Zingiswa Losi makes history as Cosatu’s first female leader

There was no need to decate over a female leader as workers and delegates at the Cosatu national congress unanimously elected Zingiswa Losi as its first female president.

Losi, who has been fighting for women to swell the ranks of the Congress of South African Trade Unions’ (Cosatu) leadership, was recently quoted on its website, saying: “I would love to see women taking their rightful place in the federation, not for the purposes of achieving gender equity, but for the transformation of the broader society.

“This will go a long way towards eradicating the patriarchal tendencies that still exist in our society.”

Losi was elected unopposed at Cosatu’s 13th national congress in Midrand yesterday. All the top five positions were uncontested.

The others were first deputy Mike Shingange of Nehawu (National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union), Limpopo, and second deputy Louise Chipe of Saccawu (South African Commercial Catering and Allied Workers Union), Gauteng, while general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali, deputy general secretary Solly Phetoe and treasurer Freda Oosthuysen retained their positions.

Independent political analyst Mammetja Mogotlane described Losi’s election as a “major step [towards] decolonising institutions of power and long-standing patriarchal roles in South African politics”.

“It is still quite disappointing that 24 years into democracy we still have ‘firsts’, but this is a win, nonetheless.”

Mogotlane said the country was still marred by inequality and marginalised groups of which black women were the majority.

“Women face subjugation in the workplace and continue to face unwarranted scrutiny in the public. The uncontested election of a black woman as president in the largest trade union federation is an accomplishment that should not go unnoticed.”

The commentator further said the ANC could use this appointment to its advantage to gain support from the electorate as Cosatu will be supporting the ruling party in the 2019 national elections.

Losi, a former member of the South African National Defence Force, is currently a member of the South African Communist Party central committee and an ANC national executive committee member. She also contested the position of the ANC deputy secretary general at Nasrec in December.

She had been advocating for Cosatu to be a strong federation.

“The critical challenge is that of building a strong federation. To accomplish this we need to have shopstewards and leaders who are clear about Cosatu’s mandate, our task is also to build strong branches and strengthen our affiliates,” Losi said.

Alex Mashilo, who is SACP spokesperson, described Losi as a resilient leader.

“Her election was not accompanied by a campaign for a woman president but was a straightforward election of a president by the workers on a non-sexist basis. There is a lot that other alliance partners and organisations outside of the alliance can learn from this,” Mashilo said.

Mashilo and Losi served together in the Ford national shop stewards council of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa).

“She is a fighter,” he said.

A product of student politics who grew through the ranks of the trade union movement, Losi served as a shopsteward under Numsa at Struandale engine plant of Ford Motor company in Port Elizabeth, where she was an operator and a quality inspector. She also served in Numsa committees such as finance and education in the Eastern Cape region.

Another analyst, Ralph Mathekga said Losi’s election was a good move by Cosatu and showed confidence in women as leaders.

“Cosatu came from difficult times of divisions under Zuma and expulsion of a big affiliate, Aumsa. The federation should rebuild its relationship with workers and re-assess how they relate to the ANC as Alliance partner,” Mathekga said.

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