DECLARATION OF THE SAMWU NORTHEN CAPE 13TH PROVINCIAL CONGRESS DECLARATION, 8-10 OCTOBER 2025
9 October 2025
DECLARATION OF THE SAMWU NORTHEN CAPE 13TH PROVINCIAL CONGRESS DECLARATION, 8-10 OCTOBER 2025
Preamble
We, the delegates, representing workers from 32 municipalities within the length of the Northern Cape province, have gathered here at Broadwaters resort in Douglas, Siyancuma Local Municipality, for the SAMWU 13th Provincial Congress under the theme “Towards 40 years of resilience, campaigning, accountability and unity in the interests of municipal workers.”
This Congress is taking place in a period where the working class is under severe economic pressure and fragmented. For the first time in 30 years of democracy, our country is being governed by the Government of National Unity (GNU), as a result of the ANC not securing an outright majority in the national and provincial government elections. We view this new political landscape with caution, understanding that it may bring both opportunities and new threats to the security and rights of our members.
As Congress, we lower our banners in honour of the departed comrades since the last Congress. These fallen comrades include: our former Provincial Secretary, Cde Benjamin Mdhuli, Provincial Secretary of the SAMWU Young Workers, President John Dlamini and General Secretary Cde Koena Ramotlou. Their commitment and dedication to the working class will forever be remembered. In honour of Cde Nthabiseng Mosia, this Congress has resolved that Decarna Region be renamed Nthabiseng Mosia Region, after consultation with her family.
This Congress received messages of support from our allies, the South African Communist Party (SACP), the African National Congress (ANC), and our federation, the Congress of the South African Trade Unions (COSATU). Congress further appreciates the role that SAMWU is playing in the functionality of COSATU in the province after a long absence, committing to deepen our revolutionary alliance at the provincial level.
As Congress, we note with agitation, the continued behaviours of municipalities who continuously pay workers’ salaries late, while third parties such as pension fund, medical aid and funeral policies are months in arrears. It is for this same reason that SAMWU Northern Cape commits itself to hold culprits accountable.
We fully agree with the National Deployee to our province, SAMWU 2nd Deputy President, Cde Portia Nkuna, that this failure is not only a criminal offense but also a betrayal of municipal workers who on a daily basis work hard to ensure that residents of this province receive basic services. This theft of workers’ deferred income must stop immediately.
On Political
Congress notes the decision by the vanguard of the working class, the SACP, to contest the 2026 local government elections. As Congress, we are of the view that this decision has the potential to divide workers.
Congress resolved that both the ANC and SACP should not divide workers into supporting one or the other. The current fragmentation of the working class demands that our allies prioritise unity and collective strength over political point-scoring. We believe that the unity of the working class is non-negotiable, regardless of party affiliation.
As Congress, we further note the resolution of the recently concluded COSATU Central Committee that affiliates should go back to their members to fully consult and be mandated on this matter. As Congress, we are ready to hit the ground running to source a mandate from our members in the province. We want to ensure that by the time the SAMWU 13th National Congress sits in the first quarter of 2026, SAMWU should be fully mandated to pronounce itself. We are, however, as Congress clear that whatever mandate is given, it should not divide workers across party lines.
We further register our deep concern regarding the Government of National Unity (GNU) and its potential to introduce pro-austerity measures that could lead to job cuts, privatisation, and the further erosion of collective bargaining rights in the local government sector. We warn against any policy direction from the GNU that seeks to implement the neoliberal agenda at the expense of municipal workers and the poor.
On Collective Bargaining and Worker Rights
We reaffirm that the South African Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC) remains the only legitimate platform for determining the terms and conditions of employment for all municipal workers.
Congress notes the tedious process involved in the enforcement of collective agreements, we therefore need to work with national office to ensure that this process is reviewed. The intentional delay by municipalities in implementing agreements is an act of bad faith that undermines the entire collective bargaining framework. We commit to campaigning for an expedited and robust mechanism for enforcement.
On the matter of housing benefits: Homeowners’ allowance, in its current form, is discriminatory to many municipal workers. We therefore fully support the submission by the national office that this allowance should be reviewed to a Housing Allowance that will benefit all municipal workers, irrespective of them currently servicing a loan or not. Housing is a universal need, and the allowance must reflect this reality. In addition, this Congress calls on all municipalities in the province to release land, so workers can build homes for themselves.
The issue of the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) cannot be ignored. The notion that these employees belong to the Department of Public Works is a fallacy; these workers’ salary advice slips are from the municipality. These workers work side by side with municipal workers and perform the same functions as municipal workers. As Congress, we are interested in having job security for all workers, we are therefore reaffirming the resolution of all these workers being permanently and directly employed by municipalities. EPWP workers are not temporary charity cases, they are essential municipal staff and deserve the security of permanent employment.
On Organisational
As the Provincial Congress, we reaffirm our commitment to building a robust, democratic, and financially stable union capable of confronting the complex challenges facing our members and the local government sector.
Congress notes that membership recruitment remains the cornerstone of the union’s existence, it is for this reason that our recruitment programme should be combined and prioritised with the procurement of regalia for its members. A visible union is an attractive and confident union. We commit to a dedicated campaign aimed at attracting and retaining members, in particular, young workers.
We note with appreciation the growth of our membership in the province since the last Congress, a testament to the hard work and dedication of our shop stewards and Provincial Executive Committee (PEC). This growth must be sustained through improved servicing and accountability to the rank and file.
Congress further instructs the incoming PEC to intensify political education and skills development for our shop stewards and officials. The fight against deep-seated corruption, late payment of third-party deductions, and the creeping privatisation of basic services requires a cadre of leaders who are ideologically grounded, technically proficient in municipal finance, and fearless in their conduct. We must empower our structures to be the most effective voice for municipal workers at the local level.
On Socio-Economic
Congress notes with grave concern the current cost of living crisis and its devastating impact on our members. The rising costs of food, fuel, and municipal tariffs are eroding the gains made through collective bargaining, pushing many of our members into unsustainable debt.
Congress notes the abuse of contract workers in most municipalities and commits itself to develop campaigns to see the full compliance of section 198B of the Labour Relations Act. We reject the deliberate creation of a two-tier labour system that exploits vulnerable workers. This practice is a direct assault on the principle of decent work and undermines the stability of the municipal workforce.
We observe with agitation the municipalities that continue to ignore the national agreements of the South African Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC). In particular, we note the deliberate undermining of the Main Collective Agreement on Conditions of Service and the slow pace of implementation of job grading and restructuring which directly impacts workers’ remuneration and career progression.
We demand an urgent review of the current municipal funding model. We are convinced that the financial problems of many Northern Cape municipalities are structural and financial in nature, and unless the National and Provincial Treasuries intervene to ensure a better-funded local government sphere, the crisis of non-payment of salaries and third parties will continue unabated.
Although we want to see intervention in municipalities, we are as congress concerned that interventions in ailing municipalities have been left until the crisis has worsened. In some cases, we have also noted that this intervention is political in nature and used to settle political scores. We therefore welcome the commitment by the ANC Northern Cape Deputy Provincial Chairperson that the party will ensure that this is no longer the case. As Congress, we will continue to monitor these interventions in municipalities.
We commit to a renewed campaign against any form of privatisation or outsourcing of basic services such as water, sanitation, and electricity distribution. Basic services are a right, not a commodity, and their delivery must remain a core function of a democratic, developmental state.
Where to From Here?
In light of the challenges and mandates articulated above, the 13th Provincial Congress declares the following action plan:
Operation Hold Culprits Accountable: We instruct the incoming PEC to immediately initiate a program of coordinated legal proceedings and rolling mass action against all municipalities and individual culprits that are in arrears with workers’ third-party deductions. The non-payment of these funds is theft, and we will pursue criminal and civil accountability without fear or favour.
Permanent Absorption of EPWP Workers: We mandate the PEC to develop and implement an aggressive campaign to ensure the permanent and direct employment of all EPWP workers who are performing core municipal functions, in line with our commitment to job security.
Compliance with Section 198B: We mandate the PEC to develop a targeted campaign, to ensure the full compliance of Section 198B of the LRA in all Northern Cape municipalities, ensuring all long-term workers are permanently absorbed.
Worker Mandate Campaign: We will launch a comprehensive, province-wide consultation process to gather the mandate of our members on the question of the 2026 Local Government Elections, ensuring the unity of the working class remains paramount and rejecting any political directive that promotes division.
Defend Collective Bargaining: We will actively fight against any attempts to undermine the SALGBC and the gains of our members, including the use of political instability as a pretext for salary freezes or job cuts.
Mobilisation for Basic Services: We will deepen our collaboration with community structures and civil society to defend basic service provision and fight against corrupt tender practices and wasteful expenditure that compromise service delivery and the stability of workers’ employment.
We leave this Congress united, mandated, and resolute. Our forty years of resilience have prepared us for the struggles ahead. We commit ourselves anew to the defense of our members and the dream of a democratic, non-racial, non-sexist, and prosperous South Africa.
An injury to one is an injury to all!
Issued by SAMWU Northern Cape
Pieter Demás
Provincial Secretary
071 269 1470
Or
Thobeka Mthintelwa
Deputy Provincial Secretary
076 329 8860