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 early morning roundup, see summaries
of our selection of recent South African labour-
labour-related reports.
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SANDF soldier on peacekeeping mission in DRC killed on Thursday in friendly fire incident News24 reports that a SA National Defence Force (SANDF) soldier was shot dead in a friendly fire incident in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Thursday morning. According to the SANDF, the soldier, who was deployed as part of a peacekeeping mission in the country, was killed while taking part in an operation in Kilia, in the eastern DRC. Spokesperson Brigadier-General Mafi Mgobozi said details around the friendly fire incident were still sketchy and added that a board of inquiry had been convened to investigate it. "The identity of the deceased will be confirmed once the SANDF has formally informed the family and the next of kin," Mgobozi indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Alex Mitchley at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Cosatu snubs Vavi’s invitation on public sector wage talks, accusing him of trying to steal members from other unions The Star reports that trade union federation Cosatu has snubbed an invitation from its former general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, to close ranks and form a united front in the public sector wage talks. Vavi had made a call for Cosatu unions to join hands with his federation, the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), in launching a massive public sector strike to force the government to concede to a 7% wage increase. Apparently, he wrote to Cosatu and the Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) to seek support to broker a deal for public servants. Cosatu’s spokesperson on the wage talks, Mugwena Maluleke, described Vavi’s call as a populist move that sought to steal members from other unions. Maluleke observed: “We are not going to support a strike called by Vavi. We will call a strike when we want to go on strike. Why should we support his strike? They want to send a message that they are leading these people in a recruitment drive, they are not in negotiations.” According to Maluleke, it was through the efforts of Cosatu unions that the government was able to move from the initial 0% wage increase offer to a 1.5% offer. He said Cosatu had been leading negotiations for years and had the numbers to pull a strike if it wanted to. Read the original of the report in the above regard by Itumeleng Mafisa at The Star Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Minerals Council, unions commit their support to get mining industry employees vaccinated Mining Weekly reports that the Minerals Council SA (MCSA) and labour unions have urged all mining industry employees to get vaccinated as soon as they have the opportunity to do so. The labour unions, namely the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Solidarity and Uasa, have, alongside the MCSA, reaffirmed their support for SA’s national vaccination programme. The MCSA (previously called the Chamber of Mines) has also been working closely with Business for SA (B4SA) in supporting government’s vaccination roll-out plan and says it is committed to playing its part in getting as many “jabs in arms” as soon as possible, so that lives and livelihoods can be saved. After a detailed assessment process, 55 mining sites have applied to register as primary vaccination sites and a further 76 sites as secondary sites. These sites will cover around 433,000 employees. Five sites have, so far, received the requisite permits from the Department of Health, of which one site is currently operational in that it has vaccines and is vaccinating. Workplace vaccination will be undertaken in line with the national priorities, which means that currently only the over-60s (around 6,000 industry employees) and remaining healthcare workers are eligible. The MCSA has also collaborated with unions in running an intensive communications campaign among employees to get those over 60 registered and vaccinated, and to encourage all employees to assist their family and community members to get vaccinated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly Four suspected 'zama zamas' die in fight at Mpumalanga gold mine near Graskop News24 reports that four suspected illegal miners died after a fight broke out at a mine in Mpumalanga over the weekend. The miners' bodies, which were dumped in a mine shaft, were retrieved on Wednesday afternoon. Police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said the fight broke out on Saturday at the Transvaal Gold Mining Estates in Dientjie, near Graskop. He reported further as follows: “According to information, a fight broke out between two groups of illegal miners and four men were killed in the process, their bodies dumped in a mine shaft. Another victim was severely assaulted and taken to hospital for medical treatment. Police were then informed about the killings and through their short probe, they were quick to discover that the man in hospital was actually involved in the whole saga. The man was arrested. He is under police guard in hospital. As soon as he recovers from his injuries, he will make an appearance before court.” Mpumalanga’s acting police commissioner, Major General Thulani Phahla, remarked: "This incident has shown once again the dangers of unlawful and unauthorised mining, which often put the lives of those involved at risk." Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nicole McCain at News24 Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Senzo Mchunu laments ‘laziness, incompetence’ in SA’s public service News24Wire reports that Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) Minister Senzo Mchunu says the quality of the public service requires consistent and sustainable improvement. On Thursday, Mchunu delivered his budget vote speech in the National Council of Provinces. He noted as follows: “There have been louder, more decisive calls for accountability, transparency, improved performance, citizenry satisfaction and government legitimacy. This will require a sober and well-balanced approach, which will enable us to advance and meet the expectations placed on public service from all perspectives. The public service must come of age and be accountable on its own.” Mchunu added that the image of the public service, notwithstanding its general orientation, was still tainted by several negative perceptions. He identified the following: “Low professionalism, low innovation and productivity, low level of skills and qualifications, laziness incompetence and corruption. Secondly, it still has traits of low capacity to translate public pronouncements into actionable policy and delivery in the interests of the people.” Mchunu reiterated his call for a single public administration and public service. EFF MP Sam Zandamela claimed the DPSA no longer existed for the purpose and mandate which it was intended for. “We are always told that the ruling party is working hard to create a developmental state, but all we see is the ruling party is working hard to steal our tax money,” he stated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jason Felix at The Citizen
Ramaphosa says about MPs' salaries and benefits that they ‘struggle to make ends meet' News24 reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa has sought to dismiss the notion that Members of Parliament were "living it up" and said they often "struggle to make ends meet". In an engagement with the media on Thursday, Ramaphosa said MPs have been "cut to the bone because they have had no meaningful increase for quite a while". This was said despite the president having signed off on a 2.8% increase for ordinary MPs, on top of their million-plus rand packages. The president was asked, given the constraints facing the public purse, whether benefits awarded to MPs and ministers should be revisited. He said: “I have seen Members of Parliament, who publicly seem to be living it up, but they are not. The work we take on or impose on them as MPs is quite costly, many of them don't end up making ends meet.” He explained this was because they usually had to have two houses - one near Parliament and one where they came from. The president said only if SA’s economic situation worsened would the perks of MPs and public representatives be looked at again. He did not weigh in on a question that the public purse was used to fund former ministers. He did, however, defend public funds being used to ferry ministers across the country. Between 2014 and 2020, the taxpayer forked out R45.3 million in business class travel for former ministers, deputies, premiers and their spouses, Read the original of the report in the above regard by Qaanitah Hunter at News24
Solidarity laments that government is simply looking on as youth unemployment disaster unfolds On Thursday, Solidarity expressed its dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of the unemployment crisis and especially the youth unemployment crisis that SA’s was currently facing. This was indicated after Statistics SA reported on Wednesday that the official unemployment rate for the first quarter had been 32,6%, while the rate according to the expanded definition, which was inclusive of unemployed persons actively looking for a job plus unemployed persons who had given up finding a job, currently stood at 43,2%. The trade union noted that youth unemployment was currently at an extremely worrying 74.7%, which implied that three out of every four young people did not have a job. “It is inconceivable that other countries with a youth unemployment rate of between 5% and 10% hold crisis conferences and implement emergency plans while the South African government does nothing of the kind. On the contrary, our contingency plan is to increase the minimum wage and to ensure that load shedding continues,” commented Theuns du Buisson, economic researcher at Solidarity. According to Du Buisson, SA’s rate of 74.7% discouraged any long-term investor, especially because of the increase in crime, drug abuse, violence and other miseries associated with such a figure. He added that continued regulations and legislation were also further deterrents for foreign investors in addition to hindering any sustainable economic growth in SA. Read Solidarity’s press statement in the above regard at Solidarity News Automotive group Motus takes on 355 young people for YES working experience Engineering News reports that automotive group Motus has come on board to support the Youth Employment Service (YES) by providing 355 young people with work experience. YES was launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2018 and encourages the private sector to create critical work experience opportunities for young people. To date, the programme has created more than 53 000 work experiences for previously unemployed youth, who would have otherwise had limited employment opportunities. The 355 young people will be placed across Motus’ four key business segments where they will be provided a one-year fixed-term contract, a mobile device for support and training and access to jobs across the group. The opportunities provided by Motus will build important skills and include roles such as sales administration, warehouse picking clerks and entry sales cadets. Motus is also funding opportunities for placement with its corporate social investment programme partners. “Motus believes the corporate sector has a real responsibility toward skills development in South Africa. By partnering with and investing in programmes such as YES, we are not only providing an opportunity for those 355 youths, but also expanding the talent pool for the entire industry. In the end everyone benefits,” said Motus CEO Osman Arbee. Read the original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Black engineers’ organisation shocked by ’outrageous’ salaries SA government is paying Cuban engineers The Star reports that the SA Black and Technical Careers Organisation (SABTCO), which represents black engineers, says it is shocked by the outrageous salaries that the SA government is paying Cuban engineers. This came after trade union Solidarity discovered that the Cuban engineers would each make R1-million a year, and that they would be making more money than the average SA engineer who could do the same work. Part of the remuneration includes extensive fringe benefits such as flight tickets for holidays to Cuba, furnished accommodation, food and telephone costs. “We were never consulted on this, no engineering structure was consulted. If this is a political thing they must just tell us because this makes no sense,” said Solly Mabuza, secretary-general of SABTCO. He reported that the organisation had written to the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu, seeking an explanation on the matter. Mabuza said SA engineers were recognised as among the best in the world. He added that the employment of the Cuban engineers was an insult to many black engineers who were sitting without jobs. Mabuza also pointed out that black engineers were willing to work anywhere: “They can’t say that we don’t want to stay in rural areas. We are from those rural places so they can’t say we don’t have expertise or we don’t want to work there.” The organisation said it was planning to organise African engineers and eventually launch a trade union that would represent engineers. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Itumeleng Mafisa at The Star. See too, Solidariteit ‘xenofobies, bitter’ oor Kubane – regering, at Maroela Media
Public enterprises portfolio committee welcomes De Ruyter’s clearance on racism allegations Engineering News reports that Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises chairperson Khaya Magaxa has welcomed the announcement by Eskom’s board that it has cleared CEO Andre de Ruyter of racism allegations. Magaxa said the utility could now move on with turning the power utility around and meet its responsibilities. The Eskom board had launched an investigation into De Ruyter after former Eskom chief procurement officer Solly Tshitangano made a number of allegations against him, including abuse of power, racial discrimination, poor governance, irregular recruitment, irregular staff appointments and unlawful procurement. The investigation was conducted by Advocate Ishmael Semenya, who considered witness interviews and 1,107 pages of documents in his investigation. Semenya could not find substantiation for the allegations. In a separate disciplinary hearing concerning poor performance, Tshitangano was found guilty and dismissed. Read the original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News. Read too, Eskom finances imperiled by false racism allegation, probe finds, at Moneyweb
Unions at SAA want airline’s subsidiaries to go it alone BL Premium reports that employees at the subsidiaries of SA Airways (SAA) have called for the flattening of the company’s group structure, saying the airline’s prolonged business rescue programme left the various units that fall under it out in the cold. Seven unions are scheduled to meet the boards of the three subsidiaries, namely Mango, SAA Technical (SAAT) and Airchefs, when they will propose the flattening of the group structure as they believe the subsidiaries can survive on their own. The unions, including the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), the SA Cabin Crew Association (Sacca), the National Transport Movement (NTM) and Solidarity have asked to meet the board chairs of the three subsidiaries to discuss the challenges faced by each entity. Viwe James, representing the unions, said there was a duplication of responsibilities within the SAA Group. Changing the structure of the airline would allow the subsidiaries to run on their own without financial assistance from the group. It would also ensure the challenges faced by SAA would not have a domino effect on the subsidiaries, which previously were able to “function on their own”. Though SAA exited its 16-month-long business rescue process in April, the process worsened the financial challenges of the subsidiaries. SAAT is undergoing a widespread retrenchment process after its revenues plunged 83% over the past year. Airchefs has been unable to operate throughout the pandemic due to Covid-19 regulations restricting serving meals in-flight. The future of Mango as a going concern is uncertain despite it resuming operations after its flights were suspended in April due to non-payment to the Airports Company of SA. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thando Maeko at BusinessLive (paywall access only)
Manager at Office of Auditor-General held for allegedly offering Home Affairs official a R3,000 bribe News24 reports that a general manager at the office of the Auditor-General (AG) has been arrested for allegedly trying to bribe a Home Affairs official. The 46-year-old foreign national was arrested on Wednesday in a sting operation by the Hawks after he allegedly offered the official R3,000. The man visited the Department of Home Affairs in Randburg to apply for his 14-year-old daughter's SA passport. "Upon a systematic interview with the immigration officers, the suspect allegedly failed to produce (proof of) citizenship rights, which permitted him to possess a South African smart identity card and also a birth certificate for his said daughter," said Hawks spokesperson Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu. The man allegedly pleaded with the immigration officer to return the smart ID and birth certificate in exchange for a bribe. “Further investigation revealed that both the identity smart card and birth certificate possessed by the suspect were fraudulent. The suspect was subsequently charged with fraud and corruption," Mulamu reported. The man is expected to appear in the Randburg Magistrate's Court on Friday. AG Tsakani Maluleke said she was “deeply concerned and highly disappointed about this development” and that the matter would not be taken lightly. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lwandile Bhengu at News24. See too, Hoë by OG-kantoor vas vir ‘bedrog, korrupsie’, at Maroela Media
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