Congress of South African Students

The Congress of South African Students (COSAS) is an anti-apartheid student organisation established in 1979 in the wake of the June 16 Soweto Uprisings in 1976 in South Africa. In its first two years COSAS took up two commemorative campaigns that authorities saw as African National Congress-supporting; the 1979 hanging of uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) guerrilla Solomon Mahlangu and the centenary of the Zulu victory over British troops at Isandhlwana.

In 1982, COSAS adopted the theme; “Student-worker action” and promoted the formation of youth congresses to serve the interests of young workers and unemployed youth. The organization provided essential support to striking workers and community struggles around issues such as transport increases, rent hikes and the like.

In 1983, the COSAS welcomed the formation of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and played a key role in the formation of the regional UDF structures in all of the provinces. It saw the UDF as representing a common platform to fight for a free and democratic South Africa.

Throughout the 1980s, under the banner of COSAS, students staged a variety of resistance tactics like boycotts and strikes. In Cradock, Eastern Cape students from seven schools boycotted the transfer of Matthew Goniwe, a teacher and anti-apartheid activist who was later murdered by apartheid security forces.^[1] COSAS has the stated goal of uniting and representing South African students of poor and disadvantaged backgrounds at "the Pre-Tertiary Level".^[2] The COSAS moto is “Each One Teach One”.^[3]

COSAS was preceded by South African Students' Movement, that organisation having been banned by the Apartheid government in 1977.^[4]

References

Politics of South Africa By province Eastern Cape Free State Gauteng KwaZulu-Natal Limpopo Mpumalanga North West Northern Cape Western Cape Political movements Ideologies African nationalism Afrikaner nationalism Anarchism Anti-war Black consciousness Environmentalism Federalism Liberalism Libertarianism Pan-Africanism Trotskyism Political parties see South Africa political parties Other political organisations AfriForum Afrikanerbond Boerestaat Party CONTRALESA COSAS DLF DSM Earthlife Africa Keep Left Khanya College Koeberg Alert LGEP Occupy Oranjewerkers Orde Boerevolk PAVN SALSA SASCO South African Wine Initiative VAB WIVL ZACF Trade unions and Social movements see South Africa trade unions Equal Education Mandela Park Backyarders PASSOP Poor People's Alliance Abahlali baseMjondolo LPM Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign SJC TAC UPM Law see South African law Terrorism AWB Kommandokorps PAGAD Political culture African Renaissance Alternative media Azania Corruption (Don't) touch me on my studio Freedom Charter Proudly South African Rainbow nation Renaming Tenderpreneurs Toyi-toyi Ubuntu UnFreedom Day Xenophobia Slogans "Amandla Ngawethu!" "No Land! No House! No Vote!" Books and periodicals African Communist Amandla ANC Today Biko I Write What I Like Long Walk to Freedom Molotov Cocktail No Land! No House! No Vote! Other Blikkiesdorp Corrective rape Crime Elections HIV/AIDS Labour brokering Land occupations Legacies of apartheid Lindela Marikana massacre Nkandlagate Political assassinations Political repression Protests Sexual violence Shack fires Third Force Category

Political history of South Africa Defunct polities Kingdom of Mapungubwe (c. 1075–c. 1220) Dutch Cape Colony (1652–1806) Mthethwa Paramountcy (c. 1780–1817) Ndwandwe Kingdom (c. 1780–1819) Cape Colony (1795–1910) Zulu Kingdom (1816–97) Natalia Republic (1839–43) Natal Colony (1843–1910) Orange Free State (1854–1902) South African Republic (1856–1902) Griqualand East (1861–79) Griqualand West (1870–73) Goshen (1882–83) Stellaland (1882–85) Nieuwe Republiek (1884–88) Upingtonia (1885–87) Klein Vrystaat (1886–91) Orange River Colony (1902–10) Transvaal Colony (1902–10) Union of South Africa (1910–61) Transkei (1976–94) Bophuthatswana (1977–94) Venda (1979–94) Ciskei (1981–94) Events 1652–1815 Dutch settlement French Huguenot settlement Khoikhoi–Dutch Wars Xhosa Wars Battle of Muizenberg Battle of Blaauwberg Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 1815–1910 Mfecane 1820 Settlers Great Trek Boer Republics Mineral Revolution Witwatersrand Gold Rush South African Wars South Africa Act 1909 1910–1948 Maritz Rebellion Rand Rebellion Great Depression 1946 African Mine Workers' Union strike Bantustans Apartheid era 1948 general election Apartheid legislation Internal resistance Coloured-vote constitutional crisis Defiance Campaign Congress of the People Freedom Charter Women's March 1956 1957 Alexandra bus boycott Sharpeville massacre 1960 republic referendum International isolation Academic boycott Disinvestment Sporting boycott Rivonia Trial Tar Baby Option Durban Moment Border War Israeli alliance Israel–South Africa Agreement Soweto Uprising Weapons of mass destruction Project Coast Constructive engagement Church Street bombing 1983 constitutional reform referendum Rubicon speech Third Force CODESA 1992 apartheid referendum Saint James Church massacre Bophuthatswana conflict Shell House massacre Post-apartheid 1994 general election Government of National Unity Reconstruction and Development Programme Truth and Reconciliation Commission Arms Deal African Renaissance Xenophobia Marikana massacre 2012 Western Cape farm workers' strike Nkandlagate 2014 platinum strike #RhodesMustFall protests #FeesMustFall student protests Political culture Afrikaner Calvinism Baasskap Boerehaat Day of the Vow Greater South Africa Honorary whites Rooi gevaar Slavery Swart gevaar Uitlander Volkstaat Defunct organisations Civic and political organisations Afrikaner Bond Afrikaner Broederbond Afrikaner Party AITUP APO AVF BPC Black Sash CDA CTEG COD Congress Alliance COSG CP Dominion Party DP (1973–1977) DP (1989–2000) DPP ECC FA FD Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners GNP Het Volk HNP ID IP ISL Jeugkrag Johannesburg Reform Committee Labour Party (1910–1958) Labour Party (1969–1994) Liberal Party NA NCP NIC NLP NNP NP NPP NRP NUSAS PFP Progressive Party (Cape Colony) Progressive Party PRP Radio Freedom Reform Party SABP SADECO SAIC SASO SAYCO SAYRCO South African Party (Cape Colony) South African Party (1911–1934) South African Party (1977–1980) TNIP Torch Commando UFP United Party Unionist Party Volksparty Workers Party WOSA Trade unions and social movements APF BCM FOSATU ICU MUSA NEUM PAWE SAAPAWU UDF Umkosi Wezintaba Paramilitary and terrorist organisations APLA ARM BBB Boeremag Greyshirts MK Ossewabrandwag Orde van die Dood SANF Histories of political parties African National Congress Democratic Alliance Pan Africanist Congress of Azania Category