In our Tuesday roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that have appeared since
midday on Monday, 5 June 2017.
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DA seeks Eskom ban on Molefe pending outcome of his labour court case BusinessLive reports that the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Monday that former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe must not be allowed to perform any duty at the power utility until the completion of his labour court case. Molefe has approached the Labour Court urgently to have his dismissal from Eskom declared unlawful and void. This was after the board rescinded his reappointment, following a directive from Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown. Before the decision to rescind his reappointment, the DA had approached the high court in a bid to overturn Molefe’s reappointment. The DA’s James Selfe said on Monday that the party would continue with that application. Meantime, an order would be sought in the high court on Tuesday "by agreement" that Molefe would not perform any duties at Eskom subject to the completion of the labour court matter, "whereafter the DA’s review application would be set down for hearing.” The DA intends to also intervene in Molefe’s labour court proceedings. On Monday, lawyers for Eskom were still finalising its responding affidavit in the labour court matter and had not filed papers. Read this report by Genevieve Quintal in full at BusinessLive. See too, DA wants to ensure Molefe does not return to Eskom, at EWN High Court bars Brian Molefe from reporting for work at Eskom BusinessLive reports that the High Court in Pretoria has granted an order brought by the DA and the EFF that prevents Brian Molefe from reporting for work at Eskom while his Labour Court matter is pending. Molefe approached the Labour Court on an urgent basis to have his dismissal from the state power utility declared unlawful and void. This was after the board rescinded his reappointment as group CE, as directed by Public Enterprise Minister Lynne Brown. The High Court order granted on Tuesday states that Molefe will not try to enter Eskom’s head office or any Eskom sites for the purpose of performing his duties and that he is not required to perform any duties. The High Court postponed the DA’s urgent application to review Molefe’s reappointment as Eskom CEO, pending his labour court bid to be reinstated. If Molefe’s Labour Court matter is successful, the opposition party will then set down its application. This short report by Genevieve Quintal is at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Eskom employee Thembisile Yende was murdered, say police News24 reports that a post mortem examination has shown that Eskom employee Thembisile Yende had suffered head injuries and bruises on her neck before she died. Police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele indicated that the case was still being investigated. He went on to say: “We have changed the case from an inquest to murder, and we are appealing to anyone with information to come forward.” Yende, 29, was laid to rest on Saturday. Her body was found in an office at Eskom’s remote Pieterboth substation in Springs on 27 May. She had been dead for 10 days before her body was found after employees reported a smell in the corridor near her office. Read this report by Nation Nyoka in full at News24. See too, Family of Eskom employee Thembisile Yende 'shattered' by postmortem results, at EWN One police officer and eight suspects dead after shootouts in KZN ANA reports that police said on Monday that a police officer and eight suspects were killed in shootouts after police foiled a planned ATM bombing in the Hammarsdale Industrial area, near Durban. In an incident which began on Sunday night and continued through to Monday morning, the SAPS NIU and K9 units responded to information about a possible ATM bombing that was going to take place. Police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said: “Our members confronted the suspects, and they were met with gunfire during which a 44-year-old Warrant Officer from the National Intervention Unit was tragically shot dead. The suspects fled the scene on foot, but they were later found in the nearby bushes, where another shootout with police took place. Three suspects were fatally wounded during this exchange of gunfire.” A second group of suspects were tracked down to a homestead in the Mophela area and in another exchange of gunfire, a further five suspects were fatally wounded. Read this report in full at The Citizen
Mining Charter to become law next week, says Mineral Resources Minister Reuters reports that South Africa's new mining charter, which sets industry targets for black ownership and participation in the sector, will be gazetted and become law next week, Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane said on Tuesday. The mining industry has complained that it has not been consulted enough about the revisions and that South Africa's mining industry is losing investment as a result. This short report is at Mining Weekly Pensions adjudicator slams mine fund for delay in paying out death benefit Fin24 reports that the pension funds adjudicator on Monday spoke harshly about retirement funds that fail to pay out death benefits to beneficiaries timeously, resulting in an increase in unclaimed benefits. The registrar of pension funds recently said that in the mining industry specifically there was R10bn worth of unclaimed benefits. “These amounts and the number of beneficiaries (who don’t receive death benefits) increase year on year,” Pension Funds Adjudicator Muvhango Lukhaimane said. She illustrated these shortcomings with a specific case in which she ordered the Mineworkers Provident Fund (MPF) to pay 10% in compensatory damages to a complainant, because the fund had failed to timeously investigate the existence of beneficiaries of a deceased member. The fund failed to complete its investigation nine years after the death of the member. Lukhaimane ordered the fund to complete the investigation and ensure death benefits were paid to the member’s beneficiaries. In her determination, Lukhaimane also ruled that the complaint against the fund was not “time-barred”, as there were particular circumstances under which the so-called prescription (three-year time period) might be interrupted. Read this report in full at Fin24 Klipwal gold mine reopens using former zama zamas as workforce Mining Weekly reports that Birrell Mining International has reopened the recently acquired Bosveld Mining’s Klipwal gold mine in KwaZulu-Natal, the company said on Monday. Under the chairmanship of Graham Briggs, the former CEO of Harmony Gold, Birrell completed the purchase of Bosveld Mines from Stonewall Mining earlier this year, after having been responsible for the care-and-maintenance programme since early 2016. Production began last month. Owing to the high levels of illegal activity at Klipwal, it was decided to make use of the local former illegal miners as the main workforce, within strict safety regulations and managerial control and adherence to legislative requirements around contractor employment. The former illegal zama zamas, which have formed cooperatives, are contracted as legal personnel to complete hand-lashing and tramming within portions of the mine that are rendered safe by the company. The cooperatives are remunerated on each ton lashed and trammed to a collection point. Read this report in full at Mining Weekly Platinum price remains muted as firms uphold output in order to retain jobs BusinessLive writes that the platinum price is likely to remain subdued until there is a reduction of primary supply from SA, but given the reluctance of the government and unions to agree to cutting jobs entailed in stopping unprofitable shafts, production has been kept relatively high. A Bank of America Merrill Lynch report said on Monday that the concentration of ownership in the sector had diminished in time as Sibanye Gold bought the large Rustenburg mining complex from Anglo American Platinum as well as the whole of Aquarius. "Usually, a reduction of industry concentration is positive, because competition increases. Yet, in the case of platinum, it has, in our view, prevented a rebalancing of the global market for various reasons," the report said, singling out the Sibanye transaction. "This meant that especially the marginal Rustenburg operations, whose performance Anglo Platinum had been discontent with for years, have been sustained for now." The inability of mining companies to shut unprofitable production because of fierce opposition from the government and unions has meant "miners have sustained production to spread fixed labour costs over as large an output base as possible". Read this report by Allan Seccombe in full at BusinessLive Other labour/community posting(s) in this news category
Other general internet posting(s) on mining
Amid financial crisis, Nehawu wants Parliament’s accounting officer fired BusinessLive reports that the National Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) is putting pressure on Parliament to sack its accounting officer, Gengezi Mgidlana. The union blames him for the financial crisis at the institution, including the delay in effecting salary increases for this financial year. Nehawu, which represents most of Parliament’s staff, has not ruled out downing tools if management fails to table a reasonable wage offer in the next few months. Nehawu wants a 10.3% increase backdated to April, when workers were due to receive their annual increases. With Parliament facing financial problems, wage negotiations have not yet begun. Nehawu said Mgidlana, who was the focus of an investigation by Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, should be placed on suspension, pending the conclusion of the investigation. The union also said it would push for his dismissal. Read this report by Bekezela Phakathi in full at BusinessLive. See too, Workers call for suspension of Secretary to Parliament, at EWN
Former Servest employees charged with public violence after defying court interdict ANA reports that a group of 29 former employees of the company Servest, in the Epping Industrial area in Cape Town, appeared in the Parow Regional Court on Monday, all charged with public violence. The case was remanded to 21 July, when the trial is expected to commence. Their case is a sequel to unrest during a wage dispute at Servest’s premises nearly two years ago, when the group is alleged to have ignored a Labour Court interdict, restraining them from causing any further damage to the premises. In the course of the unrest, the group was “locked out” and it is alleged that they first torched and then broke down the main gate to the premises. The police were called and had to use tear gas to disperse the protestors. It is alleged that the group defied the Labour Court Interdict, and returned to the premises to protest. Based on a report at The Citizen
Call operators at 10111 hotline march over low wages The Star reports that call operators from the national emergency hotline 10111 were due to march to the office of the Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula in Tshwane on Tuesday morning over a wage dispute. The SA Policing Union (Sapu) and the newly formed SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) expressed their full support for the action. Saftu spokesperson Patrick Craven said the 10111 call operators wanted salaries that were level with those in other government call centers. He explained that, following a meeting in 2013 with the then National Commissioner and the Provincial Commissioner, a task team was formed to benchmark the operators’ salaries against other government call centres. The task team recommended in April 2016 that the salary level of 10111 operators should be upgraded to level 7. A job evaluation was moeover completed in about October 2016 and it also recommended salary level 7. But these recommendation have never been implemented. Sapu spokesperson Oscar Skommere said Tuesday’s march would be a “go-slow” for the present and not yet a full blown strike. “We will be handing over a memorandum and from today we are giving them 14 days to respond positively,” he said. Read this report by Ilanit Chernick in full at The Star. Read too, 10111 call centre staff to march in Pretoria, at eNCA Uber drivers protest outside East Gate mall over safety TMG Digital/TimesLive report that Uber drivers operating around East Gate mall in Johannesburg on Tuesday staged a protest over alleged ongoing intimidation from meter taxi drivers. About 250 Uber operators were expected to deliver a memorandum to management at the shopping centre. Uber drivers have previously accused metered taxi drivers of damaging their cars and assaulting them while they operate in the area. Gauteng meter taxi drivers recently distanced themselves from a circulating message that threatened violence against Uber drivers. “We are aware of a strike by Uber drivers to the management of the mall; it has nothing to do with us. As far as I am concerned‚ I have no idea what the memorandum is about‚” said Abner Mashikinya‚ a Meter Taxi Association spokesperson. A short report by Kgaugelo Masweneng is at TimesLive
As Stuttafords winds down, staff to get full retrenchment packages Fin24 reports that, although disappointed that Stuttafords was in a winding down process, chief executive Robert Amoils said he was glad the retailer could at least pay staff their full retrenchment packages. Following a business rescue process that lasted seven months, creditors voted last week to a wind down of the retailer, which was founded in 1858. “Over the course of the next few months, should a third party not come forward to buy one or more of the stores, it will mean that by July or August our entire store base would have closed,” said Amoils. So far four department stores have been closed and five still operate. For Stuttafords’ 950 staff members, in a case of liquidation their years of long service would have “been for nothing” and their retrenchment packages would have been capped, but with the wind down, the full retrenchment packages will be payable without any limitation. Read this report by Lameez Omarjee in full at Fin24
Board of Trustees of Community Medical Scheme suspended BusinessLive reports that Community Medical Scheme has been placed under provisional curatorship by the High Court in Pretoria after the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) discovered alleged governance failings by its board. The council approached the high court urgently and last Friday it appointed a provisional curator, pending the outcome of a hearing on 4 August. The apparent failures in fiduciary oversight include allowing a R1.1m bonus to be paid to the scheme’s principal officer, which was outside the scope of her employment contract, and allowing illegal advance payments to the scheme’s administrator Allcare to go ahead. Community Medical Scheme had 13,109 beneficiaries at the end of 2016. The CMS’s head of legal services said members should rest assured that it was "business as usual" for the scheme, which had sufficient funds to cover their medical bills. Read this report by Tamar Kahn in full at BusinessLive
Special investigators appointed to probe corruption in Tshwane SowetanLive reports that City of Tshwane executive mayor Solly Msimanga has appointed two special investigators to deal exclusively with priority corruption in the capital city. The investigators‚ who will be based within his office‚ will deal with high-level corruption cases‚ including upgrades made to the City Hall and the mayoral mansion. “The move to add the two skilled special investigators ought to be celebrated as it allows for more transparency and will bolster our efforts to ultimately stop corruption‚” said Msimanga. Everything possible was being done‚ he added‚ to ensure that “communities are not robbed of quality services and standard of living by thieves masquerading as public servants.” The investigators will work with the existing Forensic Services Division‚ which deals with corruption and fraud cases involving city officials. Read the original of this report by Shenaaz Jamal at SowetanLive
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