comradeship and shared responsibility that the ANC and COSATU hold as partners in the National Democratic Revolution (NDR). Both organisations reflected with honesty and revolutionary maturity on the challenges confronting the movement and the working class, agreeing that this renewed engagement marks an important step in strengthening and reinvigorating the strategic alliance of the ANC, the South African Communist Party (SACP), COSATU, and the South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO). The alliance continues to bear the historic responsibility of transforming the state and fundamentally changing South Africa to the benefit of all its people.

The bilateral discussed:

• The State of the National Democratic Revolution, including the shifting balance of motive forces and the state of the working class;
• The Reconfiguration of the Alliance to ensure that it remains a united, programmatic vehicle for transformation;
• The Role of the Labour Movement in defending workers’ rights, promoting industrial development, and ensuring the redistribution of wealth in line with the Freedom Charter; and• Progress on decisions taken at previous bilaterals and their impact on the transformation agenda.

The meeting received a briefing on the ANC Local Government Action Plan and ongoing preparations for the 2026 Local Government Elections. Both organisations reaffirmed that local government is the heartbeat of the revolution in action, where the people directly experience the successes or failures of policy implementation. The ANC emphasised the importance of restoring the integrity of councillors, improving governance, and delivering quality services that change people’s lives.

The meeting also received a presentation on the ANC’s 10-Point Economic Action Plan, which outlines urgent and practical measures to accelerate inclusive growth and job creation. The Plan focuses on restoring energy security, improving the efficiency of freight and logistics, rebuilding the mining and industrial base, and strengthening the capacity of the state to implement major infrastructure projects. It further emphasises support for SMMEs and township enterprises, labour activation initiatives, and balanced regional development that expands economic participation beyond the main centres. Both organisations agreed on further engagements on the implementation of this Plan and that it must be grounded in the values of the Freedom Charter, ensuring that the transformation of the economy directly benefits the working class and advances the struggle for shared prosperity.

Furthermore, the meeting received a report on preparations for the 40th Anniversary of COSATU, to be held on the 6 December 2025 at Dobsonville Stadium, Soweto. This historic celebration will mark four decades of militant working-class struggle and service to the nation. Both the ANC and COSATU agreed that this anniversary must serve as a moment of reflection and renewal, reaffirming the role of the working class as the leading motive force in the ongoing National Democratic Revolution.

The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment to the unity and strategic coherence of the Alliance, and to the deepening of socio-economic transformation guided by the Freedom Charter. Both organisations affirmed that the ANC led Alliance remains the primary political instrument for the realisation of the people’s aspirations, and that renewal, discipline, and revolutionary morality must define its cadres in this phase of struggle.

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