The ANC met with COSATU’s leadership on Monday, 20 October, for a bilateral engagement aimed at strengthening the Alliance and accelerating socio-economic transformation ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
The meeting took place at COSATU House in Braamfontein and marked the first formal bilateral between the two allies in some time.
ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri described the meeting as “both significant and timely”.
“It reaffirmed the deep bond of comradeship and shared responsibility that the ANC and COSATU hold as partners in the National Democratic Revolution,” she said.
She said both organisations engaged honestly on the state of the movement and the working class.
“Both organisations reflected with honesty and revolutionary maturity on the challenges confronting the movement and the working class, agreeing that this renewed engagement marks an important step in strengthening and reinvigorating the strategic alliance of the ANC, the South African Communist Party (SACP), COSATU, and the South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO),” said Bhengu-Motsiri.
She said the Alliance “continues to bear the historic responsibility of transforming the state and fundamentally changing South Africa to the benefit of all its people”.
The ANC also briefed COSATU on its Local Government Action Plan and preparations for the 2026 local government elections.
“The ANC emphasised the importance of restoring the integrity of councillors, improving governance, and delivering quality services that change people’s lives,” Bhengu-Motsiri said.
The meeting also featured a presentation on the ANC’s 10-Point Economic Action Plan, which included measures to restore energy security, improve freight and logistics, rebuild the industrial base, and support SMMEs and township enterprises.
“The plan must be grounded in the values of the Freedom Charter and ensure that the transformation of the economy directly benefits the working class and advances the struggle for shared prosperity,” said Bhengu-Motsiri.
Preparations for COSATU’s 40th anniversary, set for 6 December at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto, were also discussed.
Both organisations said the event would serve as a moment of reflection and reaffirm the working class’s role in the National Democratic Revolution.
“The ANC-led Alliance remains the primary political instrument for the realisation of the people’s aspirations, and renewal, discipline, and revolutionary morality must define its cadres in this phase of struggle.”
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