Labour movement pays tribute to veteran leader Zibula

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in KwaZulu-Natal has paid tribute to struggle veteran and former provincial chairperson Beauty Ntomb’zodwa Zibula, who died on Saturday. Zibula, 64, was also the former deputy president of the South African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (Sactwu) and a former member of Parliament. Described by Cosatu as a “disciplined and humble cadre”, Zibula dedicated her life to advancing the rights of workers and the broader liberation struggle.

Born in 1961 in KwaMashu, she became politically active at a young age after being mentored by activists including Sbongile Khumalo. Her activism intensified during the period surrounding the 1976 student uprisings, where she participated in student mobilisation and resistance. Forced to leave school at the age of 14 due to family hardship, Zibula worked as a cleaner before continuing her studies at night school.

During this time, she was further influenced by prominent anti-apartheid figures such as Victoria Mxenge. Her entry into the labour movement began in 1978 in the clothing and textile industry, where she rose through the ranks to become a shop steward and later a key leader in the union movement. She played an important role in the development of garment worker unions that would eventually form Sactwu.

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KZN Cosatu secretary Edwin Mkhize said Zibula held several leadership positions over the years, including regional chairperson in KwaZulu-Natal and, in 2007, deputy president of Sactwu — a role she held until 2019. She also served as Cosatu’s provincial chairperson from 2012 to 2018. ‘In 2019, Zibula was deployed to Parliament, where she continued to champion the interests of workers and the poor until 2024’ Mkhize said her passing marked a significant loss to the labour movement.

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