The union was in existence in the early years of the 20th-century, but it nearly collapsed following the Rand Rebellion.
By 1926, it had only 900 members, all of whom were white, but it began growing again under the leadership of Archie Moore.
[1][2][3] However, its acceptance of apartheid led it to split away in 1951, forming part of the new South African Federation of Trade Unions, which later joined the all-white South African Confederation of Labour (SACOL).
[4] The union renamed itself as the South African Technical Officials' Association in 1973.
In 1980, it decided to begin admitting "coloured" workers, which led SACOL to expel it.