Trade unions like to claim that they act on behalf of the poor but they are often as narrowly self-interested as any other organisation.
In education, improvement is hindered by the resistance of the SA Democratic Teachers Union to holding teachers to account so that they do what they are paid for.
SADTU don't want inspectors visiting schools, and they don't want teachers to be tested to see if they are competent.
Nor do they seem to care if schooling is disrupted by teacher strikes or protests.
A school principal told me that when he complained about children losing out because of this a SADTU official said "in every war there are casualties".
Another wildly irresponsible union is the Food and Allied Workers Union, as evidenced by its strike at soft drinks company Amalgamated Beverage Industries (ABI).