On 5 September 1989, a group of Cape Coloured officers in the South African Police defied orders and refused to attack anti-apartheid protesters.

Some of them worked with a group of prison warders to found POPCRU, in November.

The new unions was unable to secure recognition, with many of its leaders being dismissed, and some being imprisoned.

[1] POPCRU is an affiliate of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).

This article related to a South African trade union is a stub.