On Friday 04 April 2014, twenty members who are members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) received certificates in Social Theory and Research from the University of the Witwatersrand. The certificate is part of a year-long course that the Department of Sociology at Wits runs with Numsa.
The course focusses on how the capitalist economy works, alternatives to global capitalism and working class strategies and theories. The course which has been run since 2010 draws every year between 20 and 25 workers from Numsa-organised workplaces and is part of a broader organisational programme to build a politically-conscious cadre within the union.
Speakers at the graduation ceremony was the University of the Witwatersrand’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor ADAM HABIB and Numsa’s President ANDREW CHIRWA.