The South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (SACCAWU) is a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

representing retail, distribution, and hospitality workers in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

History

The union was founded in 1975, as the Commercial Catering and Allied Workers' Union (CCAWUSA). The first General Secretary was the union stalwart,

Emma Mashinini Emma Mashinini (21 August 1929 – 10 July 2017) was a South African trade unionist and political leader. Living in Johannesburg, her family was forcibly displaced several times during her childhood. She started working at age 14 and soon becam ...

, and Makhulu Ledwaba was elected as the first President of CCAWUSA. It initially grew strongly, but an unsuccessful strike in 1984 for higher wages in large hotels led to most of the hospitality workers leaving, while the small Federal Council of Retail and Allied Workers also split away. In, 1985 it was a founding affiliate of the

Congress of South African Trade Unions The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU or Cosatu) is a trade union federation in South Africa. It was founded in 1985 and is the largest of the country's three main trade union federations, with 21 affiliated trade unions.One Union ...

(COSATU). Both Mashinini and Ledwaba played an instrumental role in the establishment of COSATU, with Ledwaba elected as 2nd Vice-President of COSATU. COSATU called for "One Industry One Union" and CCAWUSA began merger negotiations with the Hotel and Restaurant Workers' Union (HARWU). CCAWUSA became divided on ideological lines, one group close to the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...

, but in 1990, COSATU negotiated a truce, with HARWU also merging in. The union renamed itself as the "South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers' Union". SACCAWU is an affiliate of COSATU as well as an affiliate of two International Unions, UNI-Global Unions where the General Secretary Bones Skulu serve on the executive as well as serving as President of UN- Africa, and Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco International Network (UIF). SACCAWU has eight regions; Eastern Cape, Free State/Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, Northern, North West-Vaal, Western Cape, and Witwatersrand regions.

General Secretaries

:1975:

:1986: Vivian Mtwa :1991: Papi Kganare :1995: Bones Skulu :2023: Mduduzi Mbongwe

Presidents

:1975: Makhulu Ledwaba :1988: Duma Nkosi :1990s: Amos Mothapo :2013: Louise Thipe :2023: Patrick Hailane

References

Trade unions based in Johannesburg Congress of South African Trade Unions Trade unions established in 1975 Trade unions in South Africa 1975 establishments in South Africa {{SouthAfrica-trade-union-stub