By Johnathan Paoli
In a dramatic and unexpected outcome at the National Union of Mineworkers’ (NUM) 18th national congress, deputy president Phillip Vilakazi unseated his superior Dan Balepile to become the new NUM president, winning by 80 votes.
NUM spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu confirmed that the congress had resolved to prioritise elections over policy commissions, which would be completed at a special congress set for next month.
“The delegates agreed that elections must come first, and the declarations and resolutions will be finalised later,” Mammburu said.
The surprise result capped off three days of intense politicking, delayed programme items and unresolved tensions within the broader labour movement.
Vilakazi now leads a new top five leadership structure that includes Olehile Kgware as deputy president, Mpho Phakedi as general secretary, Phillip Mankge as deputy general secretary, and Hellen Diatile as treasurer.
The vote took place on Thursday after long delays, with results only finalised late into the night.
The new leadership will steer NUM through the next three years, a period likely to be marked by rising economic uncertainty, worker agitation and the union’s shifting role in South Africa’s contested political space.
The leadership race between Vilakazi and Balepile, once allies, became the defining feature of the congress, overshadowing the expected deliberations on mineworker safety, retrenchments, outsourcing and NUM’s stance on the future of the Tripartite Alliance.
While NUM claimed the focus was on policies rather than personalities, the energy on the floor suggested otherwise.
Delegates from all 11 NUM regions voted in blocs.
Under NUM rules, losing candidates must return to their previous employment, meaning Balepile will now vacate the office he has occupied since 2022.
“Whoever loses goes back to the company where he works. They become ordinary members of NUM again,” said Mammburu.
This leadership turnover comes amid escalating discontent within the alliance.
The outgoing president had criticised the African National Congress during his opening address for aligning with the Democratic Alliance and Freedom Front Plus in the Government of National Unity (GNU), describing it as a betrayal of the working class.
He also cautioned against viewing the SA Communist Party’s independent electoral ambitions as a threat to the ANC.
Whether the new leadership will maintain this combative tone or seek a more conciliatory alliance strategy remains to be seen.
NUM’s policy direction on the ANC, the GNU and the 2026 local elections will only be formalised once the reconvened congress concludes policy deliberations.
Members arrived at the 2025 congress with a long list of pressing concerns. These included job losses due to mechanisation and outsourcing, wage stagnation, poor safety standards in mines, and the retrenchments sweeping across the mining and metal sectors.
With around 200,000 members in the mining, energy, automotive and metal industries, the union is facing pressure to respond to worsening economic conditions.
Many members expressed alarm over employers using labour brokers to replace long-standing NUM workers with temporary staff, undermining collective bargaining and weakening job security.
With unresolved declarations, an uncertain alliance future, and a new leadership team under scrutiny, the coming months will test NUM’s ability to reclaim its position as a fierce advocate for South Africa’s workers.
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