South Africa: Tensions among the unions on the road to Mangaung

The briefing examines the tensions between the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and splinter unions such as the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) and the National Transport Allied Workers Union (Natawu). It argues that the emergence of these splinter groups is driven by workers' dissatisfaction with Cosatu leaders, who are accused of being too close to political and business elites and engaging in corrupt deals. The document highlights that the blurring of lines between government, unions, and private companies undermines the ability of large unions to represent workers' interests, potentially leading to increased conflict and a threat to South Africa's democratic space.

• The rise of splinter unions, such as Amcu and Natawu, is viewed by Cosatu leadership as an external attack by employers and right-wing organisations intended to divide workers and undermine their unity.
• Fragmentation within the labour movement is driven by perceptions that Cosatu-affiliated union leaders have failed the working class by using their positions for personal wealth and maintaining inappropriately close ties to business and political elites.
• Specific instances of union fragmentation were triggered by internal disputes and allegations of corruption, such as the feud between Gwede Mantashe and Joseph Mathunjwa leading to the formation of Amcu, and suspected 'dodgy deals' within Satawu leading to the formation of Natawu.
• The involvement of union investment arms in multimillion-rand deals with private companies creates conflicts of interest that may justify the need for new unions to break the monopoly of representation held by large unions.
• Attempts by Cosatu to criminalise splinter unions and delegitimise their grievances, combined with a general intolerance of dissent, may alienate workers and increase the risk of conflict in South Africa.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). South Africa: Tensions among the unions on the road to Mangaung. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/south-africa-tensions-among-the-unions-on-the-road-to-mangaung

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. South Africa: Tensions among the unions on the road to Mangaung. n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/south-africa-tensions-among-the-unions-on-the-road-to-mangaung.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=South Africa: Tensions among the unions on the road to Mangaung |url=https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/south-africa-tensions-among-the-unions-on-the-road-to-mangaung |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndsouth, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{South Africa: Tensions among the unions on the road to Mangaung}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/south-africa-tensions-among-the-unions-on-the-road-to-mangaung}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }