Looking back on Cosatu's development since its formation in 1985, it is clear that the state and a variety of other forces saw it as a significant threat. To counter the growth of the giant federation, violent campaigns against the union were waged. Besides concerted attacks on union personnel and members, Cosatu premises and possessions were often sabotaged and destroyed.
In the mid-80s, during the course of successive states of emergency, Cosatu leaders were arrested and detained without trial.
In the first few days of the June 1986 state of emergency, over 170 unionists were arrested and detained. Cosatu officials and members were constantly harassed, repeatedly arrested, some were physically attacked and even murdered.
Offices were subjected to search-and-seizure raids, meetings were disrupted, material confiscated and road blocks set up to intercept unionists. Membership records, telex machines and other items essential for the conduct of legitimate trade union business were seized by the South African Police (SAP).
Systematic attacks on Cosatu and affiliates' offices took place, in many cases resulting in the destruction of offices through fire-bombs, grenade attacks, bombs and vandalism. Vehicles, printing machines and other office equipment were also destroyed.
The SAP also used state of emergency regulations to make unnecessary and destructive interventions into industrial relations. The Sarhwu and Num strikes in 1987 were particularly hard hit, as was the Nels Dairy dispute in 1987, where the police intervened and detained the entire workforce of 700 Fawu members.
It is difficult to look back upon that time and fully comprehend the nature of the onslaught that was launched against Cosatu. To understand the nature of the attacks, we have lifted, from the files of lawyers Cheadle Thompson and Haysom, a chronology of attacks on Cosatu from August 1986 to June 1989 (Page 32-33). This list is not exhaustive and contains only the more serious incidents. These are only the attacks by "vigilantes" or what has become known as "the third force". The constant repression and harassment by members of the security forces is not detailed. To document repression over the decade of Cosatu's existence would fill volumes. The list on Page 34 is just an example of state action by security police against Cosatu over a one-month period from 26 August 1989 to 28 September 1989.
The campaign against Cosatu continued throughout the 1980's and into the early 1990's.
Few will forget the dark days of April and May 1987. On 22 April 1987, shortly after the SAP massacred a number of Cosatu members in Germiston, approximately 100 security policemen invaded Cosatu House in central Johannesburg. They assaulted and arrested Cosatu leaders and members on the premises and caused damages in excess of R100,000.00 to the building and equipment. The federation launched an application against the SAP, and the Supreme Court declared the seizure of documents by the SAP unlawful.
In the early hours of the morning of 7 May 1987, two large bombs ripped through the basement of Cosatu House. The badly damaged building was declared a health hazard by the City Council. Cosatu and its affiliates were forced to abandon their offices.
On 9 June 1989, Cosatu was declared a "restricted organisation" State repression attempted to effectively prevent Cosatu from carrying out a range of activities.
Cosatu and its affiliates did not accept this clamp down passively and contested every aspect of the onslaught against them in a variety of ways.
Cosatu was the first organisation in South Africa to launch an application to the Natal Supreme Court against the draconian regulations contained in the Proclamation declaring the June 1986 state of emergency. The application was victorious and, for a brief moment, freedom of the press and other fundamental freedoms were protected. The next state of emergency attempted to reverse the advances made by Cosatu. In order to restrain the security police, ensure the release of detained members and protect advances made on the shopfloor, the federation launched successive legal applications to the Supreme Court.
During the first month of the 1986 state of emergency, more than 100 sympathy strikes against the emergency took place in the retail industry.
Hands Off Cosatu
At the same time, the federation launched its "Hands Off Cosatu Campaign" involving stay-aways, boycotts and various protest actions. Its leaders then became the subject of harassment, threats, attacks, dirty tricks and murder. Cosatu's legal investigations into many of these actions implicated the security police.
At times, security police activity approached the absurd. In a response to a letter written by Cosatu's attorney protesting the harassment of Cosatu's Eastern Transvaal leader, Cde J.J Mabena, the police wrote "numerous departemental (sic) safegaurds (sic) exist to ensure that members of the S.A. Police act unlawfully." (Page 34) The absurdity of this response, however, should not detract from the tragic deaths of numerous Cosatu members and leaders at the hands of unknown assassins and the SAP.
In fact, the truth about who was behind or responsible for many of the unlawful and shocking acts against Cosatu is only now starting to emerge. Security police at various levels of seniority are now coming forward and admitting their role in the fire-bombing of Cosatu affiliates' offices around the country, attacks upon individuals, and even the bombing of Cosatu House.
The federation is determined to expose those responsible for each and every act perpetrated against Cosatu, its affiliates and its members during those dark years. It has instructed its attorneys to represent it before the newly formed Truth Commission. The Commission has the responsibility to investigate and pursue those people or organisations responsible for the repression and unlawful activities perpetrated against Cosatu in the past ten years. b
Peter Harris, one of Cosatu's attorneys from the law firm, Cheadle, Thompson & Haysom
October 1985
A fire breaks out in a Cape Town building housing the UDF and various trade unions.
January 1986
The offices of Cawu's East London branch are burgled.
4 Aug 1985
A fire at Fleetwell House, East London, destroys offices of Naawu (now part of Numsa); Fawu; TGWU; Sached; Lacom.
May 1987
The Durban print unit offices of Cosatu are broken into and burgled.
The East London offices of Saawu and Sarhwu are burnt and vandalised.
7 May 1987
Cosatu House in Johannesburg is bombed causing serious structural damage. The building is declared unsafe.
7 May 1987
A second fire at Fleetwell House, East London, destroys Lacom office.
8 May 1987
The Germiston offices of Mawu and Ccawusa are vandalised.
11 May 1987
The Kroonstad offices of Sarhwu are vandalised and closed down as a result.
13 May 1987
Tudor Mansions, Johannesburg, housing Transco, Nascoc and several Cosatu affiliates are firebombed and extensively damaged. All the organisations are ordered to vacate their offices after the attack.
17 May 1987
Mawu's Krugersdorp offices are vandalised.
19 May 1987
Cosatu's Nelspruit offices are destroyed by fire.
23 May 1987
Cawu's Witbank offices are burgled.
14 June 1987
Arsonists destroy the cars of two officials of Cosatu, Howard Gabriels and Dirk Hartford, outside their Johannesburg homes.
July 1987
Ccawusa's Johannesburg offices are broken into. Computers and important information are stolen.
19 July 1987
Two white men are reported to have broken into and set alight the Mawu offices in Krugersdorp. The offices are completely destroyed and the union's records burnt. This attack follows a break-in during which vandals sprayed graffiti containing threats on the office walls.
1 August 1987
Num's Kimberley offices are gutted by fire, resulting in the loss of virtually all union documents.
29 August 1987
A bomb blast occurs at Cape Town's Community House which accommodates Cosatu's Western Cape offices and affiliates.
31 August 1987
A fire occurs at the East London offices of the UDF and Saawu.
September 1987
Cosatu's Vereeniging offices are broken into by unknown persons. Important documents are stolen. This is the second time in a month that the offices have been broken into.
10 September 1987
A petrol bomb is thrown into Num's Welkom offices.
18 September 1987
A fire occurs at the Johannesburg offices of Nehawu and Gawu.
20 October 1987
The home of Cosatu's former Northern Transvaal regional chair, Mr Jerry Thibedi is severely damaged by a powerful explosion.
26 October 1987
A fire destroys the Kimberley offices of several Cosatu unions.
11 November 1987
Vandals spray slogans on Cosatu's Pretoria offices.
30 December 1987
Three alleged security force members assault a Cosatu security guard and seize keys to the door of disused Cosatu House in Johannesburg.
4 January 1988
An abortive petrol bomb attack occurs on the Mahwelereng home of a Ccawusa Ellerines shopsteward.
26 January 1988
Burglars break into the Johannesburg office of Potwa and steal equipment.
28 March 1989
A break-in occurs at the East London offices of Cawu.
April 1988
An unsuccessful attempt is made to burn down the East London offices of Sarhwu. A book with a list of members' names is stolen.
April 1988
A bomb explodes at Community House, Cape Town, while a memorial service is being held to commemorate the death of striking railway workers.
21 May 1988
The Roman Catholic Church hall, in Ackerville township outside Witbank, is gutted the night before a Cosatu meeting there.
17 June 1988
Arsonists attack the Johannesburg home of Suzanna Harvey, a trade union employee.
14 July 1988
The Johannesburg offices of TGWU are destroyed by fire.
8 August 1988
Petrol bombs are thrown into the Mdantsane home of Nomhle Maneli, Actwusa administrator.
September 1988
A Combi belonging to the Sarmcol Workers' Co-operative is firebombed while they are on their way to the Cape Town anti-apartheid conference.
September 1988
Various smear pamphlets are distributed attempting to discredit Cosatu affiliates.
22 September 1988
Arson destroys the Combi in which Ms Pauline Stanford of Cosatu, and several others were traveling.
26 September 1988
The Kroonstad offices of Fawu are broken into. The offices are ransacked and important files and documents are taken.
29 November 1988
A fire causes extensive damage to the East London offices of Numsa, CWIU, Fawu, Ppawu, TGWU and NUWCC sewing project.
16 June 1989
Unauthorized persons with keys break into the Cawu branch offices in Vereeniging and attempt to open a number of other offices including the Cosatu regional secretary's office.
22 June 1989
Glass doors of Cosatu Western Transvaal Region are stoned\broken for the third time within a year.
BANNINGS
27 August-7 September
All Cosatu meetings in Vereeniging Magisterial District prohibited in terms of the Internal Security Act.
13 September
Western Transvaal REC banned
21 September
Cosatu Northern Cape rally due to be held in Galeshewe banned.
RESTRICTIONS
26/27 August
Workers Summit restricted: only trade union members to attend; only to discuss LRA; only 9 am-5 pm; proceedings videod.
31 August
PE Cosatu local restricted. Two orders:
Teachers' Unity meeting in Cosatu
E Cape office restricted
2 September
Cosatu N Transvaal Regional Congress occupied, videod by police.
3 September
W Transvaal Regional Congress restricted. Limited to 9am-1pm plus similar restrictions to Workers Summit.
3 September
E Cape report-back rally from workers' summit restricted. Attended by about 5,000 workers, but unable to go on because of restrictions.
4 September
CWIU meeting to discuss strike at Sasol restricted from discussing stay away on 5 and 6 September.
September
Ppwawu Congress restricted. Restrictions virtually identical to Workers' Summit restrictions.
September
PE Cosatu local shopstewards' council restricted. Only trade union members to attend. Police occupied meeting and videod. The meeting disbanded because of police presence/restrictions,
Cosatu head office, as well as Jay Naidoo's home are raided. Material confiscated. 13 officials of Cosatu affiliates charged for demonstrating. Cosatu subsequently wins court action for return of documents, but documents seized again (25/9).
1-19 September
Num offices raided in Empangeni, Kimberley, Namaqualand, and Rustenburg. Members of the Num severely assaulted in Rustenburg.
22 September
Over 15 offices around the country, including Cosatu head office and regional offices and offices of affiliates, raided by security police looking for consumer boycott material. Documents are taken.
23 September
Police raid and assault workers in Cosatu N Transvaal office after women's march broken up in Pretoria.
24 September
Searched Cosatu office bearer's home (S Ntlokwana) in Grahamstown. Threatened to charge him for possession of consumer boycott guidelines.
27 September
Raid on Cosatu Highveld offices.
OTHER
2 September
NUM member, Jeffrey Njuza, shot dead by supervisor for his role in the defiance campaign.
6 September
FAWU member Yvette Otto and Numsa member L Mlaza shot dead by police in W Cape massacre.
11 September
Police subpoena SAPA for information on Cosatu resolutions. Claim that resolution on negotiations breaches restrictions.
12 September
Potwa member, D Kutu, abducted from home and assaulted by men claiming to be Wit Wolwe.
13 September
Three Numsa members shot at Haggie Rand, apparently by Uwusa members. This follows the recent killing of a Numsa member there and the shooting of two others.
14 September
Comrade Mkalipi, Cosatu E Cape chairperson has a brick thrown through his window.
17 September
Samwu official shot, and six other Brits activists seriously injured by vigilantes in Brits.
21 September
Police stop a march by Nehawu members to the Rand Supreme Court from the Johannesburg General Hospital.