Born in Willowvale in the Eastern Cape region, Sipunzi moved to the Orange Free State in 1985, to work in a platinum mine run by Welkom.
Sipunzi challenged for the post of deputy general secretary of the union in 2012, but was not elected.
[1][2] In 2015, Sipunzi stood to become general secretary of the union, and defeated the incumbent, Frans Baleni, by 357 votes to 345.
He also argued for co-operation with the rival Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union on matters of common interest, such as wage increases.
[1][2] Sipunzi also served as a vice-president of the World Federation of Trade Unions.