NUM National Women Structure to convene its national elective conference at Birchwood Conference Centre in Boksburg

Media Alert, 24 February 2025

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) National Women Structure is ready and prepared to convene its national elective conference from 7th to 8th March 2025 at Birchwood Conference Centre in Boksburg.

The conference is organized under the theme “Working-Class Women Advancing Socio Economic Transformation".

 Expected at the conference are 450 voting and non-voting delegates.

The Ekurhuleni Executive Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza is expected to welcome all the delegates in Ekurhuleni while the Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disability Sindisiwe Chukunga will deliver keynote address. The NUM President Daniel Balepile will also address the conference.

The conference is set to deliberate on many challenges faced by women which included the gender inequalities at various workplaces, trade unions and in general society at large. They will also advocate for the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ and persons with disabilities in various strategic positions. Delegates are also expected to lobbying for the review of the current ‘Last In, First Out’ (LIFO) principle as it is mostly disadvantaging women and the youth. During a lengthy pre-retrenchment process in accordance with section 189A of the Labour Relations Act (LRA), LIFO with skills retention was agreed upon as the selection criterion.

The conference will coincide with the International Women’s Day, the day that is celebrated annually with a focus to issues such as gender inequality, reproductive rights and violence and abuse against women.

The NUM National Women Structure would use the conference to further harmonizes the 1956 class of women who broke the apartheid barriers and marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest the pass laws. The structure would honour Sophia Williams-De Bruyn, the last living leader of the 1956 Women's March.

There will be messages of support from our federation COSATU and our alliance partners the ANC Women’s League, the South African Communist Party and from other progressive and fraternal organisations from both local and international.

All members of the media are invited to attend and report.

For more detailed information, please contact:

Mathapelo Khanye, NUM National Women Structure Secretary - 082 561 2010

Livhuwani Mammburu, NUM National Spokesperson, 083 809 3257

Luphert Chilwane, NUM Media Officer, 083 809 3255

The National Union of Mineworkers
7 Rissik Street.
Cnr Frederick Johannesburg
Tel: 011 377 2111 Cell: 083 809 3257
Twitter: @Num_Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/NUM/10086002340216