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
Monday, 14 December 2020.
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Covid-19 outbreak at Stats SA training session at St George's Hotel in Pretoria TimesLIVE reports that Statistics SA (Stats SA) employees and contract workers from Gauteng attending a training course at a Pretoria hotel have been asked to stay in their rooms after four people in the group tested positive for Covid-19. The workshop, at the St George's Hotel, was to train workers for a planned census pilot project due to be carried out in late January 2021. “Despite adhering to Covid-19 protocols such as social distancing, sanitising, wearing face masks and ensuring that we did not exceed the limited 180 people, we have four positive cases,” said Stats SA spokesperson Trevor Oosterwyk. It is unclear whether the persons concerned had been infected before arriving at the workshop or whether they picked up the virus during the training course. The training course, scheduled to finish on Tuesday, will carry on virtually. “We are going to screen everyone,” said Oosterwyk, adding that nobody had been detained in their rooms. “We have asked people to remain in their rooms. But they are adults,” he stated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Paul Ash at TimesLIVE Sixty-one staff contract Covid-19 at two hospitals in Durban TimesLIVE reports that sixty-one staff including doctors, nurses and clerks have tested positive for Covid-19 at two hospitals in Durban in the past two weeks. Provincial health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu confirmed on Sunday that the affected hospitals were the Addington and RK Khan hospitals. “It is with a deep sense of concern that we, indeed, confirm a significant rise in Covid-19 infections among health workers, which has become noticeable in recent weeks. Those who have borne the brunt of Covid-19 include our front-line staff, such as nurses, doctors, as well as allied health workers, administrative clerks, and general orderlies,” Simelane-Zulu indicated. She said 38 staff members had tested positive for Covid-19 at Addington Hospital since the beginning of December. Among them were five doctors, 11 nurses, one allied worker and 21 members of support stuff. She advised that the hospital had not been shut down and was “accepting walk-in patients”. “At RK Khan Hospital, the total number of staff who have tested positive is 23, which is made up of seven nurses, 10 doctors, two radiologists, three clerks and one general orderly ... RK Khan Hospital is also open and rendering health-care services, while following strict Covid-19 infection prevention and control protocols,” Simelane-Zulu reported. She called for calm, saying: “Where we find ourselves now need not amount to a second wave of panic, which helps no-one; and instead sows fear, stigmatisation and the discrimination of staff and patients from those affected facilities.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Philani Nombembe at TimesLIVE More than 50 staffers test positive for Covid-19 at Addington Hospital, Nehawu requests meeting with health department Daily News reports that more than 50 staff members at Addington Hospital in Durban tested positive for Covid-19 in the past three weeks, with about 20 more said to be waiting for their results. These staff members include nurses and doctors, as well as administration staff and senior officials of some departments in the facility’s causality and human resources units. Apparently, from 23 November until last Wednesday, 45 staff members tested positive, while 10 more tested positive on Thursday. But, there there has been no formal communication from management to staff on the increasing cases. Besides the worrying lack of communication, allegedly there has been no shutdown or disinfecting in areas where staff who tested positive worked. National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) provincial secretary Ayanda Zulu said they were aware that there had been an outbreak of Covid-19 cases among Addington Hospital staff. In the past few weeks the union has been holding pickets at the hospital because a number of lifts at the hospital were not working. “There are two lifts working where patients and staff are overcrowded in these particular lifts and that on its own poses a risk,” said Zulu. He indicated that the union had requested an urgent meeting with the KZN Health Department to discuss the state of Addington Hospital. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Anelisa Kubheka at Daily News Cops investigate after policewoman's body retrieved from river near Port St Johns SowetanLive reports that the body of a missing police detective, Warrant Officer Nosipho Mphakathi, was found floating in Umzimvubu River on Saturday afternoon. Mphakathi, 40, was stationed at Port St Johns police station and was reported missing on Friday She was last been seen by her 16-year-old son leaving her homestead at Tyibane locality in Port St Johns on 8 December at about 11pm. A police spokesperson advised that an inquest docket had been registered. According to the Police, Prison and Civil Rights Union (Popcru) in the Eastern Cape, Mphakathi did not take her own life and the union called for speedy arrests if investigations indicated that her death was not an accident. Popcru provincial chair Loyiso Mdingi said their call came in the context of SA’s scourge of gender-based violence. He said: “We strongly condemn any form of abuse of women and children. Now a woman who is dead is a policewoman, someone who committed her life to protecting the country and its citizens. She died under mysterious circumstances.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lulamile Feni at SowetanLive. See too, Body of Eastern Cape cop found in Mzimvubu River, at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Nearly half of SA’s live music workers may quit the industry for good after a ‘devastating’ 2020 Gwen Ansell writes that for people working in SA’s live music sector, 2020 has been “devastating” according to responses to the country’s largest-ever live music and Covid-19 survey, published in November. The study, called ‘Impact Analysis: Live Music and its Venues and the South African Economy During Covid-19’, was undertaken by the SA Cultural Observatory, a government project hosted at Nelson Mandela University. The study was both quantitative – to determine larger trends and numbers – and qualitative, including in-depth case studies. A total of 697 responses were received, providing detailed information about live music workers’ experiences. It was found that nearly half of the respondents contemplated quitting live music for good. The people surveyed had worries about the longer term impact of the pandemic on audiences and society, and about their own ability to operate in the absence of an integrated national recovery plan. Of the musicians surveyed, 41% reported selling their instruments and equipment to pay their bills, while others said they were living on loans that would have to be repaid. One in four respondents said they weren’t able to continue with any elements of their business under lockdown. Even with the current easing of lockdown, venues remain constrained by rules on admissions, hours and service. Only 7% reported successful applications for the various small to medium enterprise support mechanisms and only 21% for the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture relief funding. Yet close to half of the respondents, perhaps surprisingly, categorised themselves as conditionally hopeful. Read the full original of the informative report in the above regard by Gwen Ansell at The Convesation Over 600 jobs to be saved by Sanlam Investments' Covid-19 debt fund News24 reports that three Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are set to benefit from R110 million in debt relief capital, provided through Sanlam Investments' SME Debt Fund. The financial services provider issued a statement last week indicating that it expected as many as 630 jobs to be preserved and a further 356 to be created from the latest commitment. This debt relief capital is part of an impact fund initiative launched by Sanlam Investments, a subsidiary of Sanlam, earlier this year to support businesses in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The initiative is targeted at companies which have viable and sustainable business models, but which require funding due to the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions on their operations. It comprises three impact funds – the SME Debt Fund, the Mid-Market Private Equity Fund and the Corporate Debt Fund. Sanlam provided seed capital of R2.25 billion, with the hope that a further R4.75 billion would be raised. Mettle Administrative Services - which for the past 15 years has been providing working capital finance, mainly to panel beaters - and Retail Capital - which offers merchant cash-advance lending to SMEs in retail and hospitality industries – were two of the first beneficiaries. Black-owned specialist retailer Oilstar was the third beneficiary and the funding is expected to provide job security to 630 current employees, mainly from low-income households Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lameez Omarjee at News24
With 150 ‘house grabs’ over the past year, mining town of Rustenburg ‘in a crisis’ Saturday Star writes that the over the last year, 150 properties in the North West mining town of Rustenburg belonging to the big three mining groups in town, namely Impala Platinum, Anglo American Platinum and Sibanye-Stillwater, have allegedly been illegally occupied. Now some concerned homeowners fear their homes could be next, so they have cancelled their Christmas holidays. The alleged illegal occupations are pitting communities, mining companies, political parties, the SA Police Service and the municipality against each other. Political parties have been unable to resolve the impasse which threatens to spill over into violence. Residents claim the alleged illegal occupations started quietly in December 2019, but are now very public and violent. Residents and the DA have pointed the finger at the ANC, EFF and taxi drivers. A DA spokesperson said a group of people would simply occupy an uninhabited house, sometimes in broad daylight and sometimes under the cover of night. “They just rock up and close off the road and move into an empty house. Nobody says or does anything because we fear for our safety.” One resident said: “The rumour is that this is politically driven. The municipality of Rustenburg is apparently involved and SAPS refuse to assist. The water and electricity is illegally connected. Some of the invaders claim that they bought these houses from the Rustenburg Municipality with illegal documents. The actual invaders are not living in the houses, they are renting out the rooms. Rustenburg is currently in a crisis”. The three mining houses said they’ve had mixed fortunes with the courts in their attempts to get the alleged illegal occupiers evicted from their properties. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Norman Cloete at Saturday Star
What CCMA budget cuts of R6000m over three years will mean for workers Mail & Guardian reports that the caseload of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has increased 14.36% in the last year, but the money it gets from the government has increased by only 1.32%. It also has 17% fewer commissioners than it did in 2013, when it was dealing with only 70% of its current caseload. Moreover, the CCMA will have its budget cut by R600-million over the next three years. This will happen amid a wave of job losses that are expected to occur as a result of the economic downturn triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. As CCMA director Cameron Morajane put it, “there is no sugarcoating the effect more budget cuts will have on the statutory body mandated with saving jobs.” On top of a more significant retrenchment caseload, the commission has already been dealing with far more cases than it did at the start of 2019, when it was also mandated to tackle national minimum wage cases. Morajane explained that although the commission understood that cuts to government budgets were necessary, “services will be affected severely if such a cut continues”. He indicated that the commission has taken the decision not to employ more full-time commissioners. Between December 2020 and March 2021, the CCMA will also not be using part-time commissioners, which the commission had previously leaned on to help deal with its mounting caseload. But, Morajane also said that, despite its decreased resources, the commission would endeavour to make the most of what it did have and that “we are finding ways to do more with those limited resources.” Read the full original of the informative report in the above regard by Sarah Smit at Mail & Guardian
IFP to table Bill that will put SA jobseekers first The Sunday Independent reports that according to a proposed Employment Services Amendment Bill to be tabled by the IFP, foreign nationals could be barred from working in some unskilled and semi-skilled jobs in some sectors of the SA economy. IFP MP Liezl van der Merwe will table new legislation that will propose, inter alia, that employers may not employ a foreign national in the country without an applicable and valid work visa and ensuring that the numerical target prescribed by Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has been reached. According to the IFP’s proposed Bill, employers may hire foreign nationals only after satisfying themselves that there is no other person in SA with suitable skills to fill that vacancy. According to the party, the high rate of unemployed South Africans and the high representation of foreign nationals employed in lower occupation levels, particularly in the unskilled sector, was a critical concern. The IFP also stated that there was a perception by South African citizens that foreign nationals were “taking their jobs”, which it believed exacerbates xenophobia. ””Therefore, it is imperative to regulate the employment of foreign nationals in the Republic, in order to stem the narrative that the ratio of job opportunities between foreign nationals and South African citizens are skewed towards foreign nationals,” the IFP stated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Loyiso Sidimba on page 1 of The Sunday Independent of 13 December 2020
Festive bonanza for 25,000 Tshwane workers despite metro’s R4.4bn deficit Pretoria News reports that the cash-strapped City of Tshwane will disburse millions of rand to its estimated 25,000 employees this festive season as part of the payouts linked to a benchmarking agreement. Apparently, the decision to settle the benchmarking payments was made last week and will be communicated to the unions and workers during the course of this week. The payouts will be in line with the decision to elevate municipality from Category 9 status to 10 by the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs in 2017. While the metro received a new ranking at the time, the salaries of workers were not adjusted accordingly. The payout decision comes on the back of concerns expressed by Mayor Randall Williams that the City plunged into a R4.4 billion deficit while under the control of the previous administrators. When he took office in November, Williams lambasted the administrators for blowing a R284m surplus left by the DA-led administration before council was dissolved in March. He bemoaned that the metro was in financial distress with a significant deficit of R4.4bn. Williams defended the decision to pay out the benchmarking monies, saying: “It is not a question about affordability. There were agreements that were entered into by the administrators and the then mayor Stevens Mokgalapa. For me it is very important that we honour legal undertakings and that we honour agreements.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Rapula Moatshe at Pretoria News
Woman who fabricated credentials for acting magistrate position found guilty of fraud in Bloemfontein TimesLIVE reports that a 38-year-old woman who fabricated her credentials for an acting magistrate position was found guilty of fraud on 10 December. Ruwaidah Henney was convicted and sentenced in the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court, provincial Hawks spokesperson Capt Christopher Singo indicated on Monday. Henney was approached by a senior magistrate at the Bloemfontein court in April 2018 about an acting magistrate position. She submitted her CV and was duly appointed. Singo explained further: “The accused was initially requested to provide proof of her admittance as an attorney and was again requested at the end of July 2018. An e-mail dated July 25 2018 that was purportedly written by the Law Society was sent by the accused in this regard. Later the complainant discovered from the acting director of the Law Society that the accused was never registered as a candidate attorney or admitted as an attorney.” When confronted about the allegations, Henney admitted that she had fabricated the documents. She was sentenced to 36 months of correctional supervision and a further 36 months, which was suspended on condition she is not convicted of fraud, forgery and uttering during the period of suspension. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at TimesLIVE
Eskom executive 'quietly enjoyed' free electricity at his Fourways home for 14 years Sunday Times reports that a top executive at Eskom quietly enjoyed free electricity at his home for 14 years. Acting group executive of legal and compliance Bartlett Hewu, a key player in the state-owned company's drive to recover revenue, was found to have an illegally connected meter at his Fourways home, and had not paid a cent for electricity since 2006. Embarrassingly, the cash-stricken utility has taken a hard line on non-payment and illegal connections, switching off whole areas. The discovery was made by Eskom technicians after Hewu complained of his electricity being cut off late last month. Last week he was suspended after the Sunday Times submitted questions to Eskom. But, insiders said Hewu was being treated with kid gloves. Eskom said it could not discuss the matter because “customer information” was confidential. Hewu has already been reconnected, and appears to have reached an agreement in terms of which he will pay almost R250,000. This is despite some defaulters being referred for criminal prosecution under tough legislation, and others being heavily fined. Hewu earned a salary of R3.4m in the year that ended in 2020. Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said: “It's shocking to be told that Eskom executives themselves are not paying their electricity bills. The case of Bartlett Hewu is contemptuous. He is not befitting to be an Eskom executive; if this is true, he must go.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sabelo Skiti at TimesLIVE
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