Thozamile Gqwetha 02 - 10 - 06

Thozamile Gqwetha

The Congress of South Africa Trade Unions dips its banners in honour of one of our greatest pioneers and stalwarts - Thozamile Gqweta, who passed away on Monday 25 September 2006. We send our deepest condolences to all his family, friends and comrades.

Thozamile Gqweta quite literally devoted his whole life to the service of his fellow workers. He was brutally tortured by the apartheid regime yet never flinched from his task of organising the working class and building the trade union movement.

He founded the South African Allied Workers’ Union (Saawu) in the Eastern Cape in 1978, five years after the Durban strikes. Its aim was to be the first non-racial workers’ organisation in line with the Wiehahn Commission Report. He became its president and began to recruit members outside its Eastern Cape heartland.

He was repeatedly arrested, detained and beaten by the police of the Ciskei puppet Bantustan. And in addition to the pain inflicted on his body, he suffered a series of personal tragedies which would have broken the spirit of many a lesser comrade. In 1981 his mother, Nomentile Gqweta, and his uncle, King Gqweta, burnt to death after his home suspiciously caught fire. Just a week later security police opened fire on mourners returning from his mother’s funeral, and killed his girlfriend.

But he stuck to his task, despite more detentions and beatings, as well as being indicted, arrested and then acquitted on charges of treason in 1985, together with other UDF activists. He went to play a central role in the formation of COSATU.

After 1994 he briefly worked in the Office of the Premier in the Eastern Cape, under Makhenkesi Stofile, before retiring to live in Mdantsane, East London.

All his ill treatment in the 1980s affected his health and he spent a lot of time in hospital, culminating in the illness that led to his tragic death at only 54.

Workers must never forget Thozamile Gqweta. Without his passion for the cause, dedication to the struggle and willingness to suffer injury, personal tragedy and even death, we might have waited many years longer for national liberation and the strong united trade union movement we have today. We owe it all to heroes like him and will make sure that his memory lives on to inspire new generations of trade unionists and revolutionaries.

His funeral will be held on Saturday 7 October at Peelton Village, King William’s Town, at 10h00. For further details please phone Xola Phakathi on 082 752 6504.