Numsa made decisive political shifts between 1987–1994. In these it was less a victimof external manipulations often beyond its control, and more of a pragmatic player confronting the question of what political goals it hoped to achieve and how to get there. Although consensus on a socialist society existed, interpretations on how to achieve this goal differed.

The banning of the UDF and imposition of the 1986 state of emergency moved Cosatu to the centre of the political stage. The Fosatu focus on strong organisation was vindicated as organised factories weathered attacks which township organisations could not withstand. There were moments in 1987 when the state appeared determined to destroy Cosatu – when it bombed Cosatu House where affiliate head offices were based (including Numsa) – but the labour movement was too extensive and too deeply entrenched to destroy. Sactu's fate was not going to be repeated.

The rapidly changing political landscape of the early 1990s, coupled with the scale of union growth, meant that Numsa could no longer control political developments in its ranks in the way that Mawu and Naawu had attempted. Without abandoning Mawu's socialist perspective, Numsa moved to shape the political landscape. It became more flexible in its relations with political movements, which meant a continuous assessment of how far it was prepared to compromise its independence. Its politics was still the subject of intense debate both internally and outside the union. In these interactions, the formulation of a working class political programme to guide its policies and activities was a constant refrain. The Mawu 1986 congress had called for such a blueprint – and it remained Numsa's task to fulfil it.

Freedom Charter: contested terrain

At Numsa's 1987 congress, former Macwusa unionists from the Eastern Cape tabled a motion calling for the adoption of the Freedom Charter, a topic which was also on the agenda of Cosatu's upcoming second congress. At issue was whether this historic popular document adequately articulated the union's socialist perspective.