May Day 2023 Provincial Venues
- FREESTATE: Venue Bethlehem Showground Time: 09h00 Contact: lumka@cosatu.org.za
- GAUTENG: Venue: Saulsville Arena, Pretoria Time: 09h00 Contact: nomthunzi@cosatu.org.za
- NORTHWEST: Venue: Colridge Stadium Time: 10h00 Contact: ruth@cosatu.org.za
- LIMPOPO: Venue: Mapodile Stadium Time: 09h00 Contact: toeki@cosatu.org.za
- KZN: Venue: Curries Fountain Stadium Contact: nokhwezi@cosatu.org.za
- EASTERN CAPE: Venue: Sisa Dukashe Stadium Time: 09h00 Contact: mkhawuleli@cosatu.org.za
- WESTERN CAPE: Venue: UWC Bellville (main event) & Middelpos Hall, Saldanha, West coast Time: 10h00 Contact: elma@cosatu.org.za
- MPUMALANGA:
- NORTHERN CAPE: Will join the rally in Bethlehem on the 01st of May 2023 Contact: thandi@cosatu.org.za
In 1986 which also marked the 100th anniversary of May Day , the five-month-old Congress of South African trade Unions staged one of the biggest-ever stay-aways to demand recognition of May Day as a paid public holiday. This action was supported by the formations of the Mass Democratic Movement under the leadership of the United Democratic Front. Workers all over the country responded to the call and more than 1,5-million workers observed COSATU’s call, joined by thousands of school pupils, students, taxi drivers, hawkers, shopkeepers, domestic workers, self-employed and unemployed people. Rallies were held in all the major cities, even though many of these were banned in advance by the state. The majority of South Africa’s workers had already unilaterally declared the day a public holiday and stayed away from work. Shocked by this wave of worker militancy, P.W. Botha responded by declaring the first Friday in May as Workers` Day, a paid public day. COSATU announced that it would stop work on both the first Friday and the real May Day. Faced with this, the apartheid regime backed down and in 1987 recognised 1st May as a public holiday. The majority of South Africa’s workers had unilaterally declared the day a public holiday, and employers bowed to these a struggles as accepted it the reality of May 1 as the worker’s day.