Union federation Cosatu has achieved a 50-50 representation of men and women in its incoming leadership, which was nominated unopposed at its 13th national congress in Midrand this week. The federation’s second deputy president Zingiswa Losi will formally take over as the first female president in the history of the federation when she addresses the congress for the first time on Thursday. Once confirmed, Cosatu will have the most gender-representative leadership among its alliance partners, the ANC and SACP, whose top six posts are occupied by five men and one woman. Losi is also a member of the ANC national executive committee (NEC) and SACP central committee. The president of the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union Louisa Thipe was nominated to the position of second deputy president, with National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) first deputy president Mike Shingange expected to occupy the same position at Cosatu. Cosatu general secreta...

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