OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY

Department of Health to finally move headquarters from 'sick' Civitas building in Pretoria

Health24 reports that the Department of Health (DOH) is to move its headquarters from the “sick” Civitas Building in Pretoria and relocate elsewhere after almost a year of protest action from unions.  This was announced on Tuesday by the department following a meeting between the Ministers of Health and Public Works and the leadership of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union’ (Nehawu) and the Public Servants Association (PSA).  The DOH indicated that, as part of this decision, all parties had agreed to concentrate on the relocation and “bring an end to the stand-off, mistrust, suspicions and a psychologically poisoned working environment, whereby working relationships are highly strained”.  A task team has been set up to find a new headquarters, develop a timetable for the move as well as “recommend a transitional mechanism”.  The most significant problems at Civitas relate to malfunctioning air-conditioning, leaks and broken lifts.  Since last April, Nehawu and PSA members stationed at Civitas have engaging in protest action against government’s failure to address their poor working conditions.  The protest action has had a massive impact on the functioning of the health sector.  On 29 October, the Department of Labour closed Civitas, declaring it unsafe.  The building was re-opened a few days later after the health department appealed, undertaking to do the necessary repairs.

Read the full original report on this story at Health24. Read too, Department of Health vows never to return to Citivitas building, at The Citizen

MINING LABOUR

With just hours left before secondary strike, ten mining companies take on Amcu in labour court

BusinessLive reports that 10 mining companies are due to argue in the Labour Court on Wednesday for an urgent interdict to prevent a secondary strike at their operations by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu).  The union has called a seven-day secondary strike in support of a protracted strike by its members at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold operations.  Hearings due for Tuesday were rolled over to Wednesday, just hours ahead of the strike called to start on the evening of 28 February.  Amcu had served secondary strike notices on 15 companies, but withdrew the notifications against four companies, including African Rainbow Minerals, DRDGold, Kumba Iron Ore, Impala Platinum’s refineries, and mining contractor Fraser Alexander.  Of the 11 remaining companies, Sibanye’s platinum division will not seek to interdict the strike, being a directly related party to the strike called on 21 November at its gold mines.  The 10 other companies will argue for an interdict on the basis that they are not directly related to Sibanye and a strike at their operations will not materially affect that company’s gold mines.  They will also argue that the consequences of the strike are out of proportion to the objective Amcu hopes to achieve, which is the end of the Sibanye gold strike.

Read the full original version of Allan Seccombe’s report in the above regard at BusinessLive. See too, Platinum producers ask court to block strike due to commence on 28 February, at Moneyweb

Secondary strike notice pushes Palladium to record highs

Reuters reports that palladium hit a record high on Tuesday, surging above $1,550, as a threatened secondary strike by members of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) at a number of producers added to supply risk concerns in an already tight market.  Spot palladium traded as high as $1,553/oz.  The metal has risen 23% this year on a sustained supply deficit and has gained for seven straight months.  At least 15 mining firms in South Africa, a major producer of the autocatalyst metal, have received notices of strikes to be held later this week.  “Support comes from supply side issues, mainly from South Africa where a strike by the union has a potential to disrupt output further,” ANZ analyst Daniel Hynes said, adding that positive news on Sino-US trade was also providing support.  He went on to observe:  “[However,] considering the rally we are seeing in prices, the risk of a correction is increasing by the day. [But] for the moment the trend is likely to continue.”

Read Sathya Narayanan’s report in the above regard in full at BusinessLive. Read too, ‘Bubble’ warning for palladium, 2019’s hottest commodity, at BusinessLive. And also, Palladium supply deficit will see vaulted stocks exhausted in as little as two years, at Miningmx

Other general posting(s) relating to mining

• Northam edges closer to its 1-million ounces PGM target, at BusinessLive
• DRDGold likens re-opening of ERPM as “akin to South Deep” as Malaysian firm picks over bones, at Miningmx
• Forget cigarette smuggling - The big money is in stealing coal, at GroundUp
• Eskom employees were pressured to sign R4.3bn coal supply contract with Tegeta, Zondo inquiry hears, at Mining Weekly

INDUSTRIAL ACTION / STRIKES

Abet teachers on strike to secure permanent posts

Sowetan reports that 64-year-old Tshidiso Phofu, from Sebokeng in the Vaal, is just weeks away from retirement, but has nothing to show for all his years as an adult literacy teacher.  He is one of dozens of Adult Basic Education and Training (Abet) teachers who have worked for many years as contract workers without allowances and pension benefits.  Phofu is taking part in a strike, which has entered its third week, by adult literacy teachers who are demanding to be employed permanently.  The strike is part of a national strike by the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) that has affected more than 230 colleges.  Teachers protested outside Modulaqhuwa Primary School, in Sebokeng, which has been converted into an Abet learning centre.  The protesting teachers said they wanted the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to address their issues before they were prepared to resume classes.  As the teachers sang protest songs outside the school, 79-year old Jonas Mokoena cut a forlorn figure sitting outside the gate.  Mokoena, a level 1, equivalent to grade 1-3, just wants to continue with his studies which were cut short by the protests.  He only leant how to write his name just a year ago.

Read the full original of Promise Marupeng’s report on this story on page 2 of Sowetan of 27 February 2019

PUBLIC HOLIDAY

South Africans to go to polls on 8 May, which has been declared a public holiday

The Star reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa has officially proclaimed Wednesday, 8 May 2019 as the day on which the general elections will be held.  In a statement, the Presidency said Ramaphosa had dissolved the National Assembly and that the election date had now been published in the Government Gazette.  “The president has also, in terms of Section 2A of the Public Holidays Act of 1994, declared May 8, 2019, a public holiday,” the Presidency indicated.  To date, 26,765,886 South Africans have been recorded as registered voters.  The proclamation has also triggered the opening of the candidate nomination process for the upcoming elections, with the closing date to be included in the election timetable.

Read the original of Siviwe Feketha’s report on the above in full on page 16 of The Star of 27 February 2019

JOBS LOSSES

Assore may move last SA manganese smelting at Cato Ridge offshore as Eskom risk grows

Miningmx reports that Assore is considering shifting its remaining ferroalloys production from SA to its Malaysian facilities which it holds in joint venture with African Rainbow Minerals (ARM).  This will depend on the risks posed by continued interrupted power supply from Eskom as well as the utility’s proposed electricity tariff increases, currently under review.  Manganese ferroalloy production takes place at three furnaces at the Cato Ridge facilities, some 60km from Durban.  Assore and ARM, which are in joint venture through Assmang, have the option of extending capacity at Sakura Ferroalloys in Malaysia, built more than five years ago.  “We are looking at options on that,” said Charles Walters, CEO of Assore following the Johannesburg-listed company’s interim results published on Tuesday.  Eskom’s proposed 15.5% per year tariff increase over the next three years is a burning issue.  The tariff proposal is currently being studied by the National Energy Regulator of SA.  According to the Minerals Council SA, granting the tariff increase will cost jobs and investment.

Read the full original report by David McKay on this story at Miningmx

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• Waiting and hoping the whole day for work, at GroundUp

STAFFING / STATE WAGE BILL

Dlodlo cracks whip over ministerial personal staff

Sowetan reports that ministers and deputy ministers will be breaking the law if they leave behind big personal staff complements in government departments when they are reshuffled or fired.  This new law, gazetted by public service and administration minister Ayanda Dlodlo this month, seeks to reduce the size of the bloated civil service.  Ministers and deputy ministers are allowed to have 10 and six personal staff members respectively in their offices, but many of them violate this rule.  And when ministers are axed or removed from their positions, they insist that their personal staff remain in the civil service and earn from the public coffers even though they usually do not have a job function.  Dlodlo’s spokesperson Mava Scott said the new law “stops ministers from saying come hell or high water my staff will be absorbed in the department”.  Scott indicated that some ministers leave as many as 12 people who are then transferred to the department from the ministry, further stretching the public purse.  “This law ensures when you leave, your staff leaves too and their term is linked to the political term of office,” he explained.  The effect of this law is likely to be felt after the elections in May when the size of the executive is expected to be slashed and many ministers and deputy ministers will be sent packing.

Read more of this Sowetan report by Qaanitah Hunter at SA Labour News

SUGAR INDUSTRY WOES

MPs call for immediate government intervention in embattled sugar industry

BusinessLive reports that Parliament’s trade and industry portfolio committee has called on trade and industry minister Rob Davies and other cabinet ministers to immediately intervene in whatever way possible to address the crisis in the sugar industry.  The industry has been hit with cheap imports and the health promotion levy (sugary beverages tax), which has lowered the volume of sugar used by soft drink manufacturers.  It has also been affected by a severe drought in KwaZulu-Natal over the past three years.  The committee agreed to call for a ministerial intervention during a meeting on Tuesday, rejecting a counter proposal by Democratic Alliance (DA) trade and industry spokesperson Dean Macpherson that a joint meeting be held with the departments of agriculture and rural development to address the crisis.  DA chief whip John Steenhuisen observed in a statement:  “When the sugar tax was first mooted, industry experts warned that this would lead to job losses.  So far, 1,000 jobs have already been lost in the sector and this figure is steadily climbing.”  Trade and industry director-general Lionel October agreed at the committee meeting that the industry was in a crisis.

Read the full original of Linda Ensor’s report on the above at BusinessLive

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Ramaphosa vows that government will empower disabled citizens

ANA reports that at the end of the first meeting of the Presidential Working group on Disability on Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa committed the government to empowering people with disabilities.  He called on government departments to commit to the inclusion of people with disabilities in carrying out their mandates and he called on the private sector to make similar commitments.  More than 20 disability sector organisations attended the meeting, including Action in Autism, Epilepsy SA, the Association of Hearing Loss Accessibility and Development, Disability Workshop Development Enterprise, Deaf Federation of SA, the Albinism Society of SA, the Paralympic Committee, Down Syndrome SA and Disabled People SA.  The sector highlighted five overarching goals for the attention and action of the Presidential Working Group on Disability.  The representatives emphasised the need to implement programmes in government that supported people with disabilities.  Strengthening the criminal justice system and other spheres to protect and bring to an end the victimisation and abuse of vulnerable groups and people with disabilities was also highlighted.

Read the full original report on the above at Independent News

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT / TRAINING

Grant of R33m to train 200 unemployed young people in eThekwini as plumbers and electricians

Daily News reports that two hundred unemployed young people will receive training through an artisan development programme over three years, the eThekwini executive committee (Exco) agreed on Tuesday.  They will attend plumbing and electrical courses during the programme, set to start on Friday.  This will be made possible through grant funding of R33 million from the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority.  A report tabled at Exco granted authority for the city to enter into a service level agreement with a training provider to deliver the courses, and monitor and report on its progress.  The acting deputy city manager of the corporate and human resources cluster, Dr Mpilo Ngubane, said young people would be selected for the programme from a city database.  “We have advertised on a number of occasions for youth who qualified to register on a database to participate in such programmes.  We renew and add recipients to the database every three years.  We advertised in November last year for new recruits to be added to the database,” he indicated.

Read the full original of Chris Ndaliso’s report on this story at Daily News

QUALIFICATIONS

Court declares law degree from private university equal to that offered at any public university

Daily News reports that law students at private universities have expressed relief after the Pietermaritzburg High Court declared the Independent Institution of Education’s (IIE’s) LLB programme equivalent to that offered at any public university in SA.  Sinothi Mtshali, 20, a second-year LLB student at the IIE’s Varsity College in Durban North, was a first-year social sciences student at UKZN in 2017 and said there were differences between the two institutions.  “There were too many of us in class at UKZN.  I would be scared to raise my hand and ask a question, but here at VC there is a small class and you get a direct communication line with your lecturer,” he stated.  Mtshali added that the court case over the LLB programme had weighed heavily on his mind.  “The university was very upfront with us, but I was still worried that I might go through four years of studying law and not become a lawyer,” he said.  Louise Wiseman, managing director at Varsity College, said the IIE’s goal was to offer accredited, quality, private education.

Read the full original of Thabiso Goba’s report on this story at Daily News

PENSION FUND MATTERS

PIC Amendment Bill passed in National Assembly on Tuesday

ANA reports that the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) Amendment Bill was passed in the National Assembly by majority vote on Tuesday.  The bill aims to strengthen accountability and transparency in the PIC, which has been beset by allegations of dodgy investments and which is currently at the centre of an commission of inquiry.  The Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) is the biggest depositor in the PIC, which is Africa's biggest asset manager and controls more than R2 trillion.  With reference to unions being represented on the PIC board, ANC MP Thandi Thobias, a member of Parliament's standing committee on finance, said:  "Our bill gives the workers of South Africa a voice on how their money must be invested."  In addition, the PIC will need to ask for consent before investing large amounts of money in projects, which will need to be disclosed in Parliament.  The bill was passed following a vote with 194 MPs in favour, seven against, and one abstention.

Read the full original of the report on this matter at Independent News

DISMISSALS / SUSPENSIONS

North West health department suspends four managers over expired medication

TimesLIVE reports that at least four managers have been suspended by the North West health department for allegedly mismanaging expired medication.  "The North West department of health can confirm that four managers in Mahikeng have been put on precautionary suspension following alleged mismanagement involving expired medication and management of the depot and staff, while an investigation continues," said spokesperson Tebogo Lekgethwane.  Two of the suspended managers are from a medical depot and other two from the provincial office.  The purpose of the precautionary suspension is to ensure that the four managers' presence at work does not hinder the investigation.  The probe is expected to highlight a failure to disclose or report the existence of a storage room housing expired medication at the depot.

Read the full original version of Nonkululeko Njilo’s report on this story at TimesLIVE

SEXUAL HARASSMENT / SEXUAL ASSAULT

Kodwa, Mabe step aside as ANC spokespersons amid sexual assault allegations

Mail & Guardian reports that African National Congress (ANC) spokespersons Zizi Kodwa and Pule Mabe have temporarily stepped aside following recent separate allegations of rape and sexual harassment against them.  Party secretary general Ace Magashule made this announcement on Tuesday during a media briefing on the outcomes of the ANC’s national working committee (NWC) meeting on Monday.  “We think it is good leadership when leaders of the ANC, even when they feel that they are innocent, step aside until the allegations have been tested,” Magashule said.  Mabe, who faced disciplinary proceedings before the ANC’s grievance panel, has been cleared of all allegations against him but has asked the party for an extended leave.  Mabe was accused of sexually harassing his 26-year-old personal assistant in December.  Kodwa has been recently accused of raping a woman at a private function in April last year, an allegation that he strongly denies.  Magashule said the NWC noted the “serious allegations of impropriety” against Kodwa and Mabe and had “accepted their request to voluntarily step aside while dealing with the matters”.  The duo will remain members of the national executive committee, but will step aside as spokespersons “until these allegations have been tested”, the NWC said in a statement.

Read the full original of Mashadi Kekana’s report on this story at Mail & Guardian

ANC forced Mabe and Kodwa to step down because of fears of damage to ANC brand

Independent News writes that fears of damage to the ANC brand in the build-up to the 8 May elections influenced the ruling party to force its spokespersons to step aside amid sexual assault allegations levelled against them.  On Monday, the party’s national working committee (NWC) took the decision after ANC head of the presidency Zizi Kodwa was accused of drugging and raping a woman, days after the organisation cleared official spokesperson Pule Mabe of sexually harassing his personal assistant.  On Tuesday, ANC Veterans League president and NWC member Snuki Zikalala commented that the decision on Mabe and Kodwa was taken because criminal charges could be laid against the pair.  Zikalala added that the decision was in line with the Mangaung resolution that once a member was implicated in criminal activities, he or she should step down to attend to their woes.  He indicated that the ANC was worried about its credibility and integrity, saying:  “Society can’t trust us if we have spokespersons that constitute the face of the ANC and have this baggage with them.  We hope that they are cleared, go recuperate and then come back to serve the organisation properly.”  But ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule claimed that Kodwa and Pule voluntarily offered to step aside and the NWC accepted their request.

Read the full original of Mayibongwe Maqhina’s report on the above at Independent News