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.
In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Wednesday, 24 July 2019.
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Storage facility at Pinetown taxi rank goes up in flames, no injuries reported Daily News reports that a fire ripped through a storage facility near the Pinetown mini-bus taxi rank on Anderson Road and Hill Street just after 2am on Wednesday. The cause is still being investigated. There have been no reports of injury or fatalities. Security spokesperson Andreas Mathios said their control room was inundated with telephone calls from residents reporting loud explosions coming from the Pinetown Central Business District, which could have come from flammable liquids stored in the vicinity. He went on to indicate: "There were strong wind conditions that the fire department had to deal with to fight the blaze. Some locals that lived around the minibus taxi ranks had to be evacuated. The quick response from the fire department led to the fire being contained. Commuters were badly affected on Wednesday morning. Read the full original of Zainul Dawood’s report on the above story and watch a video clip at Daily News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Anglo American appoints Nolitha Fakude as new South African chair Mining Weekly reports that Anglo American has appointed nonexecutive director Nolitha Fakude as chairperson of Anglo American South Africa’s board, effective 1 September. She succeeds Norman Mbazima, who announced his retirement in April. Anglo CEO Mark Cutifani remarked on Wednesday: “We welcome Fakude to our global executive team in a key strategic role that draws together our extensive business interests as the largest mining company in South Africa. Her breadth of experience at Sasol and her board experience with us and other major organisations stand her in good stead as we build upon our sustainable partnerships with all our stakeholders in South Africa.” Fakude said she was proud to join Anglo in an executive capacity and was looking forward to working with government and regulators to help set up SA’s mining industry for long term success. The CEO of Anglo subsidiary Kumba Iron Ore, Themba Mkhwanazi, will also join the Group Management Committee of Anglo, effective 1 August. Read the full original of the above report at Mining Weekly Taung Gold, SSC join forces as Newco to acquire Lily, Barbrook mines Mining Weekly reports that Hong Kong-listed Taung Gold International and Siyakhula Sonke Empowerment Corporation (SSC) have, as shareholders in a new company (Newco), made a conditional, binding offer to acquire the Lily and Barbrook mines, in Mpumalanga. The offer, made to the business rescue practitioners (BRPs) of the mine owners Vantage Goldfields SA, follows after a lengthy dispute between SSC and Vantage around a sale of shares agreement. The Mpumalanga High Court last week ruled in favour of Vantage in its dispute with an SSC subsidiary, Flaming Silver, ruling that funding to reopen the mines was never secured by Flaming Silver as alleged. The mines went into business rescue shortly after the Lily mine collapsed in February 2016, killing three mineworkers who were trapped in a container underground. Taung CEO Neil Herrick said on Wednesday that, given the two mines’ troubled history and the ongoing litigation, he believed the Newco offer to the BRPs represented a viable alternative to deliver value for key stakeholders relatively quickly through the formulation and implementation of new business rescue plans. Read the full original of the report on the above at Mining Weekly West Rand to tackle illegal mining through mining forum Randfontein Herald reports that the West Rand District Mining Forum aims to assist in curbing illegal mining activities in the Randfontein and Krugersdorp areas. Brigadier Mashadi Selepe, the West Rand District Vispol commander, highlighted the importance of a forum having been established to look into the challenges brought on by illegal mining in Randfontein and Krugersdorp. She indicated that the purpose of the forum was to assist in curbing illegal mining activities in the area and that a meeting with mining companies has already been held. Selepe commented further as follows: “Illegal mining brings a range of social ills, as it presents a serious risk to the safety of the surrounding communities. Illegal miners tend to use extremely environmentally unfriendly refining methods and materials such as explosives, which also put their lives and those of the community at grave risk. We cannot address this challenge alone, thus collaboration is key.” She went on to indicate: “Illegal mining and organised crime are connected. Very often, illegal mining is spearheaded by people who are indirectly involved in illegal activities themselves, thus the use of vulnerable groups such as undocumented foreign nationals, commonly known as zama zamas.” A total of 389 suspects were arrested during joint operations conducted by police in the West Rand District, government departments, external stakeholders and other law enforcers over the past weekend. Read the full report in the above regard at The Citizen
SANParks workers threaten to strike over pay increases Bloomberg reports that the Health & Other Services Personnel Trade Union of SA (Hospersa), representing about 5,000 park rangers, field guides and other service and hospitality workers at SA’s 21 wildlife preservation areas, is threatening to call a strike over a pay dispute. The union indicated on Wednesday that the industrial action “will bring services to a resounding halt,” affecting visitors’ bookings as well as “day-to-day services like room service and bush walks, while petrol-filling stations could remain unmanned.” Hospersa declared a dispute against South African National Parks, known as SANParks, following “months of protracted wage negotiations” and has apparently been joined by two other recognised unions. Talks deadlocked when the unions rejected SANParks’ final wage increase offer of 5.5%. Workers are reportedly seeking 11.5%. The matter has been referred to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to try and end the impasse The original of the above report by Vernon Wessels is at Moneyweb Tshwane workers protest over labour brokering and the metro's failure to adjust salaries Pretoria News reports that workers affiliated to two unions protested on Tuesday at Tshwane House over the failure by the metro to adjust salaries, as well as over labour brokering. There was a strong presence of SAPS officers and metro police in and outside the building and the protests disrupted traffic. Waste management workers under the umbrella of the SA Civic Servants Union, which is affiliated to the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), called for the eradication of labour brokering. The union gave the municipality a 14-day ultimatum to respond to its grievances, warning it was likely to intensify the protest in the absence of positive feedback. Meantime, fellow employees from the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) protested against their employer’s reluctance to adjust their salaries in line with the categorisation of the City from level 9 to 10, which was declared by the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs in 2017. The categorization could not be implemented because the City and Samwu were still deadlocked on the implementation of salary adjustments. Samwu secretary Mpho Tladinyane said the union would mobilise its members to embark on another protest on Thursday during the monthly council sitting. He said the purpose of Tuesday’s protest had been to pressure the municipality to reconsider its position on the adjustment of salaries. The City blamed Samwu for refusing to endorse the implementation of salary adjustments. The union, on the other hand, criticised the city for excluding the majority of workers. Read the full original of Rapula Moatshe’s report on the above story at Pretoria News Waste collection in Tshwane to be affected by strike action News24 reports that Tshwane residents have been warned that their waste collection service will be disrupted due to a strike by members of South African Civil Servants Union (Sacsu), which started on Tuesday. City spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said that, although the strike had been planned, they had not expected protesters to prevent waste collection trucks from operating. He indicated: "Following the obstruction of waste vehicles belonging to waste management companies contracted to the City by the marchers, various parts of the city have been left with no collection of waste. The City's Heatherley waste disposal site in Mamelodi had also been affected with vehicles being prevented entry into the facilities.” Mashigo added that the City had received information of a planned march under the banner, "March against poor service delivery, Centurion" and advised Centurion residents that the action might also affect their waste collection. Mashigo advised that, should the protest action continue to disrupt services, the City would be left with no other option but to take action. The original of the above report by Sesona Ngqakamba is at News24 Shots fired, rocks thrown and commuters stranded in Bloemfontein taxi strike The Citizen reports that both taxi and bus commuters were left stranded in Bloemfontein on Wednesday morning as a result of a taxi strike that commenced on Tuesday evening. Metered taxi operators who were not on strike were also stopped from transporting people. The taxi drivers embarked on their strike due to allegedly unfair treatment by traffic officials. Frustrated commuters were left with no alternative as the strike continued into day two on Wednesday, with no indication of when it would end. Footage of police opening fire while rocks were being thrown at them surfaced showing a highly hostile situation. SABC News reported that local government intended to meet with bus and taxi drivers to find a way forward. Read the full original of the report on the above at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Consumer inflation steady in June at 4.5% BusinessLive reports that consumer inflation remained unchanged at 4.5% in June compared with May. Measured by the annual change in the consumer price index (CPI), inflation’s print at 4.5% was at the midpoint of the SA Reserve Bank’s (SARB’s) 3%-6% target band. Although June marked the seventh-consecutive month inflation was at or below the Bank’s mid-point target, higher food price inflation might prompt some caution. The main contributor to the inflation rate was housing and utilities, costs of which rose 4.9% year-on-year. The annual inflation rates for goods and for services were 4.0% and 4.8%, respectively, while food price inflation picked up, notably for bread and cereals, rising 7.3% year-on-year. Investec economist Kamilla Kaplan said that inflation was likely to be higher in 2019 than the Bank’s forecast (4.6%), but added that this was still well within the 3%-6% target range. “Slowing wage growth, the moderation of inflation expectations to multi-year lows and sluggish economic growth point to an absence of meaningful upside inflationary pressures,” Kaplan pointed out. The SARB warned earlier in July that food price inflation should pick up towards the end of 2019, and would peak in the second and third quarters of 2020 at 5.6%, year-on-year. Read the full original of Karl Gernetzky’s report in the above regard at BusinessLive
Evowood, formerly Masonite, placed in voluntary liquidation resulting in 460 job losses Business Report writes that Evowood, formerly known as Masonite and one of the biggest hardboard makers in the southern hemisphere, has been placed in voluntary liquidation. Director Nkosinathi Nhlangulela advised on Tuesday that the Estcourt-based mill ceased operations earlier this month after having consulted staff. It had been the town's biggest employer. The closure resulted in the loss of 460 permanent jobs as well as temporary jobs. In February 2017, the company endured a protracted illegal strike, which led to lost production time and damage to the plant and also resulted in uncertainty among Evowood’s customers. Nhlangulela said this was compounded by the economic turbulence in the country that impacted heavily on the construction industry, which accounted for the bulk of the company’s business. He commented further that Evowood never really recovered from the substantial losses incurred during the strike and, despite having brought in international engineers to attempt to repair equipment that was old and regularly breaking down, it was unable to ensure continuity of supply. Nhlangulela advised that provisional liquidators would be appointed by the Master of the High Court in due course. Read the full original of Edward West’s report on the above at Business Report
Former Hawks administrative employee faces charges for alleged sick note fraud The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) issued a statement on Tuesday indicating that its Serious Corruption Investigation Unit had on Monday subpoenaed a 27-year-old former Hawks’ administrator for fraud. It alleged that in September 2018 the suspect, who was employed as an Administrative Clerk attached to the Serious Corruption Unit, tendered a fraudulent medical certificate to the Human Resources section to account for absenteeism after she had been on sick leave. The HR personnel officer who was capturing the sick leave identified some discrepancies on the medical certificate and informed her immediate commander, who initiated internal disciplinary action. The administrator handed in a resignation letter on 22 October 2018, after she was informed of the departmental disciplinary procedure. She is now scheduled to face a fraud charge at the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 7 August 2019. Read the SAPS press statement on the above at SAPS News (press statement) Former Nketoana municipality mayor, two officials arrested for alleged corruption Bloemfontein Courant reports that a former mayor of the Nketoana local municipality in Free State has been arrested for alleged corruption. Mandla Mamba, 49, and his alleged accomplices, Vincent Mkhefa, 44, the former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the municipality, and Caroline Nketu, 51, a service provider, were arrested on Friday by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation Unit. The matter relates to the installation of equipment in parks, where incorrect procurement procedures were followed, quotations were apparently inflated and kickbacks exchanged hands. The accused have been charged with fraud and money laundering in contravention of the Local Government Municipal Finance Management Act, the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, as well as the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act. They are expected back in court on 19 August. Read the full original of the report on the above story at The Citizen
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