This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.
Netwerk24 reports that Anglo American Coal on Tuesday agreed that 34 retired mineworkers and their families can continue staying in Eskom-owned houses in Kriel.
This was notwithstanding a Magistrate’s Court ruling in August 2016 which had granted the company eviction orders. The settlement took place in anticipation of an appeal hearing in the High Court in Pretoria against the lower court’s ruling, which had been brought by Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR). Anglo dropped its opposition to the appeal and the High Court set aside the order made by the Magistrate’s Court. According to LHR, Anglo could not prove that it was the “person in charge” in accordance with the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from Unlawful Occupation of Land Act (PIE) and so had not been entitled to bring the application for the eviction orders. Each of the families indicated in their statements to the magistrate that Anglo had misled the court by originally claiming that it was the owner of the houses. Eskom, the actual owner, was not a party to the application. In its court papers Anglo argued that the houses were located on land that belonged to Eskom, but which was hired by Anglo in terms of an agreement. Anglo denied that it had intentionally misled the court. (Loosely translated from Afrikaans)
- Read Jeanne-Marié Versluis’ report, detailing the complex legal arguments involved, in full in Afrikaans at Netwerk24 (limit on access)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page