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, 20 September 2019.
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Ten killed after construction vehicle overturned on Ou Kaapse Weg in Cape Town on Saturday News24 reports that ten people were killed and 14 others were injured on Saturday morning after a construction vehicle lost control and overturned several times on the Ou Kaapse Weg in Steenberg, Cape Town. According to City of Cape Town traffic spokesperson Maxine Bezuidenhout, the victims were sitting on the back of the vehicle when it overturned at around 02:00 in the morning. ER24 spokesperson Werner Vermaak said paramedics arrived on scene and found nine men with fatal injuries. "Sadly, there was nothing that could be done for them and they were declared dead," Vermaak advised. Three other men sustained serious injuries and eleven others sustained minor to moderate injuries. Western Cape traffic chief Kenny Africa confirmed that a tenth person later died in hospital. Read the original of the above report by Alex Mitchley at News24 Security guard sentenced to 15 years for murdering colleague while on duty News24 reports that a former Pietermaritzburg security guard was imprisoned for 15 years on Friday for the murder of his colleague. Three of the 15 years were suspended, meaning he will serve 12 years’ direct imprisonment. Sibusiso Mngadi, 31, shot his colleague, Vincent Hadebe, during an argument that took place while they were on duty in February this year. The two were patrolling a farm on Dargle Road in Boston, Pietermaritzburg, when the argument ensued. Mngadi produced his firearm and shot Hadebe three times in the head, chest and arm. Hadebe was declared dead on the scene. Mngadi was arrested at the scene and made several court appearances before being sentenced. The court further declared him unfit to possess a firearm. Read the original of the report in the above regard by Azarrah Karrim at News24
Joburg’s Metrobus says bus strike suspended, but Demawusa vows to continue its industrial action EWN reports that Metrobus on Sunday reassured Johannesburg commuters that its services would be up and running on Monday after a week of suspended operations. This was despite the Democratic Municipal and Allied Workers Union of SA (Demawusa) insisting that its strike would continue this week. The company took Demawusa to the Labour Court on Friday where it was were granted leave to appeal the strike notice. But, the union said this did not mean that its strike was suspended. The union is demanding that salaries be paid according to the number of years workers have been in service (salary progression). It also wants to be afforded office space at the three Metrobus depots, as enjoyed by majority unions the SA Municipal Workers' Union and the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union. But according to Metrobus, as a minority union, Demawusa has limited bargaining rights. Metrobus spokesperson Goodwill Shivuri insisted that commuters had nothing to be worried about for transport on Monday as the strike had been suspended. But, the union’s Deon Makhura said the court judgment on Friday did not interdict them from continuing with their strike. Read the original of the above report by Kgomotso Modise at EWN. See too, Metrobus reassures commuters that services will run Monday, at SABC News. And also, Demawusa vows to continue Metrobus strike, at SABC News
Joseph Mathunjwa re-elected as Amcu president, vows to continue fighting for workers Fin24 reports that Joseph Mathunjwa was on Friday re-elected to lead the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), thereby extending his time at the helm of the union he founded in 1998. Mathunjwa was elected unopposed at a congress held in Boksburg. In his address to delegates, the firebrand leader said: “We are more than just a union that conducts wage negotiations and we need to take our children off the streets. As a re-elected president, I am not going to be apologetic. We have been given a mandate as Amcu leaders, we have work to do. Those who have elected us, are expecting a lot from us. This is not an inheritance.” Mathunjwa went on to state: “This government is not for the poor but for those with influence. Workers are still being killed and there is no accountability for the mining bosses who continue to kill workers. We, as a country, cannot expect anything better when those implicated in the Marikana Massacre are running the country.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sibongile Khumalo at Fin24. See too, Joseph Mathunjwa re-elected as Amcu president, at EWN. And also, Joseph Mathunjwa re-elected Amcu leader, at BusinessLive Amcu aims to take over unprofitable mines set for closure City Press reports that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) has vowed to fight to take over mines that were planning to close their operations because of nonprofitability. Delivering his inaugural speech shortly after being re-elected as Amcu’s president for another five-year term, Joseph Mathunjwa said the union wanted to take mines which had indicated that a shutdown might be imminent, because “the minerals belong to our people and government is just the custodian”. To cheers and applause from hundreds of delegates who attended the union’s elective congress last week, Mathunjwa stated: “No mine must shut down because it is not making profit. If they want to close the mine, then we are taking it. No mine should be mothballed because of super profits, and for any mine that does so, we will be taking it over. We will go to the department of mineral resources and tell them that because they are our servants, we want that [mining] licence. We cannot be held ransom by monopoly capital. We will take back what belongs to us. We do not owe anyone an apology.” Mathunjwa also said the union needed to build agricultural academies in the various provinces to train retrenched mine workers to farm. Speaking on the sidelines of the congress, Krister Janse van Rensburg, Amcu’s head of organisational development, advised that the union had resolved to combine the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Mine Health and Safety Act. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lesetja Malope at City Press Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Postings on mining charter / transformation
Talks in Cabinet on SAA, Mango, SA Express merger Sunday Independent reports that a merger of SA Airways (SAA) with Mango and SA Express was still on the cards, Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu advised last week. He said the cabinet was discussing it. The issue was first raised a few years ago after it emerged that SAA was losing billions of rands and a merger was suggested to make the three airlines financially sustainable. The national carrier has in the past few years relied on billions on rands in government bailouts. Mthembu indicated: “Cabinet is looking at various options. The cabinet did reflect on suggestions, but at the moment it’s work in progress. But very soon the relevant minister will speak to the nation.” SAA’s finances have not yet been tabled before Parliament. The airline owes creditors billions of rands and said last week it would require more than R2 billion to stay in business. It is one of the state-owned entities (SOES) that have been struggling financially, with National Treasury forced to come to their rescue. The bailouts are sitting at more than R570bn, with Eskom the biggest risk to the economy. Other than SAA, SA Express has also been in financial trouble and has required bailouts. Read the original of the above report by Siyabonga Mkhwanazi on page 9 of The Sunday Independent of 22 September 2019 Hlaudi reportedly makes counter-claim, telling SABC it owes him a R16m ‘success fee’ News24 reports that according to the Sunday Times, former SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng has responded to a civil claim lodged by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to recover R21m from him by telling the public broadcaster it owes him R16m. He claims the money is owed to him for brokering a controversial content deal with pay-TV giant MultiChoice. Last week, head of the SIU, advocate Andy Mothibi, updated the National Assembly's oversight committee on communications and told MPs that the first recovery claim against Motsoeneng was for the R11m the SABC paid irregularly as a success fee for the controversial contracts entered into with MultiChoice. Another recovery of R10m stemmed from irregular appointments, salary hikes, suspensions and unlawful terminations of contracts while Motsoeneng was COO. But, Motsoeneng argued in his counter-claim filed in the South Gauteng High Court that his deal netted the broadcaster a R1.19bn profit and he was entitled to compensation for raising money for the SABC. He contended that the decision of the board to approve the payment of his success fee, calculated at 2.5% of the R1.19bn less R1m, was valid and binding on the SABC. He remained steadfast that the R11.5m already paid to him in the form of a bonus was only a part payment of the total owed to him. Read the full original of the above report at News24. Read the original report on page 4 of the Sunday Times of 22 September 2019
Clover slashes expected job losses by nearly half ahead of planned takeover by Milco Fin24 reports that dairy group Clover has confirmed to the Competition Tribunal that it was planning to cut 277 jobs ahead of a R4.8bn takeover deal. A consortium led by Tel Aviv-based Milco wants to acquire 100% of Clover. In a submission to the Tribunal last week, Clover said it expected to cut 277 jobs in a process called Project Sencillo, which it said had no link with the proposed Milco deal. The company launched Project Sencillo in 2017 in a bid to improve operational efficiency. "Initially, the net effect of retrenchments arising from Phase 2 of Project Sencillo was limited to a maximum of 516. The revised submissions will limit the net effect of retrenchments to a maximum of 277 positions," Clover advised. In the case of approval of the takeover, Clover has reached an agreement with Milco not to retrench any employee as a result of Project Sencillo for a period of two years from the date of the approval of the transaction, and to keep the number of job losses to a minimum. Milco has undertaken to create 550 new permanent jobs over a period of five years from the approval of the deal through the expansion of Clover's Masakhane Project, which involves servicing underserved markets such as general traders and spaza shops. Cosatu and the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) are opposing the takeover deal. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Fin24
Public row between Old Mutual and axed CEO Peter Moyo claims its first board member BL Premium reports that on Thursday the public fight between the Old Mutual board and axed CEO Peter Moyo claimed its first casualty, Pinky Moholi. One of the 14 Old Mutual directors who fired CEO Peter Moyo and a former CEO of Telkom, Moholi resigned with immediate effect from the insurer’s board after serving on it for seven years. The insurer said she resigned for personal reasons. Moholi was one of the few board members who tried to put out the fire at the insurer by meeting journalists in August to give the board’s side of the story. Moholi was also the first to publicly suggest that if there were any prospects to negotiate a settlement with Moyo, the board would welcome that. The resignation of Moholi, who was an independent nonexecutive director as well as the chair of the insurer’s remuneration committee, comes at a time when the Old Mutual board is facing mounting pressure to put an end to its bruising public dispute with Moyo, who was fired in June, has since won two high court reinstatement orders and was fired a second time. It also comes after board chair Trevor Manuel came under critical public scrutiny for taking a swipe at Judge Brian Mashile for the two court rulings. Moholi is among individuals who are cited in Part B of Moyo’s legal challenge to his dismissal in which he says he wants the court to declare all of the insurer’s directors delinquent. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Londiwe Buthelezi at BusinessLive (paywall access only) City of Johannesburg suspends 231 firefighters, comprising over 17% of the workforce EWN reported on Friday morning that more than 230 Johannesburg firefighters have been suspended, putting further strain on already overstretched resources. Apparently in July, the firefighters refused to attend to call outs, citing concerns over the non-assignment of supervisors. Joburg Emergency Services Management (ESM) confirmed the suspensions, but would not be drawn on the reasons and merely said they are dealing with the matter internally. The suspension letters were served on firefighters from different stations across the city last week. Those suspended account for more than 17% of the metro’s firefighter workforce. Three employees spoke to Eyewitness News and accused ESM of not adhering to the National Health Act. They said all that they wanted was to get those in charge to comply with law, viz.: “We are not on strike, because all those days they say we were on strike we were on duty. We are abiding by the rules, but they take it the other way around saying we don’t want to work.” Read the original of the above report by Mia Lindeque at EWN City of Joburg says essential services will not be affected by suspension of 230 firefighters News24 reports that according to the City of Johannesburg, emergency management services (EMS) will not be affected by the suspension of 230 firefighters who had embarked on an illegal strike. The MMC for public safety, Michael Sun, indicated in a statement on Friday that in July a strike management task team had been formed to address concerns after about 230 firefighters went on strike, adding most members then returned to their normal duties. "The striking firefighters refused to attend to emergency calls made to the Jabulani, Johannesburg Central, Ivory Park and Rosebank fire stations, citing that some of the allocated duties assigned to them as basic life support officers were in fact duties to be performed by the intermediate life support officers. The firefighters also requested around the clock escorts from the JMPD when responding to emergencies," Sun stated. The City then obtained a court order from the Labour Court, which interdicted the striking firefighters from illegal action. "The City is conscious about its employees' rights and will always be progressive in advancing these rights, however, we cannot be held to ransom by illegal strike action," Sun stated. Read the original of the above report at News24
Deputy principal of Cape Town primary school accused of molestation resigns prior to disciplinary action News24 reports that the deputy principal of a Cape Town school accused of molesting several Grade 7 pupils has handed in his resignation after being informed on Friday that disciplinary action would be taken against him. This after he was suspended following the "concerning allegations". Western Cape Education Department (WCED) spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the school governing body (SGB) of the Bonteheuwel primary had initially temporarily suspended the man as he was a SGB appointee. It had appointed an independent investigator and the investigation was currently being finalised. Police spokesperson Siyabulela Malo confirmed that a sexual assault case had been opened. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tammy Petersen at News24
Proposal for women-only train carriages on Metrorail in Cape Town abandoned GroundUp reports that a year after the chairperson of the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) promised to set aside women-and-children-only train carriages on Cape Town's Metrorail, the project appears to have been abandoned. In June 2018, recently appointed chairperson Khanyisile Kweyama committed to implementing coaches for women and children. She indicated: "I said I will sponsor that type of project. In Women's Month, we will sign terms of reference that say this is how we are going to proceed to implement." But Prasa spokesperson Nana Zenani recently told GroundUp that there were additional issues with Metrorail that needed to be attended to first. She cited the general shortage of usable train carriages and a lack of security officials to guard them. While civil society group #UniteBehind continues to include special carriages as part of its rail safety demands, the organisation recognises that there may be bigger problems with Cape Town's trains. The organisation’s Zukie Vuka pointed out that asking Prasa to prioritise women-only carriages could take attention away from overcrowding, which might be a greater threat to commuter safety at the present time. Read the full original of the above GroundUp report by Drew Wayland and Mary-Anne Gontsana at News24
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