Join Now
Access Your Benefits

Achievements and challenges

For over 30 years, NUMSA has fought tirelessly to protect workers, win better wages, secure benefits, and unite metalworkers across South Africa.

We celebrate the victories we have achieved, but the struggle continues. NUMSA remains committed to fighting job losses, underpayment and insecure work – always standing for fairness, dignity and opportunity 
for every member.

Join NUMSA Today 

Achievements

Join a union that stands with you. Get the support you need, stay informed on the issues that matter, and take part in shaping the future of workers’ rights. Together, we are stronger.

  • Largest metalworkers’ union in South Africa
  • Protected jobs and secured fair wages
  • United workers across race, gender, and skill
  • Won multiple legal battles and secured above-inflation settlements

Challenges

We honour our victories, but we remain alert to the challenges workers still face.

  • Job losses from retrenchments, short-time and factory closures remain a threat.
  • Many workers are still underpaid while the cost 
of living rises.
  • Casualisation, outsourcing and labour brokers make work insecure.
  • Unsafe workplaces put lives at risk.
  • Employers and politicians continue to attack unions and workers’ power.

Forged in Struggle, United in Strength

Born in Struggle

NUMSA was founded in 1987 when several metal and motor industry unions came together to form one powerful organisation.

From the beginning, our mission was clear: to unite workers across sectors, fight for better wages and conditions, and defend the rights and dignity of every member.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, NUMSA played 
a leading role in the struggle against apartheid and in building a democratic South Africa.

We organised mass strikes, resisted exploitation, and stood firm against both bosses and a repressive state.

Building Worker Power

Since then, NUMSA has grown into the largest metalworkers’ union in South Africa.

Our strength has expanded beyond metal alone –
we now represent workers in auto, motor, tyre, rubber, electrical, aerospace, electronics and renewable energy industries.

Today, NUMSA continues to fight tirelessly against retrenchments, casualisation and unsafe workplaces, while securing benefits like pensions, sick pay and funeral cover.

Our history is one of struggle, sacrifice and victory and our future remains committed to building worker unity, justice and equality.

NUMSA Constitution

The preamble to the NUMSA constitution

We, the members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, firmly commit ourselves to a united South Africa, free of oppression and economic exploitation. We believe that this can only be achieved under the leadership of an organised and united working class.

Our experience has taught us that to achieve this goal we must:

Fight and oppose discrimination in all its forms within the Union, the factories and in society

Encourage democratic worker leadership and organisation in our factories and in all spheres of society

Reinforce and encourage progressive international worker-to-worker contact so as to strengthen the worldwide society of metalworkers

Strive for maximum unity amongst organised metalworkers and organise every unorganised metalworker into our national industrial Union

Ensure that all levels of our Union are democratically structured and controlled by the worker members themselves through elected worker committees

We call on all metalworkers that identify with these principles and aims to join us and the metalworkers we represent, as comrades in the struggle ahead.

We call on all metalworkers to set aside any prejudices they may have and strive for unity under the guiding slogan of the international working class:

“From each according to their ability; to each according to their needs”

Read Full Constitution
Service Charter

Our Leadership

NUMSA’s leadership is democratic, accountable, and committed to protecting workers. Strong leaders have secured fair wages, defended jobs, and advanced equality, while ensuring workers’ voices shape both industry and society.

Nditshe Andrew Mpho Chirwa

President
Read Bio

Mac Chavalala

1st Deputy President
Read Bio

Puleng Phaka

2nd Deputy President
Read Bio

Irvin Jim

General Secretary
Read Bio

Mbuso Ngubane

Deputy General Secretary
Read Bio

Mphumzi Maqungo

National Treasury
Read Bio
Get in Touch

Partners & Stakeholders

Andrew Chirwa
President
Andrew Chirwa joined NUMSA in September 2001 on his first day of employment at Ford Motor Company in Tshwane. A committed activist since his student years, he quickly immersed himself in union structures, driven by a belief in working-class unity and collective ownership of the means of production.

Key Focus Areas

  • Strategic organisational leadership

  • Automotive sector bargaining

  • Worker control and democratic mandates

Elected as a shop steward in 2003, Andrew rose through regional leadership, serving as Regional Deputy Chairperson and later Chairperson of Hlanganani Region. In 2012 he was elected 2nd Deputy President, and in 2013 he was elected President following the Special National Congress.

He has chaired the National Bargaining Forum in the automotive sector, served on the MERSETA Board, and participated in national federation structures.

Leadership Philosophy

Andrew believes the working class must be its own defender, advancing unity and disciplined organisation as the foundation of lasting change.

“The working class are its own defenders… forward we go, backwards never.”

Mphumzi Maqungo
National Treasurer

Mphumzi Maqungo began his NUMSA journey in 1999 as a part-time shop steward at Delta Motors (now Isuzu Motors). His unexpected election into leadership marked the beginning of a steady rise through organisational structures.

Key Focus Areas

  • Financial governance

  • Investment oversight

  • Organisational sustainability

He became National Treasurer in 2012 and has served on multiple financial oversight bodies including MIBFA and the NUMSA Investment Company.

Leadership Philosophy
Mphumzi believes financial discipline is central to strengthening worker control and sustaining the union’s long-term power.

“Worker control requires participation, discipline and accountability.”

Mbuso Ngubane
Deputy General Secretary

Mbuso Gubane was elected Deputy General Secretary at NUMSA’s 11th National Congress in 2022. His activism began in student politics in KwaZulu-Natal, where he held leadership roles in COSAS, SASCO and the Young Communist League.

Key Focus Areas

  • Organisational coordination

  • Regional unity and growth

  • Political education

Joining NUMSA in 2006 as a local organiser, he rose to Regional Secretary of KwaZulu-Natal, where he strengthened unity and membership growth before his election to national office.

Leadership Philosophy

Mbuso emphasises unity, coordination and disciplined organisational machinery as pillars of a strong union.

“United we stand, divided we fall.”

Irvin Jim
General Secretary

Irvin Jim has served as General Secretary since 2008. He began his working life at Firestone Tyres in 1991, becoming a shop steward within months and later a full-time shop steward.

Key Focus Areas

  • National administration and strategy

  • Political direction

  • Mass mobilisation and bargaining coordination

He served as Regional Secretary of the Eastern Cape before being elected General Secretary. His tenure has shaped NUMSA’s political direction and organisational resilience during critical national moments.

Leadership Philosophy
Irvin’s leadership reflects a firm commitment to class struggle and disciplined implementation of congress mandates.

“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.”

Puleng Phaka
2nd Deputy President

Mac Chavalala
1st Deputy President

Mac Chavalala joined the union movement during his employment at Eskom, where he qualified as an electrician and later became a Senior Work Planner. His journey into NUMSA was shaped by a search for representation aligned with both sectoral identity and political conviction.

Key Focus Areas

  • Organisational consolidation

  • Worker mandates and internal democracy

  • Federation leadership

He was elected shop steward in the early 1990s and progressed through local and regional leadership roles, including Regional Chairperson of Hlanganani. He was later deployed to lead SAFTU as President before being elected 1st Deputy President of NUMSA.

Leadership Philosophy

Mac is guided by ethical leadership rooted in dignity, accountability and disciplined service to members.

“Service to our members and nothing else.”