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SOUTH AFRICAN COMMERCIAL CATERING AND ALLIED WORKERS UNION




COSATU calls for intervention after no labour reps appointed to GBVF council

Aug 4, 2026 | Labour Market News

COSATU said it has noted with ‘extreme dismay’ the appointment of the council by President Cyril Ramaphosa, after receiving recommendations from Parliament.

COSATU’s Parliamentary coordinator Matthew Parks. Picture: X/Radio702

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) said it will be calling on the Presidency and Parliament to intervene after no labour representatives were appointed to the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF).COSATU said it has noted with “extreme dismay” the appointment of the council by President Cyril Ramaphosa, after receiving recommendations from Parliament.

ALSO READ: Ramaphosa appoints long-awaited Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Council

However, COSATU said the appointments have failed to include key sectors like representatives from labour and business.

The president announced the appointment of the National Council on Friday and named academic ⁠Dr Ramalepe Mathibe as the chairperson.

The council comprises seven members, including academics, a gender activist, a clinical psychologist and a social worker.

COSATU parliamentary coordinator Matthew Parks said this is despite the act establishing the council specifically stipulating that representatives from business and labour should be included in the council, and “this was not done”.Parks said GBVF “is not a mere academic discussion”.

He said it is the lived experience of women in everyday life, including women who are victims of abuse and intimidation in the workplace.

Parks said they will be engaging with the Presidency and the presiding officers of Parliament to allow the State to ignore its own legislation and “legally binding provisions”.

Source: https://www.ewn.co.za/2026/08/03/cosatu-calls-for-intervention-after-no-labour-reps-appointed-to-gbvf-council