Vision
To be a (Global) Centre of Excellence in Workers’ Education
In 1994, the new democratic government responded positively to the demands by the trade union movement for a commitment to Trade Union Education under the control of the trade union movement. The government created a special dedicated fund for this purpose, and supported the formation of DITSELA as an institute that will help build labour capacity to:
- Strengthen worker participation in workplace, industrial and political democracy
- Strengthen workers intellectual and organising capacity
- Build and strengthen a strong vibrant labour movement in SA
- Promote the role and importance of workers education
Our Locations
We have 2 sites located in Joburg and Cape Town. For more information, please follow the link below:
Vacancies
To see if there are any other available vacancies or wish to see more information, please visit the page:
Director’s foreword
In order to protect workers’ rights from violent crimes in the workplace and society at large, worker education is essential. It gives employees the ability to identify risks, comprehend their legal rights, report occurrences, and actively take part in fostering a culture of safety through group efforts. The 2025 programme of the DITSELA Workers’ Education Institute is centered on training workers about workplace violence, including sexual, verbal, physical, and psychological harassment. In addition to providing training on incident reporting, de-escalation tactics, and communication strategies, it acquaints workers with pertinent labour laws and regulations. Our education program aims to foster social dialogue among workers, their representatives, and employers by focusing on key elements for successful implementation of anti-violence policies.
In conclusion, workers’ education plays a vital role in preventing and addressing workplace violence by empowering workers to recognize threats, report incidents, and advocate for a safer working environment through collective action and awareness-raising efforts.
What We Do
Promoting
workers’ education as part of the adult learning policy discourse and its vital role in advancing socio-economic justice for the working class
Supporting
the development of education, organising and leadership capacity of the labour movement.
Upholding
traditional union values of democracy, collectivism, equality, human rights and the dignity of labour.
Providing
quality non-formal and formal workers’ education that encourages critical thinking, activism and transformation of the workplace and of society.
Advancing
the unity and solidarity of the working class locally, on the continent and globally.
Collaborating
with the workers’ education movement locally and globally.
Reviews
Fern Ellis
National Administration Course
“I didn’t expect it to be as practical as it was; it was a strange combination of very inspirational as well as extremely practical. It’s quite often that you get courses that you sign up for or do that aren’t as useful as you may have thought they’d be, but this one was incredibly useful. We had a session on “free writing” and often things like this turn out to be a little bit abstract and not of value but this was extremely valuable in terms of tapping into your subconscious mind, to refresh your memory from your subconscious. We did “minute-taking” in great detail as well as something I’ve always found strange and accessible- “Mail Merging.” “The facilitator; Ms. Dlamini, was extremely engaging, humorous, you could really tap into what she was saying and the technical aspects were really detailed. And I’m really grateful to Ms. Dlamini, and DITSELA as a whole, for everything they’ve done for us to ensure that everything was smooth- sailing for us. I’m truly, grateful, Thank You!”
Penelope Amogelang Kutumela
National Administration course
The course was incredibly educational and helpful, and the presenter was very knowledgeable and helpful. I now know what is expected of me as an administrator in the highly political and stressful trade union sector, but I also know how to properly manage and administer the office.
I went into the course wanting to learn how to do a better job as an administrator; I wanted to learn how to organize and handle pressure from officials and members, as my position also requires that I assist members when officials are not around. Mastering filing would also help me run the office more efficiently on a day-to-day basis and the administration course gave me the abilities and information I desperately needed and assisted me in enhancing those I already had.
Johannes Mofephe
Fasset Seta Labour Law Skills Programme
“A huge thank you to DITSELA for conducting a progressive and comprehensive manual which entails key aspects of Labour Law to cover both the employers and employees, together with the trade union officials on behalf of members in various workplaces. Strategies, goals, and objectives of the training were really empowering and capacitating to enable the shopstewards to manage their roles and responsibilities in their workplaces on a daily basis, particularly on monitoring and evaluating the employer’s compliance with the regulations governing the workplace. Shopstewards and union officials who participated received further information and skill enhancement and advocacy concerning important priority areas in their workplaces.
The training wasn’t just about equipping us with tools to fight the employer, but also a way of approaching it, thanks to Mr. Monaisa, the training facilitator, who gave us all new perspectives on the opportunities to apply strategies when effectively engaging or challenging his or her employer in an appropriate manner.”
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