In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Wednesday, 3 April 2019.
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Cosatu wants government to release its research on possible cap on fuel price ANA reports that labour federation Cosatu on Wednesday called on the government to release its research into a possible cap on the fuel price. Lamenting the “massive fuel price hike” of R1.34 a litre which took effect at midnight on Wednesday, the organisation’s parliamentary liaison office said: “It is becoming blatantly clear that our inept government does not have a solid plan to lessen the impact of these fuel hikes on consumers. The government promised a review of the fuel price structure in November 2018. Since that promised review, the public has heard nothing from the state. In the meantime, the fuel price has been increased three times with another massive increase predicted for May.” The federation said the fuel price increase was an “anti-poor tax” as they “have to bear the brunt of not only higher transport costs to get to work and send their children to school but also have to bear the burden of higher food prices and other essential goods.” Cosatu proposed a reduction of 38% of the tax rate on fuel, saying the government could make up for this by cutting the some 10% of the budget lost to corruption, as reported by the auditor-general, and increasing taxes for the rich. Read the original of this report at The Citizen. Read too, Cosatu says incompetent government has no plan to deal with skyrocketing fuel hikes, at EWN
Masterclass at Unisa to highlight link between neuroscience and safety Mining Weekly reports that the University of SA (Unisa) Centre for Blended-learning Studies will on 12 April host a neuroscience and safety and wellbeing in the workplace masterclass. It will be led by Nutricula Psychology psychologist Paul Potgieter. The masterclass will follow the National Institute for Explosives Technology conference on 11 April, which will be hosted in collaboration with Unisa’s departments of industrial and organizational psychology, business management and mining engineering and Nutricula Psychology. Potgieter is the co-founder of the Holistic Safety Programme, which is a scientific approach to worker safety and welfare that considers the impact of psychological and emotional wellness on safety performance. The programme is funded by the Australian government and builds on research in neuroscience that has found that wellness is defined as whole brain functioning, which has significant impact on the implementation of safety measures. A panel of experts representing various industry sectors will respond to the masterclass presentation. Read the original report in the above regard at Mining Weekly
NUM to stage march after supervisor at country club in Kathu allegedly called employee by k-word Diamond Fields Advertiser reports that a case of crimen injuria is being investigated by the Kathu police following an alleged racist incident at the Kalahari Country Club (KCC) in Kathu recently. A police spokesperson said on Tuesday that the charges followed an alleged altercation between an employee and a supervisor at the club. No arrests have been made. According to the Kimberley regional secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Cornelius Manhe, one of its members claimed that a white supervisor at the club had called an employee by the ‘k-word’. “Discussions were held with the victim, the supervisor and two other employees who witnessed the incident. The supervisor was sent home, but returned to work a week later,” Manhe indicated. He added that they were “shocked” to hear later that the club manager had apparently ordered the two witnesses, but not the supervisor, to undergo polygraph tests. As a result, according to Mahne, the two employees have been charged and a disciplinary hearing was due to take place on Wednesday. According to Mahne, Kumba Mines owns the club and related facilities. He added that the NUM was “shocked and perplexed” at the manner in which Kumba “tolerates” racism. Manhe indicated that the union would stage a protest march to the club and was finalising details. A company spokesperson said KCC was managed independently as a non-profit company, and Kumba was not directly involved in its day-to-day running. “We will be speaking to both the management of the KCC and the NUM to ascertain the facts of the case so that all appropriate action can be taken,” the spokesperson said. Read the full original of Michelle Cahill’s report on this story at Independent News. Read the NUM’s related press statement at Cosatu News
Labour registrar sees infighting, poor financial controls as major threats to unions EWN reports that according to Labour Registrar Advocate Lehlohonolo Molefe, infighting and poor financial controls remain the greatest threats to trade unions. In an interview with Eyewitness News, he also painted a bleak picture of the state of employers’ associations and bargaining councils, saying that even they were not immune. The registrar is mandated to regulate labour-related organisations in the country in accordance with the Labour Relations Act. In his view, at the core of all challenges faced by unions and the other labour relations organisations, was the pursuit of money and power. SA’s trade union movement is worth billions of rand and has it accumulated even more wealth through the establishment of investment companies. But, as Molefe laments, these riches rarely trickle down to members. Last month, Molefe applied to the Labour Court to have the SA Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) placed under administration for, among other things, failing to account for the use of funds. Read Theto Mahlakoana’s original report on the above at EWN
'Unemployment will continue if policy, regulation at Eskom not improved', warns DBSA ANA reports that Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) chief executive Patrick Dlamini said on Tuesday that without alternative power generation capacity, unemployment would remain rampant in SA. Speaking at the 4th annual meeting of the New Development Bank (NDB), Dlamini said: "The policy-makers, they have a decision to make, to make sure that you can be able to enable and sustain the economy by coming up with measures that will ensure that there are other generators of power. Unless you begin to look at that, you going to continue to have unemployment in this country." The DBSA CEO said Eskom was in a bind because of a number of factors - including low economic growth, planning inefficiencies and legislation. "Eskom is a creature of legislation. Our political principals in South Africa, how are they looking at this challenge? Why is it that municipalities and metros are limited in terms of going about generating their own capacity to generate power?" Dlamini asked. The NDB is the multilateral bank set up to benefit projects in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) bloc of countries. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Independent News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
MEC intervenes at Alberton primary school to get teachers back in class TimesLIVE reports that Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi on Tuesday ordered a principal of a primary school in Alberton, Ekurhuleni, to attend a diversity and social cohesion course for three months. An acting principal will be appointed for the period. This was one of a number of interventions that Lesufi made as he sought to restore order to Glenview Primary School, where 20 teachers did not go to work for more than 10 days last month. Complaints against principal Tommie Stoltz include that he had been abusive towards teachers of different races. Complaints have also been raised against educator Denise Potgieter, including inflicting corporal punishment on a pupil. Lesufi spent four hours at the school on Tuesday, where he met Stoltz and had separate meetings with all staff and the school governing body (SGB). “All of us agreed that there is a crisis in this school. It cannot be normal that 20-odd teachers take sick leave at the same time. “It cannot be normal that there are divisions in the SGB. It cannot be normal that there are endless accusations against the principal. It cannot be normal that the teachers threaten to attack other teachers,” Lesufi told parents at the school on Tuesday evening. Potgieter was charged on Tuesday morning and disciplinary action will be taken against her, while the 20 teachers have been asked to give reasons for their absence. Letters were expected to be sent to the SGB on Wednesday informing them that their terms had ended. Read the full original of Ernest Mabuza’s report on this story at TimesLIVE Parents close Limpopo school demanding dismissal of four teachers ‘who just sit in the staff room’ GroundUp reports that parents of learners at Tshikota Seconday School in Limpopo shut down the school on Tuesday calling for the firing of four teachers whom they accused of not teaching their children. They also accused the school of failing to give learners reports for the last term. The school was re-opened on Wednesday. Parents said the teachers sat in the staff room and only visited classes to give tests. Parents who spoke to Groundup complained about the History, Geography, Maths and Life Science teachers. “We decided to close the school until the teachers are replaced. We do not want to see those subject teachers at our school again,” said Mabobo Patrick Ndwamato, chairperson of the School Governing Board (SGB). The SGB held a meeting with the Education Sector Manager on Tuesday and agreed that the concerned teachers would report to the manager’s office while the matter was being looked into. After the chairperson of the SGB addressed the parents and learners, teachers, except for the four concerned, were allowed into the school yard. Read the full original of Bernard Chiguvare’s report on this story at GroundUp
AfriForum wins court bid compelling SAPS to send reservists for training ANA reports that AfriForum on Monday successfully compelled the SA Police Service (SAPS) to send police reservists bound to the Kameeldrift police station for their annual competency training. The lobby group brought an application in the High Court in Pretoria to compel the SAPS to ensure that reservists in Kameeldrift completed their competency training, including firearm and ammunition control exercises. AfriForum reported that the SAPS had refused to grant reservists competency exercises on the grounds that it did not possess the manpower and capacity. SAPS did not oppose AfriForum’s application. Ian Cameron, AfriForum’s Head of Community Safety, commented: “AfriForum brought this application and believes that it is of national importance, as the number of police reservists has decreased nationally by more than 80% between 2010 and 2018. This means that a loss of more than 60,000 people are at the police’s disposal to help combat crime. It is a great victory for us to turn this statistic around, especially in the Kameeldrift area – which has been plagued by a wave of crime lately – that mainly included farm attacks.” Read the full original of the above report at Independent News
Mantashes fired worker for giving state capture commission inquirer access to private farm The Star reports that ANC national chairperson and Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe and his wife, Nolwandle, fired one of their employees after she allowed an investigator attached to the state capture inquiry onto their Elliot, Eastern Cape, farm. The Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture on Tuesday heard that after they found out that their employee had allowed investigator Patrick Mlambo on to the property, they axed her. Mlambo told the commission, chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, he had pleaded with them not to fire the unnamed woman. Mlambo said the former ANC secretary-general called him in February soon after he visited Mantashe’s farm and residence in Elliot and Cala, also in the Eastern Cape, to inspect security installations apparently installed by Bosasa. Mlambo said the Mantashes informed him on separate occasions over the phone that they had to summarily terminate the worker’s employment as a result of his visit. The commission previously heard that Bosasa installed a state-of-the-art CCTV and lighting systems at Mantashe’s Eastern Cape properties and another one in Ekurhuleni. According to Mantashe, the helper has not been fired but warned not to allow strangers into the property without first checking with her employers. Read the full original of Loyiso Sidimba’s report on this story at Independent News
Gauteng to ‘soon’ take over running of trains from Prasa ANA reports that Gauteng Premier David Makhura said on Tuesday that the provincial government would soon take over the running of trains from the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa). Speaking at the unveiling of TMH Africa's recently acquired rolling stock manufacturing plant, Makhura said: "In the last sitting of the Gauteng Legislature, we passed the Transport Authority Bill, basically to create a single transport authority in Gauteng. The single transport authority that will be created out of the Bill has been something that is part of our vision for a long time. It is going to integrate the rail system, the buses, the taxi industry into a single, more efficient and reliable transport system in Gauteng." The premier went on to state: "Prasa is going to be devolved to the provincial government. We are now going to be responsible for integrating Prasa and the Gautrain. The new public transport system will just be like the Gautrain by standard, look and feel and efficiency." Last month, Makhura and President Cyril Ramaphosa were stuck for three hours in a Metrorail train during a 45km ride from Mabopane to Pretoria during an ANC election campaign. Makhura detailed the experience as a harrowing one. Read the full original of Siphelele Dludla’s report on the above at Independent News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Mpumalanga cops commended for refusing R42,000 bribe from man impersonating a security officer TimesLIVE reports that Mpumalanga police commissioner Lt-Gen Mondli Zuma has congratulated two police officers who refused an alleged R42,000 bribe from a man they had arrested for allegedly impersonating a security officer. Constables Vuyi Mqhwathi and Mandla Khumalo, from the Balfour police station, were on a routine patrol near a gold mine on Wednesday when they spotted a vehicle without a registration number parked near the mine gate. When approached, the driver reportedly claimed he was working for a security company based in Nigel and that he was doing a site visit. When contacted, the security company denied knowing him. Mqhwathi and Khumalo then took the suspect to the police station to charge him for impersonating a security officer. Along the way, the suspect reportedly took R2,000 and then a further R42,000 from a plastic bag and offered it to the officers in exchange for his freedom, but the members would not budge. An additional charge of bribery was laid against the suspect. Zuma said he hoped the officers' conduct would rub off onto other members of the force and that their conduct was exactly what was expected from every member of the organisation. Read the full original of Ernest Mabuza’s report on this story at TimesLIVE National Commissioner welcomes the arrest of a number of corrupt police officers The Citizen reports that national police commissioner Khehla Sitole released a statement on Wednesday detailing the arrest of various police officers. Five officers were arrested for their involvement in two separate cases, the one involving human trafficking and kidnapping charges and the other involving extortion. According to the statement, a number of Silverton Flying Squad constables were arrested in connection with the alleged kidnapping of ten Bangladeshi nationals who were reportedly smuggled through Zimbabwe. Three of the four officers concerned have been arrested, with one suspect having not reported for duty yet, although Sitole promised his “arrest will be effected soon”. Two Mamelodi officers were also arrested on allegations of extortion. They were reportedly arrested on Tuesday night and the extortion money was recovered from them. Sitole expressed his disappointment about the illegal activities the officers have been implicated in. “It is disheartening when members who are entrusted with the safety of law-abiding citizens are seen to be committing crimes themselves. While we allow for justice to take its course, the arrest of these members should serve as a warning to other law enforcement officials that criminality within our ranks will not be tolerated,” he observed. Read the full original of the report on the above at The Citizen
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