Today's Labour News

COVID-19 HEALTH & SAFETY

Huge ramp up of Covid-19 vaccine rollout planned, with aim of reaching 192,500 daily vaccinations by end of May

BL Premium reports that SA’s Covid-19 vaccination programme took a leap forward last week as the public sector ramped up and the private sector joined the drive. Business for SA said on Friday that both sectors intended to ramp up “aggressively” over the next month and were aiming to reach 192,500 vaccinations a day by the end of May. B4SA’s Martin Kingston advised that sufficient supplies of vaccine had been secured to vaccinate the entire adult population. In the case of Pfizer, these were coming into the country at a rate of 325,000 a week, soon to be increased to 640,000. In the case of J&J, 1.1-million jabs had already been produced and were waiting at the Aspen manufacturing facility. Another one-million was scheduled for the end of the month, with one-million a month arriving thereafter. Over the past week, 155 public vaccination sites and 22 private sector sites were in operation. By June, it was hoped that a steady stream of 192,000 a day could be achieved. However, this is still short of the 200,000 to 300,000 target a day needed if all SA adults are to be vaccinated by the end of 2021. The biggest hurdle to the vaccine programme at the moment is the low number of registrations of people over the age of 60 on the electronic database. Of a population of 5.4-million, only 1.6-million have registered.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Carol Paton at BusinessLive (paywall access only)

Jab-funding plan on the cards for those with no medical backup

BL Premium reports that one week into the start of SA's big Covid-19 vaccine rollout, business and the government are working to try and finalise a funding mechanism that will enable some adults who don't have medical aid to receive their free vaccinations in private-sector pharmacies, doctor's rooms, workplaces or mass vaccine sites. The mechanism would leverage SA's extensive private health-care infrastructure to ensure the rollout will meet its ambitious target of vaccinating the adult population by year-end. It would provide for private providers to be paid by the state to vaccinate a set number of non-medical-aid patients, just as they will get paid by the medical aids to vaccinate their members. In most countries, the state is paying to vaccinate everyone wherever they receive their doses, but SA has opted for a mix of private and public funding, with facilities charging medical aids for their members at rates set by the government. This requires a complicated two-stream payment system, according to Discovery Health's Ron Whelan. The government last week announced the costing of the vaccines to medical aids, with each Pfizer dose charged at R345.75 – two doses will be needed – and each Johnson & Johnson dose at R330 including VAT.   Whelan said the vaccines were reasonably priced. In addition, an R80.50 administration fee (including VAT) will be charged to cover the cost of vaccinators and of consumables such as syringes. Whelan added that the efficacy of the Pfizer jab in the real world and against variants was expected to be very good.   Discovery already has a sample through its members and is tracking the outcomes.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Hilary Joffe at BusinessLive (paywall access only)

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• Problems with vaccine bookings but it’s not a disaster, says B4SA, at BusinessLive (paywall access only)
• Education union calling on schools to close amid the third Covid-19 wave, at POWER Digital

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) CORRUPTION

ANC disciplinary committee clears both Diko and Masuku of PPE wrongdoing

BL Premium reports that the ANC has cleared President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Khusela Diko, as well as Gauteng’s former health MEC, Bandile Masuku, of wrongdoing after investigating whether they had brought the party into disrepute through their alleged involvement in personal protective equipment (PPE) corruption. Diko took leave of absence from the Presidency in July last year after her late husband, Thandisizwe Diko, secured a R125m contract from the Gauteng department of health for PPE procurement. The ANC’s national disciplinary committee found no evidence to suggest Diko acted unethically or violated the party’s value system, and cleared her to return to political office, the panel said on Saturday.   Diko is still facing government disciplinary procedures for allegedly failing to disclose her financial interests and she remains on special leave. Possible tender irregularities in the PPE contract saw the axe fall on Masuku in October. Gauteng premier David Makhura fired Masuku after the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) found that he had failed to execute his functions in compliance with the constitution and the Public Finance Management Act, in his oversight of the procurement of PPE. In April, the Pretoria High Court in dismissed Masuku’s application to set aside the SIU report that Makhura had relied on to fire him. Reacting to the ANC committee’s finding, Masuku said: “I am happy and relieved that in the end, a fairer, objective and robust ANC tribunal has upheld my appeal, protected my rights and restored my membership. This is a victory for justice.”

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (paywall access only)

SIU sets the record straight on Bandile Masuku’s ‘misleading’ claims

POWER Digital reports that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has refuted claims made by former Gauteng health MEC Dr Bandile Masuku.   In a statement issued on Saturday, Masuku claimed that the high court had found that the SIU’s findings that he had been involved in corruption and nepotism were just a malicious opinion.   In a responding statement issued on Sunday, the SIU said: “The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has noted yet another media statement that contains some aspects that are misleading to the public. As these aspects of the statements relates to the SIU findings, the SIU is left with no other option but to set the record straight.: The SIU indicated further that it had “submitted evidence and successfully argued before the full bench of the High Court that Dr. Bandile Masuku failed to exercise his responsibility in the oversight of the Gauteng Department of Health and that his failure to exercise required oversight contributed to the malfeasance, maladministration, malpractice and the total disregard of the rule of law that characterised the looting of public funds meant to fight Covid-19 in the Gauteng Department of Health.” A criminal probe, the SIU explained, was ongoing. This came after the ANC national disciplinary committee overturned Masuku and Khusela Diko’s suspensions from the auteng provincial executive committee.

Read the original of the report in the above regard at POWER Digital. Read too, 'This is victory for justice,' says Masuku after ANC disciplinary body clears, reinstates him, at News24

COMPENSATION FUND

Furious Scopa orders Nxesi to conduct full-scale investigation into failings at Compensation Fund

TimesLIVE reports that Parliament's standing committee on public accounts (Scopa), has ordered Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) Minister Thulas Nxesi to conduct a full-scale forensic investigation into the Compensation Fund after repeated adverse reports by the auditor-general (AG). Fuming Scopa chair Mkhuleko Hlengwa told Nxesi last week: “At this point, I think it suffices to say that we are ordering a full-scale forensic investigation with the co-operation of the Special Investigating Unit [SIU] and for the minister to submit to us in 30 days the road map and terms of reference of how the investigation will be done.” Hlengwa also instructed Nxesi to conduct a performance assessment on his director-general, Thobile Lamati, and Compensation Fund commissioner Vuyo Mafata to establish their respective fitness to hold office. Nxesi was given until 20 June to furnish Scopa with the road map of the investigation. Nxesi appeared before Scopa to account on the AG’s unqualified audit report as well the continuous irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure at the fund, which provides compensation to employees who are injured or contract diseases through the course of their employment and is financed by levies paid by employers. Hlengwa said the issues at the Compensation Fund were of grave importance to the committee. “We have tolerated long enough the commitments and pledges that things are going to change and it has all amounted to naught. This situation is totally unacceptable,” he warned Nxesi.   Responding, Nxesi said it was important to acknowledge “the chaos”. He welcomed the order to conduct a full-scale audit, but said: “We need to be careful that we do not come up with very broad terms of reference where there will be an unending forensic audit.”

Read the full original of the detailed report in the above regard by Amanda Khoza at TimesLIVE

WAGE NEGOTIATIONS

Employer body Seifsa expects tough wage talks in metals and engineering sector

BL Premium reports that the upcoming wage talks in the metals and engineering sector are expected to be difficult given the negative economic climate spawned by the Covid-19 pandemic. So says the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa), which represents 19 employer organisations employing about 190,000 people. The salary negotiations will commence under the auspices of the Metals and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council (MEIBC) on 3 and 4 June. The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), the country’s largest metalworkers’ union with 360,000 members, is demanding a one-year, 15% salary increase across the board. Seifsa’s operations director Lucio Trentini commented that Seifsa was “expecting a tough round of negotiations because last year Seifsa completed a wage freeze agreement, so there’s no doubt that unions will come to the table with a mindset that they want to recoup what they sacrificed last year.” He added that employees were quite well aware that the economy was not in a good space, “so we will ask unions to understand that.” Trentini said they hoped the parties would find common ground to “save jobs and keep businesses going”. Gerhard Papenfus of the National Employers’ Association of SA (Neasa), whose members employ about 57,000 workers, has said Numsa’s wage demands were unrealistic and any proposal by employers “will not even come close” to the 15% wage increase the union was demanding. He said implementing a 15% demand would be akin to employers destroying their businesses.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (paywall access only)

REMUNERATION

Massmart directors get green light for pay hikes of 4.5%

Fin24 reports that shareholders of Makro owner Massmart have approved pay increases for non-executive directors by 4.5%. At Massmart's annual general meeting on Thursday, the recommendation was tabled to hike pay, after salary freezes had been imposed during the pandemic. A majority of nearly 90% of shareholders voted in favour of the increases. Massmart chairperson Kuseni Dlamini said the deferment of pay hikes should be reconsidered, as "a third year of a zero increase will result in a lag of our fees against the market and would therefore fall below the fee level that we seek to maintain over time.” Dlamini explained: "We have therefore tabled the recommendation of a 4.5% increase in fees which is consistent with the levels awarded to our associates in July 2020 and leaders in January 2021." Massmart announced a decision to defer its management pay increases at its AGM in 2020 citing a tough economic climate. Recently, Massmart changed its bonus structure for executives. The new structure links incentive pay with the performance of embattled unit Game, and headline earnings per share, which is a measure of company profitability.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Anathi Madubela at Fin24

EXPENDITURE FOR CUBAN SERVICES

Government to oppose Solidarity’s court application over use of Cuban engineers on SA’s water infrastructure

News24Wire reports that in a statement on Saturday, the Department of Water and Sanitation advised that it will be opposing a court application by Solidarity to reverse the deployment of engineers from Cuba in SA. The department said it was satisfied that it had addressed all concerns raised by the trade union and went on to indicate: “The department reiterates that the input of the Cuban engineers in the work of the department is very minimal and only a fraction of the technical engineering work implemented by the department. Their presence is meant to support and complement the technical engineering work in the department. Therefore, the provisions of the EPA [Engineering Profession Act] and the ECSA [Engineering Council of South Africa] do not prohibit the use of foreign engineers by entities and government departments in South Africa.”   According to Solidarity, it had met with department officials to ask that the programme be suspended and had further presented a list of 132 engineers whom it believed could do the work.   Department officials requested an opportunity to present an alternative proposal, and the deadline was extended twice, but the proposal was never received, the union indicated.   According to the department, a virtual meeting was held last week where questions were raised by the union and answered by officials. Solidarity has filed an urgent application, asking the Gauteng North High Court for an interdict preventing Cuban engineers from doing any work on SA’s water infrastructure, and requiring that no payments be made in relation to the agreement between government and Cuba.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen

Local defence sector in death spiral, but Cuban companies scored defence maintenance contracts worth R1bn

BL Premium reports that SA’s cash-strapped defence force has spent more than R1bn on Cuban service providers for the maintenance and repair of key equipment over the past seven years. This was revealed in response to a parliamentary question posed by DA defence spokesperson Kobus Marais in which defence & military veterans minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was asked for details about various agreements with Cuba. Marais said it was “inexplicably curious” that the ANC government had been outsourcing defence contracts to Cuban companies at the expense of local defence contractors even while the SA industry was caught up in a death spiral with job losses being an ever-present concern. The defence department has faced a series of devastating budget cuts and the funding gap has resulted in the decline of demand, making it difficult for defence companies to survive. State-owned arms manufacturer Denel is battling a liquidity crisis so dire that it is struggling to pay salaries. Its situation has made it difficult for small businesses in the sector. Marais commented that the R1bn was one of the many instances in which the government has been splurging scant taxpayer money on services that could be procured locally. Last month, human settlements, water & sanitation minister Lindiwe Sisulu welcomed 24 Cuban engineers brought in to improve the government’s efforts on water delivery and related services, for which R64m has been budgeted. Trade union Solidarity has called on Sisulu to make use of the persons on its list of 120 local engineers and it has since launched a court bid to stop the deployment of the Cubans.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisa Steyn at BusinessLive (paywall access only)

DISMISSALS / SUSPENSIONS

Mangaung municipal manager placed on precautionary suspension after violent service delivery protests

EWN reports that the Mangaung municipality has confirmed that its city manager Tankiso Mea has been suspended. Councillors voted on Friday for Mea to be placed on precautionary suspension after the Free State metro was rocked by violent service-delivery protests, with residents demanding Mea's removal. At the start of last week, community members took to the streets calling for the local council to be disbanded, saying they had had enough of a dysfunctional municipality. A 15-year-old boy was killed on Monday after a security guard allegedly fired a warning shot at a mob that was attempting to loot a local business. At least 70 people have been arrested for public violence. Mangaung municipal spokesperson Qondile Khedama said: “Yesterday's (Friday’s) council meeting saw the suspension of the municipal manager.   This was the continuing council meeting to deal with the issue of the manager. The council had its own processes where they were investigating the city manager in line with irregular expenditure."

Timeline

Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Veronica Mokhoali at EWN

ALLEGED CORRUPTION / NEPOTISM

Sassa chief executive ignores allegation of R45m tender nepotism

Mail & Guardian reports that the chief executive of the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa), Busisiwe “Totsie” Memela-Khambula, is embroiled in an alleged R45.6-million corruption cover-up for a cleaning tender in the Eastern Cape. Memela-Khambula was informed in March that the three-year cleaning contract was awarded to Kwasa Food Supplies, whose director Peter Mama is the brother-in-law of a senior Sassa Eastern Cape official, Mziwonke Mekuto. Mekuto’s sister, Mickey Mama, who is the head of the Eastern Cape’s department of economic development, environmental affairs and tourism, is married to Peter Mama. Sassa is the entity responsible for the disbursement of more than R500‑billion in social grants. The tender was to clean three of Sassa’s Eastern Cape regional offices. Mekuto, who is the provincial Sassa office’s acting general manager for corporate services, chaired the cleaning tender’s bid adjudication committee and allegedly removed suitable companies in favour of his brother-in-law’s. Moreover, Mama gave the 30% of government contracts that are set aside and have to go to local small and medium enterprises to Kwasa Foods’ long-standing employee, Asanda Ngquba. Seemingly, neither Mekuto nor Mama declared their family relationship prior, during or after the awarding of the bid. In an email dated 4 March 2021, a whistleblower detailed the alleged corrupt manner in which the tender was doled out, including the familial ties between Mama and Mekuto. The Sassa chief executive responded, saying: “Thank you for the heads up. We will indeed investigate the matter.”   However, more than two months later, no investigation has been commissioned

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khaya Koko at Mail & Guardian

Cop who was nabbed for not wearing seatbelt, ends up being guilty of corruption

News24Wire reports that the Tzaneen Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo has found Warrant Officer Nilos Butifana Maholobela guilty of corruption for trying to pin a crime on a traffic officer who had penalised him for not wearing a seatbelt while driving. Limpopo police spokesperson Captain Matimba Maluleke said Maholobela, who was stationed at the Dobsonville police station at the time, was stopped by the traffic officer in Tzaneen and issued with summons for contravening the Road Traffic Act in July 2019. “Instead of paying a fine, the accused decided to retaliate by pinning a case of culpable homicide he was investigating on the traffic official who issued the summons against him. He also demanded R10,000 gratification in order to make the docket disappear,” said Maluleke. Maholobela was found guilty of corruption on Friday. “It was just blackmail, and had nothing to do with him not wearing a seatbelt. He decided to be revengeful against the traffic officer who was out doing his job,” Maluleke said. Sentencing procedures for 57-year-old Maholobela will begin on 4 June.

Read the original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• Free State cop arrested on Friday for extortion after 'offering to make case disappear', at TimesLIVE

COMMUTING / TRANSPORT

We’re working tirelessly to return passenger rail operations to service, Transport Mininster Fikile Mmbalula assures

Power Digital reports that Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has assured the nation that his department is working around the clock to restore the services of the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa).   This was indicated when Mbalula tabled his department’s budget vote in the National Assembly on Friday.   Operations were disrupted when the country implemented the national lockdown in a bid to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Mbalula has blamed the lockdown for opening a way for the destruction of Prasa’s properties, which has led to a slow return of its services. “The impact of the Covid-19 restrictions exposed the vulnerability of our network, resulting in occupation of the rail reserve by people who built illegal settlements on the tracks and inside the reserve.   This was further exacerbated by the wanton destruction, theft and vandalism of our infrastructure,” Mbalula noted. The Minister said the department was working round the clock to ensure that all infrastructure projects were completed on time for the full resumption of service with the deployment of new trains at the end of January 2022.   Services returned to operation last year. The operations are limited to three provinces, namely Gauteng, Eastern Cape and Western Cape   Commuters are only allowed to purchase single-trip tickets as a means to control overcrowding.

Read the original of the report in the above regard by Ntsako Mashaba at Power Digital

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• Tshwane authorities probe cause of Putco bus fire on Moloto Road, at EWN