Phumzile John Gomomo (25 October 1945 – 22 January 2008) was South African Unionist and activist.

Background and career

Phumzile John Gomomo was born on a farm in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

on 25 October 1945, one of seven children born to the late Ndabeni (Mnzotho) and Nonga Stofile (Mpondo). He received his primary education from Ntlaka Lower Primary School and Marry Mount High School. He left school in standard 6 (grade 8) because of family poverty, and subsequently completed his matriculation through correspondence courses. Gomomo held a number of factory jobs in Uitenhage. In 1977, he joined the United Auto Workers' Union, which later merged with other unions to become the

National Automobile and Allied Workers' Union The National Automobile and Allied Workers' Union (NAAWU) was a trade union representing workers in the motor industry in South Africa. NAAWU was founded in 1980, with the merger of the National Union of Motor Assembly and Rubber Workers of Sout ...

(NAAWU). He was working at

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

as a welder when he became chairperson of the factory's shop stewards committee, leading strikes there in 1980 and 1982. He was elected regional chairperson of the

Federation of South African Trade Unions The Federation of South African Trade Unions (FOSATU) was a trade union federation in South Africa. History The federation was formed at a congress over the weekend of 14–15 April 1979 in Hammanskraal and officially launched five days l ...

(FOSATU), of which NAAWU was an affiliate. In 1986 he was part of a

Congress of South African Trade Unions The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is a trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions ...

(COSATU) delegation that met with the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

(ANC) in

Lusaka Lusaka (; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was ab ...

, and in 1989 was again in a COSATU group that briefed

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

in prison. He was a member of the founding committee of COSATU in 1985, and was president of that organisation from 1991 to 1999.

Death

Gomomo died in 2008 in Adelaide and was buried there. His funeral was attended by then-ANC President

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...

and also by then-

South African President The president of South Africa is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of South Africa. The president heads the executive branch of the Government of South Africa and is the commander-in-chief of the South African Natio ...

Thabo Mbeki Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki KStJ (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who was the second president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Congress (ANC ...

among other prominent guests.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gomomo, John South African trade unionists 1954 births 2008 deaths