Financial Mail reports that Cosatu’s U-turn on Covid-19 vaccine mandates came about at a heated high-level meeting on Monday that was held after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement the night before that a task team would "undertake broad consultations on making vaccination mandatory for specific activities and locations".

The meeting included the labour federation’s top leaders and its provincial structures. A proposal was made to include the general secretaries of the large affiliates, but this was rejected as it would have further complicated the decision-making process. In the end, Cosatu had to choose between the broader economy and the demands of its largest affiliates, namely the public sector unions. Those in favour of vaccine mandates argued that the federation had 17 affiliates, and members of those in the retail and manufacturing sectors have been battered by the lockdowns. Thousands of them have lost their jobs. Further lockdowns would only deepen the misery for workers in those sectors. On the other hand, public servants — represented by large affiliates such as the National Education, Health & Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) — have not lost their jobs and have been largely protected, financially, from the impact of the pandemic. These were the affiliates arguing against vaccine mandates. Their members are among those resisting getting the jab. Cosatu, for its part, is set to face a backlash from Nehawu over its stance, but the upside is that the government can no longer use labour as an excuse for dragging its heels on vaccine mandates. The federation, too, is learning that it cannot please all of its affiliates all of the time. It also seems to be learning to place the greater good above its own narrow interests, something that is long overdue.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Natasha Marrian at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)

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