COSATU joins the Southern African trade union movement constituted as SATUCC and its affiliates in mourning the sudden passing away of fellow veteran trade unionist and our former Executive Secretary in SATUCC, Moses Kachima in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania after a battle with prostate cancer for a while.

We convey special words of condolence to our allies, the Trade Unions Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA), which produced him as an outstanding trade unionist and leader, as well as to his family and friends.

Until the time of death, Cde Kachima was working as a principal at the Tom Mboya Labour college in Kisimu, Kenya, which is owned by our ally, the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU-Kenya). Prior to that, he had served as the Executive Secretary of SATUCC based in Botswana for almost a decade till 2009 Congress.

He was also a Deputy General Secretary of the forerunner to TUCTA, the Tanzania Federation of Free Trade Unions.

We can never forget his massive contribution to the development of the trade union movement, not only in Tanzania, but throughout the Southern African region, the whole continent and beyond.

He pass away in the year of SATUCC Congress, which should be a special tribute to his critical role in its development and stature. In his honour, we all are called upon to double our efforts in pursuit of the ideals for which he lived and died, primarily, the unity, transformation and strengthening of the regional and continental trade union and progressive movement at this critical moment in the course of the global working class struggle.