Cosatu’s national May Day rallies open at 10h00 on Friday 1 May 2026, with the federation framing the public holiday around what president Zingiswa Losi has described as a deepening cost-of-living crisis facing South African workers.
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The flagship rally is being held at Curries Fountain Stadium in Durban, with provincial gatherings including the Galeshewe Open Air Arena in the Northern Cape. Competition Commission data cited by organised labour shows electricity has risen 68 percent, water 50 percent, food 45 percent, primary education 37 percent and secondary education 42 percent over the past five years. Each working-class job now supports up to seven family members on average, the federation said.
Sources: Sowetan, Diamond Fields Advertiser, SABC News, COSATU/POPCRU statement
