Comrades, leaders, Amandla!

Let me start by greeting the leadership of SATAWU. President, General Secretary, Deputy General Secretary, Treasurer, and the entire National Office Bearers, we salute you. I greet the leadership of COSATU present here today. I greet the leaders of our Alliance – the ANC and SACP. I greet our comrades from government. Most importantly, I greet every SATAWU shop steward, organiser, and worker who is here. Without you, there is no SATAWU, and there is no COSATU.

Comrades, congratulations. Congratulations to SATAWU for organising this golf day fundraiser. We know times are tough. Workers are struggling. Unions are struggling. But you did not sit down and cry. You stood up and raised funds. That is the spirit we need.

But comrades, let us be clear. This money is not for fancy offices. This money is not for leaders to live well. This money must be used for one thing only: to rebuild SATAWU as a militant, fighting union. A union that is on the ground. A union that services workers every single day. A union that makes bosses afraid and workers proud.

Why? Because a strong and vibrant SATAWU is key to a strong and vibrant COSATU. When SATAWU is weak, COSATU is weak. When SATAWU is strong, COSATU is strong. When SATAWU fights, the whole Federation fights. We cannot build a powerful COSATU without a powerful SATAWU. It is as simple as that.

So what must we do? SATAWU must invest this money in its organisational capacity. We must take SATAWU’s membership back to 100 000 members. That is the target. 100 000 workers. Organised. United. Militant.

How do we get there? Three things. First, active campaigns on the ground. Not in boardrooms. On the ground. At the taxi rank. At the station. At the port. At the depot. Where workers are. Second, defend collective bargaining. No to wage freezes. No to retrenchments. No to outsourcing. We fought for collective bargaining. We will die defending it. Third, service members. When a member is dismissed, SATAWU must be there. When a member is not paid, SATAWU must be there. When a member is victimised, SATAWU must be there. Service is not a favour. It is our duty.

Comrades, we must launch dedicated recruitment and servicing campaigns. Let me be specific.

One: Security guards. Thousands of security guards in this country work under terrible conditions. 12-hour shifts. No benefits. R3000 a month. Most of them are not unionised. The bosses exploit them because they are alone. SATAWU must go to every mall, every government building, every warehouse. Organise them. Defend them. SATAWU must become the home of security guards.

Two: Transnet. Transnet is the backbone of our economy. Without Transnet, there is no mining. No manufacturing. No agriculture. Thousands of jobs depend on it. But today Transnet is broken. Trains are not moving. Ports are delayed. Workers are suffering. SATAWU must run a campaign to reassert itself as the majority union at Transnet. And SATAWU must fight to ensure Transnet is returned to full capacity. This is not a Transnet issue. This is a workers’ issue. If Transnet dies, jobs die.

Three: Metro Rail. Every day, more than 10 million urban commuters use trains. Who are they? Workers. Domestic workers. Cleaners. Factory workers. Without trains, they cannot get to work. Without work, they cannot feed their families. But Metro Rail has collapsed. Stations are vandalised. Trains are late or cancelled. SATAWU must reassert itself as the majority union at Metro Rail. And SATAWU must fight to get Metro Rail back to full capacity. Transport is a worker issue. Transport is a class issue.

Four: SAA and aviation. SAA belongs to the people. Aviation is a major part of our economy. Tourism. Trade. Jobs. During Covid, they tried to kill SAA. They retrenched workers. They outsourced. SATAWU must run a campaign to reassert itself as the majority union at SAA and in the aviation industry as a whole. No worker must be left behind. We must defend every job in aviation.

Five: Bus drivers and taxi drivers. Our roads carry millions of workers every day. Bus drivers are overworked and underpaid. Taxi drivers have no rights. No UIF. No benefits. SATAWU must organise bus drivers. And SATAWU must work with our sister union SATDWU to organise taxi drivers. Whether it is a bus or a taxi, the driver is a worker. And workers must be organised.

Six: Cleaners. They clean our offices. They clean our stations. They clean our airports. But who cleans for them? Who fights for them? Most cleaners are women. Most are casualised. Most are abused. SATAWU must organise cleaners. A cleaner is not a “helper”. A cleaner is a worker. And workers have power.

Comrades, all these campaigns are urgent. Why? Because in September, COSATU is holding its National Congress. We need an active SATAWU at that Congress. A SATAWU that is in good standing. A SATAWU that brings members. A SATAWU that drafts resolutions. A SATAWU that reminds the whole Federation: we must be on the ground with workers. Not in hotels. On the ground.

And comrades, we need a strong SATAWU on the ground campaigning for the Alliance. Local elections are coming. They will be the most contested elections since 1994. Our enemies are organised. They want to defeat the ANC. They want to defeat the Alliance. They want to defeat the working class. We cannot allow it. SATAWU must be in every ward, every street, every workplace. We must ensure a decisive victory for the Alliance. Because when the Alliance is in power, workers have a chance to win. When our enemies are in power, workers lose.

Before I close, let me congratulate SATAWU. The past few years were not easy. SATAWU went through pain. Divisions. Court cases. Financial problems. But you did not die. You fought back. You stabilised. You are turning around. That is encouraging. That is what we mean when we say “a union is its members”. You refused to let SATAWU die. Now you must make SATAWU live. Make SATAWU fight. Make SATAWU win.

So comrades, take this money. Build your structures. Train your shop stewards. Buy your organisers cars. Open offices where workers are. Go back to the depots. Go back to the ranks. Go back to the road. Be seen. Be heard. Be felt.

The time for boardroom unionism is over. The time for militant, campaigning, servicing unionism is now.

SATAWU, the workers are waiting. COSATU is waiting. The Alliance is waiting. The class is waiting.

Forward with SATAWU! Forward with COSATU! Forward with the Alliance!

Amandla! Matla!

I thank you.