The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) will join millions of workers celebrating the 114th anniversary of its ally, the African National Congress (ANC). The Federation has been crisscrossing workplaces to engage and mobilise workers to join the ANC’s celebrations on Saturday, 10 January, where President Cyril Ramaphosa, will present the ANC’s January 8th anniversary statement at Moruleng Stadium.
It is critical that the ANC’s January 8th statement be grounded upon the very difficult challenges facing society and in particular the working class, and most importantly provide a call to action for all spheres of government as it prepares for the State of the Nation Address and the tabling of the 2026/27 Budget at Parliament. It must focus on government’s plans, working with social partners, on how to fix the state, unlock economic growth and tackle unemployment, provide relief to the poor and unemployed, and deal decisively with crime and corruption.
The January 8th statement needs to send a message to workers and society that the leadership of the ANC and government have heard their frustrations and will act accordingly, that it will lead with humility and avoid such tone death blunders of excessive salary hikes for politicians whilst many workers go unpaid.
We must at all times bear in mind that our single greatest threat as a nation is the 42.4% unemployment rate. Fix that and most other challenges begin to resolve themselves. Continue to normalise that and one day we may pay a price that no one can afford. There is a need to highlight interventions government will prioritise that will make a difference to the worker at a mine or a smelter, that will help save factories and farms.
A clear mandate needs to be fleshed out in the coming Budget. Priority needs to be given to investing in frontline public services to ensure they have the staff and tools required to deliver the quality public services that working class communities and the economy depend upon.
Particular attention needs to be paid to the state’s Achilles’ heel, local government, which is in need of massive interventions and some very tough love to ensure that municipalities fulfill their constitutional obligations. Mayors and managers who cannot deliver, must be made a public example of.
Government, Eskom and municipal employees must be commended for their remarkable successes in ending loadshedding. Similar support needs to be given to enable Eskom to plug its still huge financial losses, in particular tackling municipal debt as well as monies lost to wasteful expenditure, corruption, vandalism and cable theft. Short- and long-term solutions are urgently needed to place electricity tariffs on an affordable regime for working class communities and the economy, in particular heavy electricity users. We simply cannot afford to lose more companies or jobs.
Key to unlocking economic growth is further support for Transnet and Metro Rail, both have shown positive improvements at our ports and our rail network, but still have very far to go. A modern and efficient Transnet unlocks thousands of mining, manufacturing and agricultural jobs. A reliable Metro Rail provides cheap and quick means for 10 million urban workers to get to work whilst easing road congestion.
Government must do more to ensure that other struggling state-owned enterprises, in particular Denel, SABC, the Post Office and the Postbank are firmly set on the path to recovery and sustainability.
Mining has long been the backbone of South Africa’s economy and a major source of jobs, direct and downstream, and state revenue. December 2025 saw the opening of a new mine creating new jobs in Limpopo. This year must see action to conclude the overhauling of the mining rights application system and other measures key to attracting investment in this strategic sector.
Much has been said about our unacceptably high levels of crime and corruption. There are no shortcuts to winning this existential war. Government has to ensure that SAPS, the NPA, the courts and other law enforcement agencies have the tools they need to win this war, from working vehicles to state of the art forensics, biometrics and IT infrastructure. We can’t afford to continue to cut corners and remain a country known for high levels of violent crime and wonder why we struggle to attract the investment needed to reduce unemployment. This needs to include seeing that those who break the law go to jail.
Discussions about a bold and progressive Marshall Plan 2.0 to stimulate economic growth, provide much greater access to public and private capital, boost infrastructure investment and provide meaningful and rapid relief for struggling businesses and sectors, can no longer remain a distant wish but must become a practical reality and lead to real action.
The year 2025 highlighted the importance of South Africa expanding and diversifying trade opportunities, not only to manage the inevitable global challenges, but most importantly to expand key economic sectors and create decent jobs. Particular attention must be paid to African Continental Free Trade Area as this is where our greatest growth opportunities lay.
Whilst the long-term interventions are put in place to reach the 3% economic growth rate needed to reduce unemployment, more public and private sector employment opportunities need to be provided, from the Presidential Employment Stimulus to artisanships in the private sector to capital for start-ups.
More must be done to boost compliance with our progressive labour laws, from paying municipal workers their salaries to security guards’ pension fund contributions. We must become a society with zero tolerance towards those who break the law.
Whereas 2025 saw some hopeful green shoots emerge, 2026 must be a year of action where we see the state being fixed, economic growth rising and unemployment falling.
Issued by COSATU
Matthew Parks (COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator)
Mobile: 082 785 0687
Email: matthew@cosatu.org.za
For enquiries contact:
Zanele Sabela (COSATU Spokesperson)
079 287 5788 / 077 600 6639