Mike Shingange is a South African trade union leader who became president of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in October 2026. Before taking the federation’s top role, he served as its first deputy president and led the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union.
Labour movement career
Shingange’s work has centred on organised labour, workers’ rights and collective bargaining. His leadership experience in public-sector unionism brought him into national labour politics and the wider debates shaping South Africa’s trade union movement.
COSATU leadership
As COSATU president, Shingange represents a major labour federation with affiliates across key industries and public services. His biography is closely connected with South African union leadership, worker advocacy and the country’s labour movement.