In our roundup of weekend news, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that appeared since
Friday, 22 January 2021.
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Netcare helicopter crashes near Bergville on Thursday killing pilot and four healthcare workers TimesLIVE reports that a helicopter pilot and four healthcare workers died when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed in KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday. Netcare 911 MD Craig Grindell said in a statement that a medical helicopter crashed near Bergville, claiming the lives of all on board. “We are profoundly saddened, and our deepest sympathies are with the families and loved ones of our colleagues aboard Netcare 1 air ambulance, which was carrying a pilot and four health-care personnel when it crashed near Bergville. We are shocked beyond words at the tragic loss of these health-care heroes,” said Grindell. Netcare CEO Dr Richard Friedland added: “The whole of Netcare falls silent as we bow our heads in tribute, respect, love and memory of our fallen colleagues and front-line heroes who have died in the line of duty. There are no words adequate to describe our sense of profound loss and grief at this terrible time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families.” Read the original of the above report at BusinessLive. Read Netcare CEO's tribute to the doctors and pilot who died in KZN crash, at TimesLIVE Witness recounts Netcare helicopter crash in which ‘brave, selfless heroes’ died Saturday Star reports that a woman who heard the downed Netcare 911 helicopter explode in a farm field has asked God to erase the terrible images of the remnants of the crash from her mind. Marietjie Warden was among the first people to arrive at the field after the emergency helicopter crashed and killed the five people on board. Those who died were Dr Kgopotso Rudolph Mononyane, an anaesthetist, Dr Curnick Siyabonga (Sia) Mahlangu, a cardiothoracic surgeon, Mpho Xaba, a specialist theatre nurse for cardiothoracic and transplant, all from Netcare Milpark Hospital, Sinjin Joshua Farrance, an advanced life support paramedic at Netcare 911, and the pilot of the helicopter, Mark Stoxreiter, who worked for National Airways Corporation. The healthcare workers were part of an ECMO (extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation) team, on their way to try to save a patient in Hillcrest. The crash happened in the Winterton area near the N3 between Colenso and Ladysmith. “We all presume it was one of the fuel tanks,” Warden said, describing Thursday’s tragedy on their farm, Kopleegte, beside the N3. Earlier, she and her husband had heard a first “big bang” while sitting quietly in their farmhouse. Warden called the emergency services while they were on the way. When they reached the crash site, neighbours and motorists from the N3 were already there. Warden said she noticed the tail, doors and blades of the aircraft strewn about. “Then there was this terrific bang,” she related. The SA Civil Aviation Authority (Sacaa) said they have yet to determine the cause of the crash. Witnesses claimed the helicopter broke apart in mid-air. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Duncan Guy and Sameer Naik at Independent Media
Dlamini-Zuma faces court challenge by Solidarity and AfriForum over SA’s vaccine plan BusinessTech reports that trade union Solidarity and civil society organisation AfriForum are preparing court papers against Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma over the government’s implementation plan for Covid-19 vaccines. This comes after the minister failed to respond to a letter of demand issued to her by the two organisations on 13 January. According to Solidarity, the current implementation plan amounts to nationalising the distribution and administering of the vaccine. Connie Mulder, head of the Solidarity Research Institute, explained: “There is no clarity on the rollout of the government’s so-called vaccine plan at the moment. It is also not clear why Drs Dlamini-Zuma and (Zweli) Mkhize (health minister) have the power to refuse that anyone other than the state may procure vaccines. It is a shame that the ministers did not see fit to provide answers about the rollout of the vaccine. That is why we are now forced to take the case to court. In view of the mistrust in the government and their handling of the vaccine issue, exceptional transparency is now of utmost importance.” Government should still be involved in the process, but there was absolutely no reason why they must be the only institution involved in the process, Mulder asserted. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at BusinessTech Solidarity challenges Angie Motshekga’s authority to keep private schools closed News24 Wire reports that Solidarity has sent a lawyer’s letter to the Department of Basic Education, questioning its directive on the delayed opening of private schools. According to the trade union, the department has no say on when these schools may open or close. On Friday, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced that pupils at public schools would only be back in the classroom on 15 February, while private schools would be allowed to open two weeks earlier, namely from 1 February. Motshekga also said that while private schools must delay their reopening for two weeks, officials could access school premises during the period of closure if required. In a letter sent on Saturday, Solidarity CE Dirk Hermann informed Motshekga that she did not have the powers to compel independent schools to remain closed until 1 February. Solidarity asserted that such powers lay instead with Cooperative Governance Minsiter Nkosasana Dlamini-Zuma. The organisation argued that the issuing of such directives by the Department of Basic Education was invalid and insisted that the government should amend the directives and publish them in Government Gazette by no later than 16:00 on Monday, 25 January. Solidarity further argued that opening of schools would have little impact on the Covid-19 infection rate, based on research and recommendations from experts, including the United Nations’ Children’s Fund (Unicef). Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Business and labour slam UIF’s ‘U-turn’ on Ters BL Premium reports that business and labour have accused the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) of backtracking in talks over extending Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) wage protection to cover the current lockdown. This has come a little more than a week after discussions, initially described as positive, to restart the scheme to assist workers affected by the extended level 3 lockdown restrictions. The return to level 3 at the end of December has left the hospitality and alcohol sectors reeling and the restrictions threaten to wipe out many small businesses, while big retailers are bracing to lose billions of rand. There has nevertheless been no announcement of relief for businesses or workers hit by the regulations. The government and its social partners have been meeting regularly at Nedlac and have discussed extending Ters, which was introduced in 2020 when the country went into a hard lockdown and is paid for by the UIF. Two weeks ago the partners were still optimistic about the negotiations and a decision was expected to be reached soon. However, things appear to have changed, with the UIF now adamant it cannot afford to extend the benefit. However, business and labour believe immediate relief must be provided and that there are sufficient funds in the UIF to pay Ters, which would cost R2bn-R3bn a month. The UIF denies that it has backtracked. "The negotiations are still ongoing and parties are looking at proposals on the table," a spokesperson said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Genevieve Quintal at BusinessLive (paywall access only) Nearly 600,000 workers who claimed Ters benefits have now lost their jobs Business Report writes that nearly 600,000 employees who have claimed the Temporary Employment Relief Scheme (Ters) benefits have now lost their jobs. The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) advised last week that 578,677 of those who had claimed Ters benefits have joined now the queues of the unemployed. UIF spokesperson Makhosonke Buthelezi said that the fund paid 1,787,268 beneficiaries more than R10 billion between 26 March 2020 to 19 January 2021. “However, reports from CCMA show that this has increased by 40 percent, posing a claims increase for UIF,” said Buthelezi. The UIF said an increase of 40% in Section 189 and Section 189A notices could result in additional normal unemployment claims and it expected an increase in the claims for unemployment benefits. Buthelezi observed that the massive job losses had a huge impact on South Africa’s economy, citizens and families. “When workers are retrenched or companies close down, it has a substantial and detrimental knock-on effect which includes a reduction in tax revenue collection. It also affects the Fund’s revenue as contributions decline, while claims increase,” Buthelezi pointed out. Trade union federation Fedusa has called for a moratorium on all retrenchments and future potential processes. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Given Majola at Business Report
Lily mine not for sale, says Vantage Goldfields as it plans restart of operations Mining Weekly reports that Vantage Goldfields, the owner of the shut Lily gold mine, has countered claims made by Herman Mashaba, president of political organisation ActionSA, that the mine has received two bids by third parties that intend to acquire and reopen the mine. The mine has been closed since a cave-in February 2016, which resulted in an above-ground lamp room container being buried underground. Three miners, Solomon Nyerende, Pretty Nkambula and Yvonne Mnisi, were in the container at the time of the collapse and their remains have not been recovered. The mine went into business rescue in April 2016. There were several unsuccessful attempts by third parties in recent years to acquire the mine. ActionSA noted in a statement on 21 January that the mine’s business rescue practitioner had received two bids by potential buyers with an intent to reopen the mine. According to ActionSA, both new bids intended to retrieve the lamp room container and re-employ some of the previous mineworkers. However, Vantage CEO Mike McChesney responded that the Lily mine “is not for sale” and that all previous attempts to sell the mine failed because of nonperformance by the buyer or “self-serving interference”. “Accordingly, Vantage has decided to retain ownership and fund the reopening of the mine,” he indicated, adding that a new decline shaft would be sunk to access the mine workings and recover the remains of the missing miners. Read the full original of the detailed report in the above regard at Mining Weekly Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Unions say massive CCMA budget cut will hurt workers GroundUp writes that workers are going to suffer the most from the overwhelming caseloads at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) over the next few years, especially now that part-time commissioners are no longer being used to resolve disputes. “When a worker is up against an employer representative, and you have a commissioner who tries to settle the matter as quickly as possible, in general the worker is going to be settling lower than what they should be settling for,” Lynford Dor, spokesperson of The Casual Workers Advice Office (CWAO), observed. Since 1 December 2020, the CCMA has stopped the use of part-time commissioners and has been functioning with full-time commissioners only. This comes after a budget cut at the CCMA of about R617 million. According to the statutory organisation’s most recent performance plan, at that time there were 173 full-time commissioners and an estimated 565 part-time commissioners. CCMA director, Cameron Morajane, commented that despite the budget reductions, the CCMA continued to operate using only full-time commissioners. He added that the impact of the budget cut would be that it might take longer to finalise arbitration cases. In Dor’s view, the effects of laying off the commissioners won’t be seen immediately: “We will see it over the next year when workers have to wait to have their cases heard. It will be clear in six months to a year how serious that decision was.” Dale Fish of the Independent Commercial Hospitality and Allied Workers Union (ICHAWU) is also concerned by the increasing backlog of CCMA cases: “It’s a disaster. Employers are going to take advantage of it, knowing that if they dismiss employees, it’s only going to be heard at the CCMA in a year’s time.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Liezl Human at GroundUp
Union dealt a major blow as labour court rules yet again in favour of SABC over retrenchments BL Premium reports that a union was dealt a major blow on Friday when the Labour Court in Braamfontein dismissed an application for leave to appeal an earlier ruling that the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) retrenchment process was lawful. This paves the way for management of the public broadcaster to proceed with job cuts despite protests by unions. In December, the Broadcasting, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers Union (Bemawu) lodged an appeal at the Labour Court to challenge a ruling in favour of the broadcaster over its retrenchment plans. The union argued that the SABC had failed to engage in a fair consultation process before issuing retrenchment notices. But the court found that it had acted lawfully and in accordance with the Labour Relations Act. The union subsequently filed an appeal. On Friday, the court dismissed Bemawu’s appeal application with costs, finding that there were no reasonable prospects that another court could come to a different conclusion. The SABC announced earlier in January that the retrenchment process would affect 303 employees across various levels, or about half of the originally projected redundancies. However, the plan could still be scuppered by communications, telecommunications & postal services minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, who has made it clear she will not support retrenchments. Last week the Communications Workers Union (CWU), which also opposes the job cuts, had indicated that its members would down tools on Friday. However, on Friday the SABC advised that programming had not been disrupted. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bekezela Phakath at BusinessLive (paywall access only) SAB lays off 550 temporary workers as national restriction on liquor sales bites Business Times reports that more than 500 staff of SA Breweries (SAB) received their last pay cheque on Friday after the company suspended their employment due to the national ban on the sale of alcohol. SAB, owned by global brewer AB InBev, confirmed that it had suspended the contracts of 550 temporary workers indefinitely and with immediate effect. This will reduce SAB’s current workforce to 5,357. The staff will receive no income during the suspension of their contracts, including from the Unemployment Insurance Fund as they are contract workers. Zoleka Lisa, vice-president of corporate affairs at SAB, said: “The third alcohol ban has resulted in reduced demand for temporary workers’ skills. This is no fault of their own but rather a result of the current operating environment. We realise the impact this decision will have on 550 families who will sadly have to go without because of the uncertainty of the alcohol ban.” The government has banned the sale of alcohol three times since a national lockdown was announced in late March 2020 in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19. SAB has also cancelled R5bn in investments as a result of the bans, and the coronavirus pandemic has seen all employees’ salaries cut by 10%, which will continue until the end of 2021. Lisa advised that no retrenchments have been made as yet. It was reported last week that competitor Heineken had cut its staff of 1,000 by 7%. SAB is currently awaiting the government’s response to its application in the Western Cape High Court to have the ban set aside. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jane Steinacker and Nick Wilson at BusinessLive (paywall access only)
Port Elizabeth admin clerk gets seven years behind bars for ‘cooking the books’ in R470,000 fraud TimesLIVE reports that the specialised commercial crimes court in Port Elizabeth gave an admin clerk a seven-year prison sentence on Friday for stealing hundreds of thousands of rand from her previous employer, Chris Bury Appliances. Rhonda Zeelie, 37, was convicted of one count of fraud and one count of theft. She was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for fraud and two years for theft. Hawks spokesperson Capt Lloyd Ramovha said Zeelie was arrested in May 2019 following a complaint from her employer. “The investigation revealed that in her capacity as an administrator she stole about R470,000 from the beginning of 2016 to May 2018 by unlawfully transferring funds from the business bank account into her own. She then 'cooked the books' in a futile attempt to mask her dishonest transactions,” Ramovha indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Philani Nombembe at TimesLIVE Cell C vows to let 'law take its course' over former IT manager arrested in R64m fraud case Fin24 reports that mobile operator Cell C says it will allow the law to take its course in the punishment of a former executive who was arrested on Friday for alleged fraud and corruption involving a tender scam worth approximately R64 million. The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) reported on Friday that they had arrested a 44-year-old man who was an IT manager at a mobile network service provider in Germiston. Cell C confirmed that the man in question was its former executive, Mohamed Ismail Adamjee. The operator said it had acted swiftly when an incident of apparent collusion came to its attention as it has a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal or unethical activity. "Cell C is fully supporting the authorities in the case and will allow the law to take its course," the company indicated in a statement. The Hawks said that during the period 2012 to 2019, Adamjee allegedly colluded with a director of another company contracted to provide IT and network services at Cell C. "They reportedly inflated invoices, which resulted in an actual loss of over R64 million to the mobile network provider," the Hawks advised. The organisation’s investigation started in 2020 following an internal audit by Cell C. It said its investigation was continuing and more arrests were expected. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Londiwe Buthelezi at Fin24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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