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 roundup of weekend news, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that appeared since
Friday, 6 September 2019.
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Armed robbers shoot and kill security guard in botched Joburg robbery attempt on Friday News24 reports that a security guard at Dragon City in Johannesburg was killed on Friday afternoon at approximately 12:45 in a failed armed robbery attempt. Police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele said the suspects' getaway vehicle, an Audi Q5, had been reported hijacked in Joburg earlier this month. The suspects were cornered in a house at Berta Street, in Braamfontein and six were arrested. During the arrest, five unlicensed firearms, including two AK-47s and two pistols, were recovered. Makhubele indicated the suspects would appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday. Read the original of the above report by Kamva Somdyala at News24 Off-duty police officer stabbed to death in Cape Town in robbery News24 reports that an off-duty police officer was stabbed to death in an apparent robbery in Kleinvlei, Cape Town in the early hours of Sunday morning. Western Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel André Traut advised: "The 28-year-old constable stationed at Delft police station was leaving a shop in the area, accompanied by a friend, when he was stabbed to death during an apparent robbery by two unknown suspects who are yet to be arrested." A murder case is under investigation. The incident came after two law enforcement officers were shot dead while protecting workers at a construction project in Philippi on Wednesday. Read the original of the above report by Tammy Petersen at News24 Student nurse kidnapped while leaving Cape Town hospital, then raped News24 reports that a 21-year-old student nurse at a Cape Town hospital was kidnapped while leaving her workplace and raped in the bushes near a local court, Western Cape police confirmed on Friday. The woman was snatched on Tuesday while exiting through the pedestrian gate of Tygerberg Hospital in Parow. She was taken into the bushes next to Bishop Lavis Magistrate's Court, where she was raped. Nomawethu Sbukwana, spokesperson for Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo, said the student was in her first year and was sexually assaulted by unknown men. "The student was released and received medical treatment at Karl Bremer Hospital's Thuthuzela Care Centre, with counselling afforded as well," Sbukwana advised. Mbombo visited the student on Thursday and condemned the "brutal attack". Read the full original of the above report by Tammy Petersen at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Hospersa threatens wage strike at SANParks ANA reports that the Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of SA (Hospersa) on Thursday threatened a shutdown at South African National Parks (SANParks) after wage negotiations collapsed. Together with two other recognised unions, Hospersa, which is the majority trade union at SANParks has been embroiled in a bitter wage dispute. Workers previously downed tools, but were persuaded to return to work while solutions were sought. However, negotiations collapsed at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) after parties could not agree on a wage increase. The Commissioner had recommended that parties settle for an 8% increase, which the unions were willing to accept. But, SANParks said it could only offer a 6.5% increase. Parties are now set to meet on Wednesday to finalise plans for industrial action. Hospersa’s Kevin Halama commented: “These negotiations have dragged on for far too long as our members have been waiting for their increase since April. We will now resort to our last course of action which is industrial action to force the employer to improve on its offer.” Hospersa warned that industrial action by the three unions would affect day-to-day services which included household and visitor activities like guided walks and game drives as well as petrol filling stations. “Adding fuel to the fire is a pending dispute over SANParks’ failure to implement a correct rate of pay for payment of Sunday and public holidays,” said Halama. Read the full original of the above report at Independent News
Numsa and motor industry bosses to meet on Monday over wage deadlock BusinessLive reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) is expected to meet employers at the Motor Industry Bargaining Council on Monday to try to break the wage deadlock in the sector. The motor industry sector employs about 306,000 people at petrol stations, car dealerships and component companies countrywide. Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said the union had referred its dispute with the sector’s employers to the dispute resolution committee with the hope that “they can help us break the deadlock”. The union wants a 12% across-the-board wage increase, against the employers’ proposal of an annual 5% increase for three years. Numsa also wants the wage threshold for all workers to be aligned with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act for all sectors. Some workers, such as those working at fuel stations, did not receive overtime pay, annual bonuses, transport allowances and other benefits that were stipulated in the act, Jim claimed. He added that the lack of a transport allowance left workers at risk. Meanwhile, Numsa is also locked in protracted wage talks with the Automobile Manufacturers Employers Organisation (Ameo). It is demanding a 20% wage increase across the board, while Ameo has offered a 4.5% increase. Read the full original of the above report by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive
Impala Platinum delays job cuts and shaft closures as earning rise Reuters reports that Impala Platinum (Implats) will delay cutting thousands of jobs and closing some capacity at its main mine due to operational improvements and higher commodity prices, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter have indicated. Implats is in the process of overhauling its Rustenburg mine, where operational inefficiencies have for years undermined the producer’s profits. “Revenue is up,” one of the sources said, adding that mines that were going to close were now making money or would soon be making money. Implats will delay closing Rustenburg’s shaft 12 by one year and shaft 9 by about six months, the source added. Last year, Implats said plans to restructure Rustenburg would cut about a third of the mine’s workforce – more than 13,000 jobs – over two years, and reduce the number of active shafts to six from 11. This would have cut the company’s output by about a third by 2021. Implats has reportedly already cut about 2,000 jobs. Attempts to sell Rustenburg’s shaft 1, the only one put up for sale by Implats, apparently did not attract any credible bidders and the mine will be contracted out. The company is also considering using more contractors to mine some shafts, the sources said. Read the full original of the above report by Zandi Shabalala and Tanisha Heiberg at Moneyweb. Read too, Implats reconsiders shaft closures, sales as market conditions improve, at Mining Weekly. And also, Implats to consider bids for Marula, Afplats as Muller crystallises view on asset mix, at Miningmx ConCourt dismisses Greater Lonmin Community's application to set aside acquisition of Lonmin Mining Weekly reports that Sibanye-Stillwater on Thursday reported that the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) had dismissed the Greater Lonmin Community's (GLC's) application to have Sibanye's acquisition of Lonmin set aside. "The ConCourt dismissed, without costs, the application for leave to appeal as it bore no reasonable prospects of success, and dismissed the application for direct access as the GLC had not made a case that was sufficiently in the interests of justice for it to be heard directly by the ConCourt," the precious metals producer indicated. It added that the ConCourt judgment meant that the ruling by the Competition Appeal Court remained in force and that all legal proceedings had now been concluded. The GLC last month filed the application for leave to appeal, claiming Sibanye's buyout of Lonmin had been approved without the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) having approved a social and labour plan for the merged entity. Sibanye in June concluded the buyout of Lonmin. Read the full original of the above report at Mining Weekly. Read too, Court ruling a ‘blow to Marikana communities’ housing hopes’, at Business Report Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Remuneration of bank CEOs soared over past decade, but so did staff pay Moneyweb reports that its recent analysis of remuneration of bank executives over the past decade shows that their fixed remuneration plus short-term incentives soared. Even excluding the value of long-term incentives such as share options, executive pay at SA’s largest banks was up anything from 69% to 505%. But it was not just executive remuneration that skyrocketed. Over the same period, the median remuneration of employees at the five big banks more than kept up. Average remuneration at both Absa Group and FirstRand was up over 200% over the decade, while the increases at Nedbank and Standard Bank were up 191% and 183%, respectively. Average remuneration at Capitec was 173% higher. Average pay at each of the banks roughly tripled over the past 10 years. Over the same period (January 2009 to January 2019), consumer price inflation was up 167%, so growth in average remuneration at the banks outpaced inflation (at Capitec it was ever so slightly higher at half a percentage point a year). Meantime, staff numbers at the four full-service banks grew over the past decade, but at a rate lower than inflation (plus GDP growth). Coupled with this was the trend – particularly in recent years – for the four biggest banks to cut their physical footprints, both in terms of the number of branches as well as the floor space these take up. This generally meant fewer front-line bank service staff. Read the full original of the above report by Hilton Tarrant, inclusive of tables, at Moneyweb
Altron suspends three executives amid 'internal irregularities' Fin24 reports that the board of Altron advised shareholders on Friday that three senior executives of its subsidiary Altron Nexus had been placed on pre-cautionary suspension. This followed an investigation by Naledi Advisory Services that identified potential internal irregularities. The preliminary findings revealed potential deviation from procurement processes involving an estimated R23m. As part of the due process being followed, the three executives may go through a disciplinary hearing, overseen by an independent chair. While the investigation is on-going, plans have been put in place to ensure business continuity at Altron Nexus. According to the Altron Nexus website, it provides "seamless and streamline cost-effective telecommunications network building". Read the full original of the above report by Carin Smith at Fin24 Moyo wins another round against Old Mutual, but showdown looms on Monday over his return to work Fin24 reports that axed Old Mutual CEO Peter Moyo will not immediately be returning to work if the insurer has its way, the company said in a statement on Friday evening. But Moyo will apparently be heading to the office on Monday. Moyo was axed in June following a suspension in May, with Old Mutual citing a conflict of interest and a breakdown in trust. His dismissal was found to be unlawful and he was temporarily reinstated, with Old Mutual barred from appointing a replacement. Nonetheless, he was barred from work the day after his court victory, with the insurer filing a notice to appeal. The High Court in Johannesburg on Friday upheld the earlier ruling allowing Moyo to return to work. Judge Brian Mashile dismissed an application by Old Mutual with costs, but granted the company leave to appeal. A further matter heard by the court on Friday related to an additional notice of termination issued to Moyo by the insurer. In August, Old Mutual fired Moyo for a second time, issuing him a further notice to terminate his employment contract – a move Moyo's legal team labelled a classic case of contempt of court. Late on Friday, judgment on that matter was reserved and it is expected in two weeks. Read the full original of the above report by Marelise van der Merwe at Fin24. Read too, Not so fast, Moyo, says Old Mutual, after court again rules against it, at Fin24 Pastor alleges in court that he was axed for backing LGBTI rights The Star reports that an international church of roughly three million members worldwide is embroiled in a contentious court war after a pastor was axed for allegedly fighting for gay rights. On Thursday, at the South Gauteng High Court, Reverend Teboho Klaas, a pastor of the US-headquartered African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church based at its Robinson Temple in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni, accused Bishop Paul Mulenga Kawimbe of an illegal campaign to remove him. He alleged the bishop was homophobic. Klaas, who was initially suspended in October 2018 and fired last month, claimed in court papers that Kawimbe – who heads the more than 40,000-member strong 19th district of the AME – waged a concerted battle to get rid of him because of Klaas’s public support for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) community. “I also work for the Other Foundation, which works with various nonprofit organisations in southern African countries. This role has put me at loggerheads with Kawimbe because he does not believe that LGBTI people should be accorded similar privileges in the AME or that, as an active pastor in AME, I should be seen actively campaigning for the respect of the human rights of the LGBTI people,” Klaas stated in his affidavit. The lawyer representing AME, Kawimbe and other church officials, conceded in court that the process to expel Klaas could have been flawed. He did not respond to the allegations of homophobia. Judgment was reserved. Read the full original of the above report by Khaya Koko on page 1 of The Star of 6 September 2019
Teacher at Joburg high school suspended amid sexual harassment allegations News24 reports that a teacher at Queens High School in Johannesburg has been suspended pending an investigation amid allegations of sexual harassment. The school has been rocked by the allegations made by both current and past pupils, as well as parents. Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi on Friday urged pupils to come forward to assist with the probe, which will be a joint operation by the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), the Teddy Bear Clinic, the Gauteng Department of Basic Education and the SA Council of Educators. Lesufi said additional allegations had been received by the SAHRC, as well as a detailed report of the exchange of messages between the teacher and some of the pupils. "We felt that they (SAHRC) should continue their investigation as well, because at least with them they have the power to subpoena," Lesufi said. The department would cooperate with the investigation and provide all the information they required, he vowed. Read the full original of the above report by Azarrah Karrim at News24
Regulator grants Prasa approval for new trains to operate along Mamelodi corridor Engineering News reports that the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) on Thursday received approval from the Rail Safety Regulator to operate new trains along the Pretoria–Pienaarspoort corridor, in Mamelodi. “The deployment of the new trains also known as the ‘people’s train’ is testament to the success of the Minister’s War Room initiative, which focuses on service recovery, safety management and aims to accelerated capital programme implementation,” said Prasa CEO Dr Nkosinathi Sishi. The running of the new trains will improve the overall quality of operations, while also making more trains available during the morning peak period, which has the highest demand for trains. “The deployment will improve our on-time performance, train availability and allow Prasa to continue to improve the overall functionality of the Mamelodi line,” noted Sishi. Read the original of the above report at Engineering News
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