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.
Mining Weekly reports that the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) says that to help create jobs in what will remain a challenging macroeconomic environment for the foreseeable future, it will fast-track its capital expenditure (capex) projects planned for the next five years.
If an allocated R25-billion can be spent on capex projects, including liquid petroleum gas, it could create 100,000 new jobs, contribute an additional R40-billion to the economy and contribute an additional R9-billion to government revenue. Additionally, the DMRE will bring forward medium- to long-term capital projects to be executed in the 2021/22 to 2023/24 financial years, which mostly involve energy programmes. In a presentation to MPs on Tuesday, DMRE director-general Thabo Mokoena also indicated that the department would fast-track complying Section 11 (mining right) applications to create additional jobs and save existing ones. DMRE Minister Gwede Mantashe advised that during the Level 5 coronavirus lockdown four companies had approached the department to issue Section 189 retrenchment notices. However, the department managed to stop those processes, partly owing to the limited movement of labour unions during present times. In the department’s response plan to Covid-19, Mokoena said they would support the health sector in diagnosing the virus and create new jobs by aiding the local manufacturing of the necessary goods – sanitisers, masks, test kits, antigens and antibodies.
- Read the full original of the informative report in the above regard at Mining Weekly
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page