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, 31 January 2020.
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Policeman and security guard killed in ambush in Tembisa on Saturday News24 reports that an Ivory Park policeman and a security guard were fatally wounded in an apparent ambush in Tembisa on Saturday. The policeman, a warrant officer, was in the company of a security guard and a woman while travelling in a police vehicle when they were attacked at the corner of R562 and M57 in Elandsfontein near Tembisa. Police spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo said the victims were attacked by an armed group of at least five men who were travelling in small utility vehicle. “The suspects, who were armed with rifles, opened fire on the state vehicle, killing the policeman and the guard instantly. The motive for the attack is unknown at this stage,” Naidoo indicated. Gauteng police have mobilised the 72-Hour Activation Plan to trace down the suspects. Read the original of the above report by Ntwaagae Seleka at News24 Amathole municipal union leader and whistle-blower shot dead outside home on Wednesday DispatchLIVE reports that Amathole union leader and whistle-blower Simphiwe Mdingi died in a hail of bullets in the driveway of his Amalinda home in East London on Wednesday night. This was the latest in a series of targeted hits on prominent municipal figures in the province. Mdingi, who worked as a cash manager at ADM, was the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) leader in the Amathole district municipality (ADM). He was a known whistle-blower, having in the past spoken out on employee suspensions and wage increases. Police said Mdingi, 38, was shot nine times as he was driving into his property at about 8.15pm, but refused to speculate on who might be behind the killing. A source within the municipality claimed that warnings had been made to two other Imatu members in recent weeks. “There’s been threats to two Imatu members who were told to back off by senior officials. They were shocked to receive these threats, but they were told to take it easy and not be vocal,” the source indicated, but could not say whether Mdingi had also been warned. ADM spokesperson Nonceba Madikizela-Vuso described the killing as brutal, while Cogta MEC Xolile Nqatha said he was “deeply concerned about the brutal killings of some workers”. Nqatha’s spokesperson said: “Cogta wishes to express its deepest concern about the trend of what appears to be assassinations in the province, particularly targeting officials working in the supply chain management unit in some of municipalities. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at DispatchLIVE
Numsa’s illegal strike at Durban plant costing Toyota 500 vehicles a day BusinessLive reports that Toyota SA president and CEO Andrew Kirby hopes a week-long, illegal strike which has brought the company’s Prospecton, Durban vehicle assembly plant to a standstill will be over “very soon”. The strike, which has stopped daily production of about 500 vehicles, is believed to be the result of conflict within the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa). The company won’t disclose reasons for the dispute, but sources say Numsa shop stewards voted out of office at Prospecton late last year are demanding reinstatement. According to the union, they were ousted democratically and it has instructed them and their supporters to return to work. Toyota has been granted a court interdict ordering them to stop industrial action, but Kirby said: “They are not listening to us or to their union.” Despite this, he hopes it won’t be necessary to retrench anyone when the dispute ends. The strike began on Wednesday last week and has so far cost the company about 3,000 vehicles. Kirby indicated on Thursday that the Prospecton shutdown will have limited, short-term effect on SA customers. The bigger immediate impact is likely to be on exports. Toyota insiders say that as long as the strike does not drag on, Prospecton should be able to make up most of the production shortfall and the estimated R1bn retail value of vehicles not built yet. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Dave Furlonger at BusinessLive. Read too, Toyota SA boss slams ‘short-term gain mentality’ as strike hits Durban plant, at Engineering News
Nine Lesotho nationals stoned to death in Matholeville near Roodepoort, allegedly by fellow zama-zamas News24 reports that the police have launched a massive manhunt for suspects who stoned nine Lesotho nationals to death in Matholeville informal settlement, near Roodepoort, on Friday. Those killed were reportedly involved in illegal mining, the police said, adding that they were allegedly stoned to death by fellow zama-zamas (illegal miners) from Lesotho. "The bodies of the nine Lesotho nationals were found lying in the streets of Matholeville while a 10th person was seriously injured. He was taken to a local hospital where he is being treated," the police indicated. The attacks occurred less than 24 hours after Gauteng police commissioner Lieutenant General Elias Mawela and his team raided the area during Operation Okae Molao. He has mobilised different law enforcement agencies to hunt down the suspects. "We condemn this barbaric attack and we will ensure that no stone will be left unturned in making the people of Matholeville and Roodepoort feel safe. The suspects will be arrested as soon as possible, and the police will not sleep until we found them," Mawela stated. Read the original of the above report by Azarrah Karrim at News24. Read too, Gold mine gangs tote AK-47s to outgun police, at Moneyweb Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
In the addressing of public sector wage bill, Cosatu wants audit of public service to determine where shortages and surpluses exist Financial Mail reports that labour federation Cosatu has proposed that, as part of attempts to address the public sector wage bill, the government conduct an audit of the public service, to determine where shortages and surpluses exist. The recommendation was made at the ANC’s January lekgotla. The government is currently under pressure to slash the public sector wage bill. The state spends about R600bn on salaries, representing 35% of its annual spending. Finance minister Tito Mboweni’s budget, to be delivered on 26 February, is likely to focus on reining in government spending and to outline plans to curb the public sector wage bill to stave off a looming fiscal crisis. According to Cosatu, instead of retrenchments and wage freezes, the public service should be audited to determine where gaps and surpluses existed — these could then be addressed through reskilling and “redeploying” public sector workers according to where they were needed. The labour federation further recommended that excess defence force personnel be redeployed to the SA Revenue Service, customs and the police. It also called for an investigation into “ghost posts”, particularly at provincial level, in state-owned entities (SOEs) and in municipalities. In its view, SOEs should fall under the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council to “reduce the wage gap” between public servants and SOE employees. Cosatu further called for the salary packages of those in executive and management posts to be drastically reduced. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Natasha Marrian at BusinessLive
Toyota’s injection of R4.28bn into SA’s economy will create more than 1,500 jobs Moneyweb reports that Toyota SA Motors (TSAM) is investing R4.28 billion in SA between October last year and this year, including R2.43 billion for the production of a new passenger model at its manufacturing plant in Prospecton near Durban. TSAM president and CE Andrew Kirby said on Thursday that with the investment in the new model, Toyota would be purchasing components from local suppliers to the value of R2.85 billion a year. “That will have a direct impact on our economy and create an additional 1,500 jobs – 500 jobs in our production facility and 1,000 in our direct suppliers.” Kirby stressed that the investments were being made against the backdrop of the finalisation of phase two of the Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP), which will come into effect in January 2021 and will last until 2035, creating some policy certainty for the auto industry. Thabi Leoka, an investment specialist and member of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, commended TSAM for showing its commitment to the SA economy by creating jobs when almost every sector seemed to be shedding jobs. Leoka noted that two years ago President Cyril Ramaphosa had gone on a very ambitious investment drive to attract $100 billion in new investments in SA in the next five years and so far about R662 billion had been raised. “We have, under very difficult economic conditions, been surprisingly successful in attracting investment. We have also had a number of South African companies and sectors that have pledged and are investing into the futures. There is investment coming into South Africa but I think it should be more,” Leoka remarked. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Roy Cokayne at Moneyweb
Cosatu 'ready for a fight' as it presents its R254 billion Eskom rescue plan on Monday Bloomberg reports that Cosatu will present its proposal to rescue state-owned power utility Eskom to senior members of government and the business community on Monday. The labour federation wants the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) and state lenders (the Industrial Development Corporation and the Development Bank of Southern Africa) to take over R254 billion of the company's debt, Matthew Parks, Cosatu's parliamentary co-coordinator, said in an interview on Friday. "We are ready for a fight," Parks said, adding that the federation was aware there would be opposition to the plan. The alternative was that Eskom would collapse, causing economic pain and job losses, he opined. The meeting on Monday will be with the President's Working Council, which includes government, business and labour leaders. The plan would leave the embattled power company with R200 billion of debt, an amount it has previously said it could manage. Eskom is failing to cover its running costs and inadequate maintenance is leading to frequent plant breakdowns and rolling power outages. Those are stalling economic growth. The PIC, which has more than R2 trillion under management, manages the investments of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF), as well as unemployment and worker-compensation funds. Under the agreement, the PIC would provide the bulk of the debt relief, due to its size, and the government could also make a contribution depending on its finances, Parks stated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Antony Sguazzin at Fin24. Read too, Cosatu has a comprehensive debt recovery plan to save Eskom, at Mail & Guardian SAA cancels close to 100 domestic and international ‘low demand’ flights to cut costs Moneyweb reports that South African Airways (SAA) has cancelled 53 domestic and 46 international “low demand” flights in February in order to cut costs for the national carrier, which is undergoing business rescue. “We are committed to accommodating all affected customers on alternative flights, operated by the airline and its Star Alliance partners. Any inconvenience or delays are intended to be minimal,” said chief commercial officer Philip Saunders. The business rescue practitioners are also reviewing “all third party contracts with the entity, with the intention to cancel any onerous contracts or renegotiate others into commercially acceptable terms.” SAA received a R3.5 billion cash injection this week in the form of a National Treasury-guaranteed loan from the Development Bank of Southern Africa to fund its operations while business rescue practitioners develop a rescue plan, which should be completed and presented to creditors by the end of February. The R3.5 billion from the DBSA increases the initial R4 billion that government said SAA would need for the business rescue process in December up to R5.5 billion. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tebogo Tshwane at Moneyweb Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Organised business calls for halt to recruitment drive at Emfuleni municipality where general workers earn R19k per month Vaal Weekblad reports that amid a worsening revenue crisis and failure to pay service providers, general workers at Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) reportedly earn R19,000 per month. This is one of the reasons organised business has urged that ELM should immediately halt a recruitment drive, launched in December last year. But ELM spokesperson Stan Gaba said the move was in response to ongoing personnel attrition at ELM. He did not comment on the exorbitant salaries advertised for unskilled workers, but seemed to recognise that there was poor management and “lack of resources” to manage personnel properly. The Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce (GTCoC) said it opposed the recruitment drive as it was simply unaffordable for the cash-strapped ELM, and the additional financial burden would also derail the municipality’s own Financial Recovery Plan (FRP). “ELM simply cannot afford to take on new employees – full stop! ELM is already in desperate financial strains and cannot even manage existing employees effectively in the first place,” said GTCoC CEO, Klippies Kritzinger. He called for an immediate moratorium on further recruitment. “ELM is already diverting national grant funding illegally to pay its R120 million per month salary bill,” a political source indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by The Citizen
Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital has lowest staff attendance rate among Gauteng's largest hospitals News24 reports that Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital has the lowest staff attendance of the seven largest hospitals in Gauteng, having recorded a rate of 72% last year. Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku revealed this in a written reply to questions by Jack Bloom, Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson on health in the province, in the provincial legislature. "According to Masuku, the low attendance rate is mainly due to 'staff who take or are on sick leave, including those who are on the Policy and Procedure on Incapacity Leave and Ill-Health Retirement (PILIR) process and Family Responsibility leave'," Bloom explained. He also indicated that according to unconfirmed data, the category of staff with the lowest attendance at Baragwanath were nurses. Bloom commented further: "The [Gauteng Health] department regards 90% attendance as acceptable, but 6 of the 7 largest public hospitals in Gauteng do not meet this standard which is worrying. "Low attendance rates put a lot of strain on the staff who remain, depressing their morale and the quality of patient care," Bloom remarked. The hospital which recorded the highest attendance was Helen Joseph Hospital at 93%, followed by Charlotte Maxeke and Tembisa hospitals with 89% attendance rates. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Canny Maphanga at News24
New Transnet CEO ready to clean up the ‘rot’, says she won't hamper investigations against her ex-husband Brian Molefe Fin24 reports that in an interview with Sunday Times, newly appointed Transnet CEO Portia Derby promised to clean up what she referred to as the "rot" at Transnet. One such area she planned to address was the procurement side of the state-owned entity, which she said could not continue to be "opaque". She also said she would not stand in the way of any investigations at Transnet which might relate to former Eskom and Transnet CEO Brian Molefe, her ex-husband. The couple divorced about 10 years ago. It was recently reported that, since Molefe has not yet paid back monies the High Court ruled in January 2018 he owed to the Eskom Pension and Provident Fund, the fund has now applied to the High Court in Pretoria for an order that would enforce the judgment. Derby admitted that she was aware of potential conflicts that might arise in regard to Molefe, but emphasised that she had a clear understanding of the fiduciary responsibilities that came along with her new job. She repeatedly said she was "her own person" and should not be made to answer for "the mistakes of others". Derby is a former director-general of the Department of Public Enterprises, which has Transnet as one of the state-owned entities it oversees. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Fin24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Seven Chinese citizens accused in human trafficking case also owe labour department millions News24 Wire reports that seven Chinese citizens accused of human trafficking and kidnapping allegedly owe the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) more than R7 million, and the department wants them to face additional charges. They appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday for a bail hearing. There, the DEL’s chief inspector in Gauteng, Michael Msiza, testified that the department had requested that the seven be charged with additional offences for alleged contravention of labour laws. According to the department, the legislation they apparently contravened included the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Unemployment Insurance Act, the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and the National Minimum Wage Act. The matter was postponed to 12 February for the continuation of the bail application. The accused were arrested in November last year for crimes allegedly committed at the Beautiful City factory in Village Deep, Johannesburg. It’s alleged that they transported Malawian nationals to SA in containers. During a raid, 91 Malawians were rescued from the factory. At least 37 were children. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen
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