National Union of Mineworkers

21/08/2026

NUM participating in the Women Indaba at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park

21/08/2026

NUM PWV Region Harmony Doornkop Plant Safety Day attended by the General Secretary Cde Mpho Phakedi and the Health and Safety National Chairperson Cde Duncan Luvuno together with the PWV regional and branch leadership.

20/08/2026

ANCYL Backs NUM in Fierce Opposition to Eskom Unbundling and Privatisation

​The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) has thrown its full weight behind the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in opposing the ongoing restructuring, unbundling, and potential privatisation of state power utility Eskom.

​Addressing the NUM Special Eskom Shopstewards Council convened at the Elijah Barayi Memorial Training Centre in Midrand, ANCYL Secretary General Tsakani Shiviti declared solidarity with organised labour, warning that dismantling the public power producer poses a significant threat to national energy sovereignty and working-class livelihoods.

​The gathering brought together shopstewards and labour leaders to consolidate a unified front against government plans to split the power utility into separate generation, transmission, and distribution entities.

​Union representatives and youth league leaders argue that fragmenting the utility paves the way for private sector dominance in the energy market, risking widespread job losses and escalating electricity costs for vulnerable households.

​Shiviti emphasized that strategic state assets must remain under public ownership to drive inclusive economic development, reaffirming that the youth league will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with mine and energy workers to resist policies perceived as corporatising essential basic services.

​For further context on organised labour’s pushback against the restructuring process, watch this report on how the NUM vows legal fight against Eskom unbundling plan.

20/08/2026

20/08/2026

NUM Top Leadership Leads Ground-Level Health and Safety Blitz Across Mining Operations

​Demonstrating an unwavering commitment to mineworker safety, national leadership from the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) conducted early-morning health and safety oversight visits today across key mining operations.

​Beginning at 04:00 AM, NUM President Phillip Vilakazi, accompanied by Health and Safety National Secretary Masibulele Naki, led a delegation to Harmony Gold’s Kusasalethu mine in Carletonville. The leadership engaged directly with mineworkers during the early shift change to emphasize underground safety protocols and operational health standards.

​Simultaneously, NUM General Secretary Mpho Phakedi and National Health and Safety Chairperson Duncan Luvuno conducted an oversight visit to the Doornkop Mine Plant to assess safety compliance and reinforce worker well-being on site.

20/08/2026

NUM Eskom Chief Negotiator and NUM Deputy President comrade Olehile Kgware said the ubundling of Eskom is inhuman and thuggery. He was addressing the NUM Special Eskom Shopstewards Council at the Elijah Barayi Memorial Training Centre in Midrand.

20/08/2026

NUM Convenes National Eskom Shopstewards Council to Tackle Unbundling and Privatisation Threats

​The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has convened the NUM Eskom Shopstewards Council at the Elijah Barayi Memorial Training Centre in Midrand to deliberate on critical developments unfolding at the power utility, with a central focus on the contentious unbundling and impending privatisation of Eskom.

​The high-level gathering has drawn NUM Eskom shopstewards representing all 11 union regions across the country, alongside full-time shopstewards and senior national leadership.

​Leading the address is NUM Deputy President and Eskom Chief Negotiator, Comrade Olehile Kgware. Kgware is engaging shopstewards on the union’s strategic response to government-led restructuring programmes, warning against structural reforms that threaten workers' job security and public ownership of the energy grid.

​The council is also being attended by NUM Energy Sector Coordinator Comrade Khangela Baloyi, who is coordinating discussions on worker mobilization and sector-wide policy positions as the utility advances its unbundling model.

​The shopstewards council serves as a strategic platform to consolidate worker mandates, evaluate ongoing negotiations, and chart a unified programme of action against the creeping privatisation of the state-owned power utility.

​For additional context on the union's perspective regarding Eskom's restructuring policies, watch Olehile Kgware's address on Eskom restructuring. This recording provides direct insight into the union leadership's arguments and operational concerns regarding Eskom's policy roadmap.