COSATU congress coming at critical time for mining sector: NUM

COSATU congress coming at critical time for mining sector: NUM. Skip to content Menu Home | COSATU congress coming at critical time for mining sector: NUM Members at the COSATU Congress Image Credits : @_cosatu Naledi Ngcobo 14 September 2026, 15:33 [SAST] The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) says COSATU’s 15th National Congress convenes at a critical time, when mineworkers face retrenchments due to a multiplicity of issues, such as a stagnant economy, use of automation, depletion of reserves and falling commodity prices.

What happened

National Union of Mineworkers says COSATU's 15th National Congress convenes at a critical time. Skip to content Menu Home | COSATU gears up for its 15th National Congress [FILE] COSATU flag Image Credits : X | @_cosatu Tshimangadzo Ntsumbedzeni 14 September 2026, 05:39 [SAST] The Congress of South African Trade Unions’ (COSATU) 15th National Congress will take place at a time when workers are grappling with an escalating cost of living. The Deputy General- Secretary of NUM, Phillip Mankge, says these frailties require the union federation to review South Africa’s policy direction, with a view to encourage economic growth and sustain jobs in the mining sector.

Video: COSATU | Delegates from 16 affiliate unions expected to vote for labour federation’s leadership The NUM is COSATU’s second largest affiliated union by membership, behind public sector union NEHAWU. Skip to content Menu Home | COSATU National Congress to resume after disputes over credentials Delegates from Cosatu affiliated unions. Image Credits : X | @_cosatu Bontle Motsoatsoe 15 September 2026, 10:02 [SAST] The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) 15th National Congress is expected to resume on Tuesday after it stalled on Monday due to disputes over credentials.

A group of House Democrats calling for Congress to be given more time to debate the issue have also written a letter to Republican Speaker Mike Johnson, who would ultimately decide on delaying the recess.

The wider picture

One thousand eight hundred delegates from 16 COSATU-affiliate unions are expected to vote for the labour federation’s leadership at the congress, which will start in Midrand, Johannesburg, this Monday. Those are some of the issues that are at the forefront of this congress. VIDEO | Delegates from 16 affiliate unions expected to vote for Cosatu’s leadership: Shingange, who is also the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) president and a favourite for the Cosatu presidency, was suspended for not signing leadership nomination documents.

Cosatu Parliamentary Coordinator Matthew Parks says, “We hope it will start today (Tuesday), we’re meant to reconvene at 9 o’clock this morning. The central executive committee of Cosatu, which is the leadership of the federation and the different affiliated unions, met until late last night, working on resolving these issues and finding common ground. Trump's view, unsurprisingly, is not shared by senior Democrats in Congress. It is also opposed by leading figures in the AI sector, who have in recent days issued stark safety warnings and made the case for government regulation.

In the US, however, new safety legislation on AI is unlikely anytime soon.

What has been reported

AI 'kill switch' may need to be mandatory, Anthropic co-founder tells BBCPublished11 hours agoAI staff 'genuinely frightened' for humanity's future, ex-Anthropic researcher tells BBCPublished1 day agoUK government rejects 'kill switch' idea for dangerous AIPublished3 days agoBeyond this, a more immediate obstacle to any movement in Congress is the clock. "Congress should not leave town until something is done decisively to protect the safety and the wellbeing of the American people," Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters on Monday.

"Reasonable minds may disagree about precisely how Congress should regulate this rapidly evolving technology," the group said. "We cannot disagree about the imperative for Congress to act. "Figure caption, AI "more powerful by the day", Anthropic co-founder tells BBCOver the weekend, Republican congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna suggested on X that "Congress SHOULD convene a special session" on the issue. But it is highly unlikely the recess will be delayed or a special session convened in the coming days.

Speaker Johnson, who on Monday faced a barrage of questions about AI from reporters in the halls of Congress, gave no sign he intended to move quickly this week. "We want to emphasise the necessity of [AI companies] providing safe products and self-regulating," Johnson said, before adding: "There is also a role potentially for Congress to play.

What happens next

"What that role could look like is unclear – and is a contested question among those in Congress. No consensus and competing billsWhile Democrats are pushing for more time to address AI safety, they are themselves divided on how best to regulate AI. Even if the party were to win control of both chambers of Congress in November's elections, there are no guarantees of swift action as it would have to unite behind one proposal.

These diverging proposals point to a lack of consensus in Congress – but also an urgency among some lawmakers to take action. "Figure caption, Watch: "Slow it down" – Bernie Sanders proposes bill to ban AI superintelligenceDemocratic congresswoman Lori Trahan, meanwhile, has spent months working on a different bipartisan proposal in the House that would give the government the power to halt the use of an AI model if officials find there is an "imminent catastrophic risk".

"You might want an act of Congress, and I would love a congressionally mandated regime that requires safety and testing and bias testing," said Asad Ramzanali, the director of AI & Technology Policy at Vanderbilt University. "There is no question that federal legislation is challenging in this climate, but Congress also has to grapple with which of the many types of AI risk need to be addressed," Givens said.

The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across sabcnews.com, bbc.co.uk. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.