South African Mine Workers' Union
SAHA T-shirt archive, photographed for Common, curated by Khanya Mashabela for Common, 6 May–26 July 2023. Image courtesy of A4 Arts Foundation.
Title
South African Mine Workers' Union
Date
Mid-1980s
Type
Archival garment
Dimensions
56 x 67 cm
S.A. MINE WORKERS' UNION SAMWU AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL (front)
The National Union of Mineworkers was founded in 1982 as a Black mine workers union, by the Council of Unions of South Africa. Its first leader was Cyril Ramaphosa, under whom it grew rapidly, winning bargaining recognition from the Chamber of Mines in 1983.
NUM campaigned successfully in the 1980s for the end of the job reservation system, a system which ensured that the best-paid jobs were allocated to whites. The union was a founding affiliate of the Congress of South African Trade Unions in 1985.
