First Deputy General Secretary Comrade Welcome Mnisi
The election of Cde Welcome Thulani Mnisi is not merely a personal achievement—but it is a victory for the workers, the people of Mpumalanga, and the entire working class of South Africa. It is a clear affirmation that revolutionary discipline, consistent service, humility, and principled leadership remain the defining qualities of those entrusted to lead our mighty union.
Cde Welcome Thulani Mnisi's revolutionary journey is deeply rooted in the struggles of ordinary workers. His activism began at Mpumalanga College of Nursing, where he emerged as a student leader wherein he served as SRC Deputy Secretary, Interim Chairperson in 2008 and subsequently elected as the SRC President for two consecutive terms in 2009 and 2010 defending the interests of student Nurses and workers as a Student Leader and a Shopsteward.
Cde Mnisi joined NEHAWU upon his commencement as a Student Nurse in 2008 at Mpumalanga College of Nursing and he was elected a NEHAWU Shopsteward 2009 while being a Student Nurse when Mpumalanga College of Nursing as a workplace was still under Themba Hospital Branch.His activism within NEHAWU got strengthened in Themba Hospital Branch where he was practicing as a Student Nurse between 2008 and 2011. Between 2009/2010 he also contributed towards the establishment of Mpumalanga College of Nursing as a stand alone NEHAWU Branch from Themba Hospital Branch working with the Shopstewards from both institutions.
Cde Welcome Mnisi joined the workforce and Public Service in Ermelo Hospital as a Community Service and Professional Nurse in April 2012 .It was during the same year in 2012 wherein he was elected as the Branch Secretary for Ermelo Hospital Branch and subsequently a Branch Chairperson in the year 2014 , and served as NEHAWU Gert Sibande Regional Executive Committee member .He was then placed in MN Cindi Clinic in Msukaligwa Subdistrict upon completing his Community Service in 2013 where is trade union movement activism was more strengthened while leading as the Branch Chairperson for Ermelo Hospital Branch which was clustered with Msukaligwa Subdistrict Department of Health and the 11 Clinics which fell under Msukaligwa Subdistrict.
Cde Mnisi was also assigned with the responsibility of Coordinating the Regional Health Subcommittee for NEHAWU Gert Sibande in the year 2013 to 2015.
His love,passion and keen interest on NEHAWU started when he was attending the interviews for Student Nurses in February 2008 at Mpumalanga College of Nursing when a the late Cde Michael Machanic Nkosi ,a NEHAWU Shopsteward being accompanied by Cde Bonginkosi Nkosi a NEHAWU Shopsteward who was representing Student Nurses in the NEHAWU Themba Hospital Branch Executive Committee entered the Boardroom and chanted a slogan while greeting and reassuring all the interviewees who had attended the recruitment process for the Student Nurses Intake.
Cde Welcome Thulani Mnisi's passion on the struggle for the proletariat, marginalized and the entire working class was more broadened when affiliates of COSATU in Msukaligwa elected him as Ermelo Local Secretary in the year 2013 and he was further appointed by COSATU Mpumalanga Provincial Executive Committee as COSATU Gert Sibande Regional Coordinator in the year 2013 wherein he was coordinating all COSATU Affiliates in the Region, which also earned him a position in the ANC Regional List Committee representing COSATU.He also served as the SACP Gert Sibande District Executive Committee for two terms.
His unwavering commitment to organisational building and workers' struggles earned him the confidence of members to serve as the Gert Sibande Regional Secretary in the year 2015 who then served as NEHAWU PEC and CEC member. During his tenure as the Regional Secretary, he became a unifying force, strengthening the region and advancing the struggles of members and workers throughout Gert Sibande. The confidence that the region placed in him was later echoed by all four Regions of NEHAWU in Mpumalanga Province, which elected him as NEHAWU Mpumalanga Provincial Secretay in the year 2016 and served for three consecutive terms and uncontested.He served as NEHAWU National Executive Committee member since the year 2016 ro date . He also served as COSATU Mpumalanga Provincial Executive Committee Member for a period of 10 years and executed his tasks with due diligence since since 2016 to June 2026.
This is a testament to a cadre who has remained rooted among workers, consistent in principle, courageous in struggle, and unwavering in defending the rights and dignity of public and private sector workers.
Beyond NEHAWU, Cde Mnisi continues to serve the broader Mass Democratic Movement and currently he is serving as the ANC Branch Treasurer for Ward 08 in Chief Albert Luthuli Subregion , a former Branch Chairperson before the amalgamation of the Branch in 2018. Currently he is serving as a Provincial Executive Committee member of the South African Communist Party (SACP) in Mpumalanga demonstrating his unwavering commitment to advancing the National Democratic Revolution and the cause of the working class.
We are confident that this collective leadership will strengthen organisational unity, deepen worker control, defend collective bargaining, and intensify the struggle for quality public services, decent work, and the complete emancipation of the working class.
His election as NEHAWU 1st Deputy General Secretary is the demonstration for the triumph of revolutionary values over personal ambition. Cde Welcome Mnisi has never sought positions for prestige; he has earned every responsibility through hard work, sacrifice, organisational discipline, and unwavering loyalty to the workers.
He believes in Unity, Collectivism,Problem Solving ,Conflict Management and that matters affecting members should be resolved expeditiously in enhancing service delivery as well as ensuring that there is labour peace in the workplace and society at large.
He carries with him the aspirations and voices of all the category of workers in both the Public and the Private Sector, as well as int eh Parastatals where NEHAWU organizes who are perpetually and continously working under some difficulty conditions. He remains a fearless voice of the voiceless, a disciplined soldier of the movement, and a servant of the working class.
Cde Welcome Mnisi has an understanding on the integration of the Workplace and Community Struggles,as well as the transformative agenda, hence he is currently serving as the Deputy Chairperson for Ermelo English Primary School Governing Body .
His election strengthens our resolve to Close Ranks, Defend the Base Campaign which remains.our organizing strategy.