Skip to main content
Menu
♥ Donate
eventREF E-0093343Revised

Event record

Council of Unions of South Africa (CUSA) is formed

Council of Unions of South Africa (CUSA) is formed

Date
14 Sep 1980
Updated
30 Sep 2019
Council of Unions of South Africa (CUSA) is formed

The Council of Unions of South Africa (CUSA) was formed, with 9 affiliates. CUSA originated from the Urban Training Project and the Consultative Committee of Black Trade Unions. Initially it appeared to be more conservative than the other organisations which were emerging during the same period. Unions belonging to CUSA used plant-level committees as a stepping stone towards unionism. In August 1982, CUSA resolved to form National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), a union which is still in operation. On 8 and 9 June 1985 unity talks between CUSA and the Azanian Confederate of Trade Unions (AZACTU), failed. Subsequently, on 5 October 1986 a merger between these two organisations gave birth to the National Council of Trade Unions (NACTU) in Broederstroom.

Search events by date

What happened on your birthday?
View more events from this day

How we know this

  1. 01O’Malley, P. ‘1980’, from Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory and Dialog, [online], available at www.nelsonmandela.org.za(Accessed: 13 September 2013)
  2. 02Nedlac, ‘Organised Labour Constituency’, [online], available at www.nedlac.org.za (Accessed: 13 September 2013)
  3. 03 NACTU, ‘History-National Council of Trade Unions’, [online], available at www.nactu.org.za(Accessed: 13 September 2013)
  4. 04Bendix S. (1989) ‘The South African Trade Unions and Employer’s Organisations the Tripartite Relationship’, (Juta and Co. Ltd) pg 203

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2012, September 5). Council of Unions of South Africa (CUSA) is formed. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093343

South African History Online (2012) 'Council of Unions of South Africa (CUSA) is formed', South African History Online, 5 September. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093343 (Accessed: 6 August 2026).

South African History Online, Council of Unions of South Africa (CUSA) is formed [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093343, (accessed 6 August 2026).

"Council of Unions of South Africa (CUSA) is formed." South African History Online, 5 Sept. 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093343. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

South African History Online. "Council of Unions of South Africa (CUSA) is formed." South African History Online. September 5, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093343.

Further reading

Mooivallei, Dairy Farm Place

Mooivallei, Dairy Farm

Mooivallei, meaning “beautiful valley”, is named after the picturesque town of Bonnievale – a place synonymous...
Popular Content

SAHO is free because readers fund it. Donate →