By Johnathan Paoli
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is holding its elective congress at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre in Boksburg, Gauteng.
The congress comes amid increased retrenchments, unsafe working conditions, and corporate restructuring in mining and energy sectors, which have weakened worker security and union influence.
Themed “The Epoch For The Dictatorship of The Proletariat Now or Never,” the three-day congress gathers NUM’s 200,000 members from mining, energy, automotive and metal sectors.
The congress is expected to address challenges such as low wages, geopolitical pressures, retrenchments, and mining fatalities.
Delivering a message of support on behalf of the ANC, the party’s Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula pledged ongoing support for fair wages, improved housing, and industrial transformation to ensure South Africa’s mineral wealth benefits the majority.
He also acknowledged NUM’s historical role in the liberation struggle and post-apartheid transformation.
“The history of NUM and the ANC is an intertwined narrative of resistance and resilience. From the depths of the mines to the frontlines of political change, NUM has stood as a bulwark against exploitation and oppression,” Mbalula said.
The Congress comes at a time of profound challenge for South Africa’s working class.
Against this backdrop, the Congress aims to reassert NUM’s leadership and deepen worker solidarity, both locally and globally.
Mbalula emphasised the ANC’s continued commitment to the working class, describing it as the “primary motive force” of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR).
He acknowledged the ANC’s electoral decline in the 2024 general elections but defended the party’s decision to form a Government of National Unity (GNU) as a strategic necessity rather than a retreat.
“We didn’t choose a narrow coalition. We opted for inclusive governance to recover from a major setback. The revolution must adapt to conditions—without surrendering its goals,” he said.
Delegates at the 2025 NUM National Congress. PHOTO: X/ANC
NUM’s mother-body, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Democratic Trade Union (SADTU), longstanding allies of NUM, also delivered powerful messages of support.
COSATU National Spokesperson Zanele Sabela warned of increasing job insecurity, unchecked retrenchments, and executive arrogance in sectors where NUM organizes.
“Mining alone shed over 13,000 jobs last year. We must expose the companies that circumvent retrenchment laws to exploit workers through subcontracting,” Sabela noted.
While acknowledging that the mining industry recorded its lowest number of fatalities in history in 2024, 42 deaths, COSATU stressed that even one death is too many.
The union federation expects this Congress to adopt stronger resolutions around mine safety, job security, and collective bargaining.
SADTU, representing public sector educators, voiced its revolutionary solidarity, commending NUM’s unwavering stance against capitalist exploitation.
“This Congress must sharpen class consciousness and renew our commitment to a socialist future. The time for cosmetic change is over,” SADTU spokesperson Nomusa Cembi said.
Delegates at the 2025 NUM National Congress. PHOTO: X/ANC
Beyond domestic issues, NUM delegates and speakers turned their attention to global geopolitical tensions: ranging from the conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe to trade wars and resurgent right-wing nationalism.
These dynamics, they warned, directly impact workers through supply chain disruptions, inflation, and foreign capital pressures.
The Congress also comes amid internal political tension within the alliance.
Some NUM structures have signalled support for the South African Communist Party (SACP) over the ANC in response to perceived betrayals of the working class.
COSATU leadership has taken a hands-off approach, stating that decisions on political alliances must stem from internal affiliate deliberations, not federation mandates.
“This is not the end of our alliance, but a necessary democratic discussion, NUM must decide for itself and return with a clear mandate,” Sabela said.
As the Congress unfolds, delegates are expected to elect new leadership and debate resolutions addressing the future of coal and renewable energy jobs, transformation in construction and metals, youth employment, union revitalization, and alliance politics.
The Congress theme signals NUM’s growing impatience with the pace of economic justice, reflecting a broader trend among workers calling for more radical solutions to inequality, systemic unemployment, and corporate impunity.
“NUM is not just a union; it is a movement. We need bold ideas, strong leadership, and unwavering unity to finish what we started,” Mbalula said.
Delegates at the 2025 NUM National Congress. PHOTO: X/ANC
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