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
Thursday, 11 February 2021.
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Cabinet extends national state of disaster until 15 March TimesLIVE reports that the Cabinet has approved the extension of the national state of disaster until 15 March. Next month will be one year since the national state of disaster was first implemented in SA. In a statement on Wednesday, the Presidency said the government had prioritised the country’s vaccination programme and it reassured South Africans that the programme remained on track. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize recently advised that the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine had proved effective against the new variant of the Covid-19 virus and the necessary approval processes for its use in SA were under way. The Presidency urged South Africans to use President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state of the nation address (Sona) on Thursday as a “rallying point to turn around our economy, end gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) and tackle the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Iavan Pijoos at TimesLIVE Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Construction worker killed on Wednesday in accident during renovations to Randburg home TimesLIVE reports that a construction worker was killed on Wednesday when a structure at a residence in Boskruin, north of Johannesburg, collapsed on him. Robert Mulaudzi, Johannesburg emergency services spokesperson, said the accident happened while three construction workers were doing renovations to the house. “They were working on a scaffold when one man fell from the top and on to a concrete slab, where he was trapped. He was confirmed dead on the scene. The other men also fell but were not trapped,” he reported. ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring, whose team was also on the scene, said the two other men sustained minor to moderate injuries and were taken to hospital. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Shonisani Tshikalange at TimesLIVE
Alcohol industry estimated to have lost over R36bn in revenue and over 200,000 jobs across the three liquor bans Fin24 reports that according to a new report, SA’s alcohol industry is estimated to have lost R36.3 billion in retail sales revenues in the on-again off-again liquor bans between 2020, when the lockdown began, and when the latest one ended this month. It is also estimated to have resulted in job losses for 200,000 people across the formal and informal sectors. SA’s formal and informal drinking establishments were banned from selling alcohol for 19 weeks. Government has justified its decision to halt alcohol sales as a means of preventing an influx of trauma cases at hospitals and to have beds available for Covid-19 patients. In a report commissioned by the alcohol industry, advisory firm FTI Consulting calculated the cost of the 19 weeks of the bans. The impact of this, together with an additional five-week export prohibition, is estimated to have cost the industry about 30% of sales opportunities and 1.1 billion litres in sales volumes in 2020 and 2021 thus far. The overall alcohol sales volumes declined by almost 17%, compared to 2019. The beer sector was the hardest hit. The industry employs 415,000 people, and the report estimates that 200,200 jobs will be lost in both the formal and informal sectors. The state will also be one of the bans biggest losers, with an estimated R29.3 billion tax revenue loss (excluding excise) and a R8.7 billion direct excise revenue loss. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Penelope Mashego at Fin24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Samwu members in Nelson Mandela Bay on strike over R7,000 Covid compensation allowance GroundUp reports that SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) strikers strewed rubbish and emptied bins in busy Market Street, Uitenhage, on Wednesday on the second day of a strike over pay. Samwu members in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality are demanding a R7,000 a month “Covid-19 compensation allowance”. Samwu, the biggest union in the metro 4,000 members, has ordered all its members to down tools. Municipal buildings have closed, including customer services and the traffic department. Talks between Samwu leadership and the municipality were held on Tuesday, but differences could not be resolved. At a briefing on Wednesday, Mayor Nqaba Bhanga said: “They [Samwu] got the certificate to strike from the court and not the City. If they want to embark on a fully-fledged strike they must apply for it, because they are now breaking the law of the country. A ‘no work no pay’ rule will apply. We cannot accept that essential workers are also taking part in this illegal protest. There will be consequences against all who are taking part in it.” He also claimed that Samwu was picketing outside of the picketing rules, which allowed only 100 people to picket outside the City Hall. “We have applied for a court interdict against them and there will be a disciplinary process against all who are involved,” Bhanga stated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thamsanqa Mbovane at GroundUp <https://www.groundup.org.za/article/nelson-mandela-bay-mayor-tells-strikers-there-will-be-consequences/>
Advocate Doctor Mashabane appointed new DG at Justice and Correctional Services Department News24 reports that Advocate Doctor Mashabane has been appointed as the new director-general of the Department of Justice and Correctional Services. His appointment was announced following a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Mashabane's appointment will likely provide impetus to Minister Ronald Lamola's aim to "renew" the department. He returns to the department, having started there in 2002 in the constitutional development branch. In a statement on Thursday, Lamola congratulated Mashabane on his appointment. Lamola's spokesperson Chrispin Phiri pointed out that Mashabane had served SA in numerous capacities in the diplomatic space. He has over 15 years of experience at senior management level in public service and holds a Masters of Law in International Human Rights Law from the University of Pretoria. In November last year, Lamola told MPs that his department was in "desperate need of renewal". This was after the committee expressed its concern about the department's declining performance. The committee also raised concerns that the department had a vacancy rate of 23.4% at senior management level. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at News24 Treasury appointed Priya Lutchman as CFO despite her suspension in previous job for tender irregularities BL Premium reports that the recently appointed CFO of the National Treasury, Priya Lutchman, was selected for the position in December despite her having been suspended from the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture & Recreation (DSAC&R) for tender irregularities. Questions were raised about her appointment on Wednesday by Democratic Alliance (DA) finance spokesperson Geordin Hill-Lewis during a briefing by Treasury officials on the department’s annual report. Lutchman was CFO of the DSAC&R when she was suspended in July/August 2020 with two other officials for substantiated tender and appointment irregularities amounting to R43m. According to Hill-Lewis, she resigned before disciplinary proceedings could be instituted and applied to the National Treasury to become CFO without disclosing the fact of her suspension in her previous employment. Treasury director-general Dondo Mogajane said in reply to Hill-Lewis’s questions that the Treasury had only became aware of the suspension after Lutchman’s appointment. He said processes were under way to verify the facts and to have the file transferred from the Gauteng provincial government. “If there is any wrongdoing we will institute disciplinary measures with Gauteng jointly and appropriate action will be taken,” Mogajane indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Linda Ensor at BusinessLive (paywall access only)
Gauteng health promises to pay all intern doctors their January salaries by 22 February TimesLIVE reports that Gauteng's Department of Health (DOH) advised on Thursday that more than 50 intern and community service doctors who were not paid salaries for January would get their money by 22 February. The SA Medical Association Trade Union (Samatu) raised the alarm on Wednesday, saying it had received reports that at least 48 interns, 14 community service doctors and several doctors under Covid-19 contracts in the province had not been paid. The union said they worked 40 hours a week and put in more than 80 hours of overtime a month, but, after not being paid, some did not have money for transport to their workplaces or to put food on the table. Explaining what had gone wrong, DOH spokesperson Kwara Kekana said there had been some delays in doctors getting Health Professions Council of SA registrations. “A secondary circumstance relates to the availability of posts, to accommodate the doctors placed within the province by the national department of health. The latter was compounded by a lack of budget, in the January 2021 to March 2021 period, due to an unforeseen increased allocation of medical interns,” said Kekana. She advised that the department had managed to secure the required funding for the outstanding cohort and it was envisaged that all medical intern appointments would be concluded by 17 February, which would enable them to receive their salaries on 22 February. The DA in Gauteng said the doctors should be paid immediately. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLIVE
Tembisa Hospital CEO challenges his suspension in court, wants to set the record straight over death of Shonisani Lethole The Star writes that the gloves are off between suspended Tembisa Hospital chief executive Dr Lekopane Mogaladi and the Gauteng Department of Health (DOH). Apparently, Mogaladi has exercised his legal right to challenge the department's intention to place him under suspension. His suspension came as a result of Health Ombudsman Professor Malegapuru Makgoba’s damning report of Shonisani Lethole’s death, which implicated him. Lethole set tongues wagging after he tweeted Health Minister Zweli Mkhize about being denied food at the hospital. He then died at the hospital on 30 June after testing positive for Covid-19. Makgoba found that the 34-year-old hadn’t been fed for a total of 100 hours. After the report was released, the DOH advised that it had no intention of challenging the findings into the circumstances surrounding Lethole’s death. The DOH then implemented the Ombud’s recommendations and issued Mogaladi with a notice of intention to place him under precautionary suspension. Mogaladi is believed to have made written representations to the DOH outlining why there was no rational cause for disciplinary action to be taken against him. However, the DOH apparently proceeded to serve him with the notice of suspension. According to Mogaladi’s legal team, the findings of the report should be set aside. “Dr Mogaladi remains resolute in his mission to set the record straight by upholding the truth through legal channels,” it indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Gift Tlou at The Star. Read too, Tembisa Hospital CEO heads to court over suspension, Ombud's Lethole report, at EWN Labour Court reinstates contract workers punished with suspension for joining in on CCMA case GroundUp reports that five contract workers at an Emalahleni mine who were suspended from work and threatened with disciplinary action because they joined in with other workers seeking permanent jobs in a CCMA case have been reinstated by the Labour Court. Judge Andre Van Niekerk ruled that the company which employed them, cleaning contractor Sno Aluhle Projects and Services, acted unlawfully in blocking their access cards to the Kriel Colliery, effectively preventing them from working and earning. The dispute between the company and the five workers, began in December last year when they and two others joined more than 300 other contract workers at the mine in applying to the CCMA for their jobs to be made permanent. In January, management of the service company presented them with letters, which they were asked to sign, withdrawing from the CCMA dispute on the basis that “I had no knowledge of what I was signing for, I was misinformed”. They refused to sign and the following Monday when they arrived at the mine, their clock cards were blocked and they were denied access. The workers went to the HR manager who gave them letters advising them of their suspension and notifying them of a disciplinary hearing. The letters referred to the CCMA dispute. The workers approached the Casual Workers Advice Office (CWAO), which took up their case. The judge directed the company to reactivate the workers’ access cards and permit them to continue working. He interdicted the company from taking any disciplinary action against them. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tania Broughton at GroundUp <https://www.groundup.org.za/article/court-reinstates-contract-workers-fired-approaching-ccma/>
Outrage that ‘sex pest’ teacher fired in 2014 has resurfaced as acting principal at private school The Star reports that outrage has erupted in Kagiso over the appointment as acting principal of the John Martin Catholic School of a man who was apparently dismissed by the Gauteng Education Department (GDE) for sexually assaulting and harassing learners at another school in 2014. Concerned community members and parents went to the private primary school in Kagiso, Mogale City, on Wednesday after allegations of sexual harassment and rape were levelled against acting principal Motsamai Molete on social media on Tuesday evening. Molete, a former teacher at Phahama Secondary School in Mohlakeng, was accused of having been fired by the GDE in relation to seven charges of sexually assaulting and harassing learners in 2014. GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona confirmed on Tuesday that Molete was dismissed by the department for misconduct concerning sexually assaulting a learner and improper and disgraceful conduct of a sexual nature towards learners. “He lodged an appeal; however, the Gauteng Education MEC Mr Panyaza Lesufi upheld the disciplinary committee’s decision to dismiss Mr Molete,” Mabona indicated. The GDE indicated that it was not aware of Molete’s appointment and position at the private school. “Consequently, upon learning of this, GDE officials were sent to the school to further investigate … they found the principal absent and unreachable for engagement. Despite this, the department has taken the decision to convene a meeting with the Catholic Institute of Education this evening (Wednesday) … to discuss this matter further,” Mabona said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Chulumanco Mahamba at The Star
Brain drain a threat to economic recovery, RMB boss warns BL Premium reports that according to the boss of Rand Merchant Bank, James Formby, SA is facing a skills shortage that, if left unchecked, could hold back any prospects of an economic recovery. "SA is losing people in their thirties and forties who are qualified and experienced. Yet it is extremely difficult to bring new people into the country, so there is a risk that the skills base is eroding, and we see this as one of the long-term threats to the country," Formby said. Research from both the UN and Stats SA estimates that 21,000 to 23,000 South Africans leave the country annually. Based on a variety of anecdotal evidence, according to Formby, many of these people appear to be highly skilled. But, understanding what is really going on is being hampered by the dearth of accurate and publicly available information, insofar as it relates to both immigration and emigration. Formby highlighted the importance of trying to stem the outflow of technical skills in the engineering and construction industry, crucial under President Cyril Ramaphosa’s plan to launch an infrastructure-led economic recovery. Formby’s remarks echo similar ones made by FirstRand COO Mary Vilakazi last year. She said the "brain drain" had been gradual but noticeable. Both have called on the government to make it easier to allow skilled workers to be employed in SA. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Warren Thompson at BusinessLive (paywall access only) Treasury pays R67m a year to license an integrated HR and financial management system that’s not in use BL Premium reports that the Treasury’s bungled project to establish an integrated financial management system (IFMS) continues to sully its report card from the Auditor-General (AG) and was responsible for R207m in irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure in the 2019/2020 financial year. The programme has been responsible for negative audit findings for a number of years and is likely to bedevil the department in the future. The project — which has cost more than R1bn since its inception in 2006 — is meant to incorporate human resources and financial management systems across national and provincial governments and replace outdated computer systems. In terms of the contract, the Treasury is paying about R67m a year for the technical support and maintenance of the software licence system — even though it is not in use. Since 2016/2017 the department has paid R267m in terms of the five-year contract, which comes to an end in 2021. Business executive in the office of the AG, Polani Sokombela, warned MPs about the danger of the Treasury failing to deliver the IFMS, noting that it had failed to meet its milestones. “A lack of a formal business case and programme charter and proper project management, insufficient resources and limited steering committee meetings relating to the IFMS programme may result in failure to deliver the overall quality solution on time and with the funds allocated,” Sokombela said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Linda Ensor at BusinessLive (paywall access only)
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