MIDRAND, Monday 14 September 2026 — Cosatu’s 15th national congress was delayed for more than two hours on Monday after several major affiliates withheld their delegate credentials and demanded clarity over the reported suspension of first deputy president Mike Shingange, escalating the federation’s leadership battle as it prepares to decide its position on the ANC-SACP contest in November’s local elections.
The National Union of Mineworkers, South African Municipal Workers’ Union and Sasbo were among affiliates refusing to proceed until Shingange’s status within Nehawu was clarified, according to Business Day and contemporaneous reporting from the congress.
The development materially advances the leadership contest reported ahead of the congress because the dispute has now affected the formal credentials process and threatens Shingange’s eligibility to participate in, or contest, Cosatu’s election of national office-bearers.
NUM and other unions withhold credentials
Business Day reported that NUM refused to submit its delegate list, with delegates arguing that Cosatu could not properly constitute the congress until the federation established whether Shingange remained in good standing.
Shingange is Cosatu’s first deputy president and the immediate former president of Nehawu.
He has emerged as a potential challenger for the Cosatu presidency after NUM publicly endorsed him at the weekend.
Inside Politics reported that Samwu and Sasbo joined NUM in demanding that Shingange’s status be resolved before the congress moved ahead.
The three unions’ intervention transformed what had been an internal Nehawu dispute into a broader contest over the validity of Cosatu’s congress itself.
Nehawu suspension linked to nomination dispute
Business Day reported, citing sources, that Nehawu suspended Shingange over the weekend after he allegedly signed a nomination form despite an instruction from the union not to do so.
Inside Politics separately reported that insiders linked the suspension to NUM’s decision to back Shingange for Cosatu president.
Nehawu had not, in the material reviewed for this article, issued a detailed public statement setting out the disciplinary charge or final status of the suspension.
The reported action should therefore not be treated as a concluded finding against Shingange.
Shingange declined to discuss the matter with Business Day when approached on Monday.
Nehawu backs different candidate
The dispute reflects a deeper contest over Cosatu’s next leadership.
Inside Politics reported that Nehawu is backing Sadtu deputy president Mabutho Cele for the federation presidency, while NUM wants Shingange to take the position.
The publication also reported competing positions over the office of general secretary.
NUM favours outgoing general secretary Solly Phetoe remaining in the post, while several public-sector affiliates are backing incumbent Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi to move into the powerful full-time role.
Those positions have not yet been adopted by congress and may change as affiliates negotiate a leadership slate.
Credentials matter because they determine voting strength
Credentials are not an administrative formality at an elective congress.
They establish which affiliates are entitled to participate, how many delegates each has and therefore the voting balance in leadership elections and policy resolutions.
Business Day reported that delegates insisted the “correct” credentials had to be established before proceedings could continue.
Disputes over delegate status have historically been among the most consequential procedural battles at union and political congresses because they can determine the outcome before leadership voting begins.
Cosatu expected approximately 1,820 delegates from 16 affiliates at the four-day gathering, according to Inside Politics.
Election policy adds to leadership battle
The congress is taking place less than two months before the 4 November local government elections, when the ANC and SACP will compete against each other for municipal votes.
Cosatu has historically mobilised for the ANC, but the SACP’s decision to contest independently has forced the federation to reconsider how it deploys its organisational resources.
That question overlaps with the leadership contest.
Shingange is widely associated with the SACP-aligned section of the federation, while Losi has been regarded as closer to the ANC leadership.
Those political associations do not automatically determine how either leader would instruct affiliates to vote.
But they heighten the stakes around control of Cosatu’s national leadership as the federation debates whether to campaign for the ANC, SACP or adopt another formula.
Opening programme also affected
ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe and SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila were expected to address delegates during the opening programme.
The credentials dispute disrupted the scheduled start while leaders attempted to resolve the procedural impasse.
Cosatu could still allow ceremonial portions of the programme to proceed while reserving the credentials dispute for formal deliberation, a compromise used at previous contested congresses.
No final resolution had been publicly confirmed when this Newsroom scan closed.
Leadership outcome now depends on Shingange ruling
The immediate question is no longer simply whether Shingange has enough affiliates behind him to defeat another candidate.
Cosatu first has to determine whether the reported Nehawu suspension affects his standing as a delegate, national office-bearer or nominee.
If Shingange remains eligible, NUM’s endorsement gives him a significant base from which to contest the presidency.
If the suspension excludes him, the leadership arithmetic could shift sharply towards another negotiated candidate or slate.
That decision could in turn affect how Cosatu approaches its most difficult political choice in years: campaigning in an election where both the ANC and SACP expect the labour federation’s support.
