COSATU Call Center Number 010 002 2590

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has recently launched a new call center to provide much-needed assistance to workers facing labour-related challenges. This dedicated resource aims to offer support, information, and guidance to both members of COSATU-affiliated unions and unorganized workers, ensuring that they have a place to turn for help with workplace issues.

Bio-Zingiswa Losi

Biography of Zingiswa Losi

Growing up in a family deeply engaged in activism, Zingiswa Losi’s political consciousness was shaped early on. Her journey into politics began in her school years with the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) and continued through her involvement in the ANC Youth League in the Eastern Cape. “I became politically aware at the age of 10 when my two brothers went into exile, little did I know I would follow them in time,” she reflects.

Losi’s commitment to her cause was further demonstrated by her service as a trained soldier in the South African Defence Force (SANDF) for three years. Her experiences in the military were poignant, particularly regarding the challenging conditions faced by lower-ranking soldiers. She vividly describes the situation at the Union Buildings as a “gunpowder keg,” indicating long-standing issues with working conditions that the government has been slow to address. Losi believes that it is critical for the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) leadership to prevent the de-unionisation of SANDF members, emphasising the legitimacy of the soldiers’ concerns that have remained unresolved since the post-1994 integration process.

After leaving the SANDF, Losi joined Ford Motor Company in Port Elizabeth in 2002, where she worked as an operator in the engine components and assembly division, later advancing to a quality inspector. In the same year, she also became a NUMSA shop steward at the plant and was actively involved in various NUMSA committees focused on finance and education in the Eastern Cape region.

As a senior leader in COSATU, Losi is acutely aware of the challenges facing the Federation. She emphasises the need to build a robust Federation with well-informed shop stewards and leaders, strong branches, and empowered affiliates. She is particularly passionate about increasing female representation in leadership roles within the Federation, seeing it as essential not just for gender equity but for broader societal transformation. Another issue that Losi highlighted as critical for the current COSATU leadership is to ensure that women swell the ranks of the federation’s leadership “I would love to see women taking their rightful place in the federation not for the purposes of achieving gender equity, but for the transformation of the broader society. This will go a long way towards eradicating the patriarchal tendencies that still exist in our society,”

While Losi has a passion for drawing, she has had to set this aside to focus on her responsibilities within the federation. She values spending quality time with her family as a counterbalance to her demanding role.

In 2018, Losi was elected as the President of COSATU, succeeding Sidumo Dlamini, and she was re-elected in 2022. Her leadership extends beyond COSATU as she also holds the position of President of the Southern African Trade Union Coordinating Council (SATUCC) and has been re-elected to this role in October 2022. Additionally, she is a member of the International Trade Union Confederation’s (ITUC) General Council and ITUC-Africa. Furthermore, in June 2024, Losi was elected to the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO) for the term 2024 – 2027.