The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will celebrate its fortieth anniversary at the old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, Limpopo, on December 4.

Established in 1982 in Klerksdorp (now Matlosana), the NUM was initially led by general secretary Cyril Ramaphosa, president James Motlatsi and deputy president Elijah Barayi, becoming one of the fastest growing unions in the world with a membership over 300 000 mineworkers in the 1980s.

The NUM became a key stakeholder in the formation of the country’s biggest federation of unions, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in 1985.

The NUM grew to 14 000 members within 12 weeks of its establishment and had four regions – Carletonville, Free State, Klerksdorp and Westonaria – as well as eight branches established at its first elective national congress.

In less than a year of its formation, the NUM was recognised by the then Chamber of Mines as the union representing mineworkers in categories one to eight mining in August 1983.

Subsequently, the NUM extended its scope of operation to cover energy, particularly for Eskom and construction employees in the early 2000s. It further extended its scope to the metal workers sector from 2019 and now operates in the mining, energy, construction and metal and allied industries.

The NUM, since formation, aligned itself with the African National Congress, in its struggle to overthrow the apartheid government and formally adopted the Freedom Charter as its political guiding principle in its national congress in 1987. The NUM also made Nelson Mandela an honorary lifetime president.

As one of its historical events, the NUM organised the 1987 strike which took 21 days to negotiate.

Among the most influential demands tabled by the NUM was an extension of provident fund benefits to black mineworkers. Between 1987 and 1989, white mineworkers were afforded retirement funds, while black mineworkers were disbarred from such benefits.

In 1989, the Mineworkers Provident Fund was formed to accommodate black mineworkers.

The NUM also played a part in negotiating for inclusion into other retirement funds, such as the Construction Industry Retirement Fund Benefit Fund.

In other developments, the NUM built the Elijah Barayi Memorial Training Centre (EBMTC) in Yeoville, Johannesburg, in 1993, which the union has used to improve the numeracy and literacy levels of its members and shop stewards.

The NUM also has a second college, the EBMTC Artisan Academy in Midrand, which opened in 2019 to provide training to artisans.

The JB Marks Education Trust Fund was founded in 1997 by the NUM and named after African Miners Union’s first president John Beaver Marks. The trust, celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary this year, has provided 1 717 bursaries, some of which have gone towards NUM members and their families.

The NUM also points out that it has championed for black mineworkers to be allocated houses so that they could stay with their families.

In this regard, the NUM says it has engaged mining companies, through the then Chamber of Mines – now the Minerals Council South Africa – to sell its housing stock to mineworkers at discounted prices.

Related to this, the NUM says it and platinum group metals miner Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat) have developed a housing strategy that aims to promote home ownership for all RBPlat employees.

As part of this Employee Home Ownership Scheme, RBPlat completed the first phase of the project at a function held on September 16, 2014 at the Waterkloof Hills Estate, handing keys to 422 new homeowners.