In our early morning roundup, see summaries
of our selection of recent South African labour-
labour-related reports.
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Call by unions for an investigation into rise in cop killings after off-duty officer killed in Mfuleni Cape Argus reports that police unions have called for a study to be conducted on police killings and recommendations be properly implemented to curb the scourge. This after the killing of two people in Mfuleni on Tuesday, one of whom was Phindile Vutula, 33, an off-duty police officer who was stationed at Philippi East. Police spokesperson Andrè Traut said the circumstances surrounding the double murder were being investigated. Vutula’s killing came almost four weeks after officer Koliswa Vani, 50, who was stationed at the Delft police station, was shot and killed in Mfuleni, while three others were injured, including her 3-year-old grandson. Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said the finalisation of the Firearms Control Act must be fast-tracked as unlawful firearms were mainly the root cause of the menace. Mamabolo added that many officers were killed when on and off-duty due to the kinds of cases they were handling, their firearms, the lack of respect of the community for police, poor levels of trust and cooperation between the two, alleged corruption within the police, poor service delivery, inadequate resources and lack of back up. SA Police and Allied Workers Union (Sapawu) president Bonga Makuliwe said police killings had been worrying and were becoming a norm. Western Cape Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz called on the police to use all their resources to stop the spate of killings on the Cape Flats, including the latest killings in Mfuleni. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sisonke Mlamla at Cape Argus Labour Department says Eastern Cape factory where worker lost a hand is now compliant with safety rules GroundUp reports that the snacks factory where a worker lost his hand in January has now been certified compliant with health and safety regulations by the Eastern Cape Department of Employment and Labour (DEL). The DEL launched an inspection on 15 January after Eugene Jali’s hand was severed in a machine at the Komani plant of Truda Foods. The company was found to be in contravention of regulations and a notice was issued to that effect. DEL communications officer Ziphozihle Josefu said the company was given 60 days to ensure that revised safety measures were put in place. “The follow-up for Truda Foods was done on 23 March 2021 and the employer was found compliant with the contravention notice that was served. More supervisors were assigned in all the machine lines,” said Josefu. Jali told GroundUp this week that he was recovering at his home in Kwazulu-Natal. “The company is taking care of me. I don’t have any grievances or complaints because all is well. I am recovering and often go to Komani for medical checkups,” said Jali. Truda Foods has had a turbulent relationship with a group of its workers who belong to the SA Security and Allied Workers Union (Saswu), in Komani, and also with members of the Professional Transport and Allied Workers Union of SA (Ptawu) in Pietermaritzburg, who complain of frequent injuries on duty. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Joseph Chirume at GroundUp Concerns about the safe working conditions of informal fishermen Cape Argus reports that a Hout Bay fisherman has raised concerns about the working conditions and absence of a legal framework for informal fishermen. After heading to sea on 7 December 2020, Mario Jacobs, 59, and another fisherman, were injured after the battery box broke, slightly injuring the two on board the vessel belonging to Nalitha Fishing Group. The vessel was apparently rendered unseaworthy because there was no navigational equipment working and the lights were off. Jacobs was put off from work until 14 December. He continued to work for the group until February 2021, but said he was later dismissed from work through a phone call, after he had gotten sick while on a fishing vessel. Jacobs assigned some blame on the SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa), which is responsible for issuing safety compliance certificates. “They faltered there, because for a vessel to go to sea, you need a valid safety certificate to proceed to sea to harvest any fishing that has been from the Department of Fisheries. So they can't give you a fishing permit unless you have a valid safety certificate. How can Samsa issue a valid safety certificate to that company?” Jacobs asked. Nalitha chief executive Bonga Mavume confirmed that the incident took place during a routine sea trial, but denied allegations made against the company regarding the safety of its vessels. Meanwhile, Samsa’s Pierre Schutz indicated: “In terms of the Merchant Shipping Act, no vessel may proceed to sea unless valid certification is onboard. Samsa surveys vessels annually and, if found satisfactory, vessels are issued with the required safety certificates.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Shakirah Thebus at Cape Argus Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Transnet faces strike as unions reject facilitator’s proposal of a 4% wage increase Reuters reports that union leaders at freight logistics group Transnet have rejected a 4% wage hike offer from a mediator appointed to break a deadlock in a dispute over wages and have applied to strike. The United National Transport Union (Untu) and the SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) indicated that their members had rejected the offer, which was one percentage point higher than what Transnet had put on the table. “We have just sent communication now to the bargaining council to say we’ve had quite a bit of response and the response was to reject the offer,” said Untu’s John Pereira on Thursday. “Both unions have rejected the mediator’s recommendation of 4% … the unions want one thing only and that is a certificate to strike,” said Satawu’s Jack Mazibuko. Transnet did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but in April had said the difficult economic environment and its impact on operations meant it was not able to meet the pay demands made by the unions. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Wendell Roelf at Moneyweb
Cabinet concerned about 9% unemployed university graduates Independent Media reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet has expressed concern that the unemployment rate of university graduates during the first quarter of 2021 stood at 9.3%. The Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, described the situation as “worrisome.” Ntshavheni made the comments following the release this week of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), which revealed that the number of employed people during the first quarter of the year remained virtually unchanged at 15 million people. The number of unemployed persons also remained almost unchanged at 7.2 million compared to the fourth quarter of 2020. “The official unemployment rate among youth (15-34 years) was 46.3% in Quarter 1 of 2021. The rate was 9.3% among university graduates. Formal sector employment increased by 79,000 while the other sectors experienced declines in employment in Quarter 1 2021. Informal sector employment decreased by 19,000 (0.8%); private households by 70,000 (5.8%), and employment in agriculture decreased by 18,000 (2.2%),” Ntshavheni pointed out. She noted that some industries had created jobs while others lost jobs between Quarter 4 of 2020 and Quarter 1 of 2021, resulting in a net decline of 28,000 in total employment. Ntshavheni said, however, that there was a glimmer of hope in that the economy grew by 1.1% in the first quarter of 2021 (January-March), translating into an annualised growth rate of 4.6%. This followed a revised 1.4% (annualised 5.8%) rise in real GDP in the fourth quarter of 2020. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Baldwin Ndaba at Independent Media Clover factory and jobs in Lichtenburg can still be saved, says North West government, even as mayor hits back at dairy producer News24 reports that the North West government believes Clover can still be convinced to keep its cheese factory, which is the biggest in SA, in Lichtenburg. Earlier this week, it was reported that Clover was shutting down its Lichtenburg production facility and moving to KwaZulu-Natal, after years of service delivery issues and unsuccessful engagements with the Ditsobotla Local Municipality. Water and electricity disruptions, as well as impassable roads, are at the heart of Clover’s issues in Lichtenburg. Over 300 local jobs could be lost. But Ditsobotla's mayor, Tsholofelo Moreo, has hit back at Clover, saying that its stated reasons for relocating were "misleading and devoid of truth". Moreo said in a statement: "The municipality has constantly been engaging Clover about its intention to leave Lichtenburg, and in the same breath attending to all service delivery impasses, which are of great concern to the company." He added that the municipality assisted Clover with a borehole to help address water issues, and pointed out that Eskom was responsible for the supply of power, not the municipality. "As far as the terrible state of Beyers Naudé Road [which Clover objected to] is concerned, the municipality has been in constant engagements with the Department of Roads and Transport Management about the refurbishment of the road as it belongs to the department. Furthermore, the municipality has been doing its utmost best to maintain the road," Moreo indicated. Meanwhile, North West Premier Job Mokgoro has dispatched a political task team to meet with Clover’s management, in a bid to persuade the company to stay in Lichtenburg. Mokgoro believes that the intervention of the task team will result in Clover cancelling its relocation, despite the fact that Clover has already started moving operations. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Penelope Mashego at News24
DA slams Gauteng department of health for paying 28 Cuban doctors more than R32m for one year’s Covid-19 services News24 reports that the Gauteng Department of Health (DOH) paid 28 Cuban doctors a whopping R32.5 million for a year of services in the province during the Covid-19 pandemic. The payment included money for remuneration, accommodation and transport. Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi disclosed the amount in a response to questions from the Democratic Alliance (DA). But the DA slammed the department for the "wasteful and misdirected spending". It claimed the amount was taken from an HIV/Aids grant and described the move as "irregular". The DA's health spokesperson in Gauteng, Jack Bloom stated: "It's a specific grant for HIV/AIDS, so it should have been used exclusively to assist HIV-positive patients to cope with the epidemic, such as helping them to get their ARV medicines without risky queues." The DA said it was absurd that the doctors' one-year salaries ranged from R858,000 for a biostatistician to R1.58 million for a specialised medical doctor. The party claimed that there was no local need for the doctors. The DOH said the Cuban medical experts helped the provincial government in a number of areas, including in an advisory capacity, as health data and public health specialists, and with patient consultations and total healthcare delivery. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Pule Letshwiti-Jones at News24
ANC queries Western Cape officials renting government houses from as little as R1,500 a month Cape Argus reports that the ANC in the Western Cape legislature wants to know whether provincial government officials are paying market related rents in the government properties they occupy in some of Cape Town’s suburbs. The provincial Department of Human Settlements recently revealed in the legislature that a number of government officials lived in government properties in areas such as Plumstead, Gardens and Milnerton for as little as R1,500 in monthly rent. The ANC’s Cameron Dugmore said: “There needs to be full disclosure about every official who is staying in provincial government property. We need to know exactly what rental they are paying and also their salary level. As the ANC, we are concerned that there may be some officials who can afford to buy or rent in the market, while others who really need such accommodation are not assisted. Also, we need to know the criteria for those who are leasing; how the leases were advertised and the process followed to award leases to certain officials.” Human Settlements MEC Tertuis Simmers had responded to a query about whether the department and municipalities in the province owned properties that have been rented out to government officials with a spreadsheet detailing the properties, their addresses and monthly rents paid. However, he omitted the names of the government officials saying that information was prevented by the Protection of Personal Information Act. He also said the department could not respond in respect of municipal rental stock. Research into the average market rents in Plumstead, one of the areas on the department’s list, showed that an average two bedroom, one bathroom flat goes for R8,289, while the average 3 bedroom, one or two bathroom house fetches R16,272. According to the spreadsheet provided by the department, government flats and houses in Plumstead were rented from between R1,500 and R5,500. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mwangi Githahu at Cape Argus
Vonani Chauke appointed as new deputy Auditor-General Fin24 reports that Vonani Chauke has been appointed as deputy auditor-general, the office of the auditor-general said on Thursday. The appointment will be effective from 1 July. Chauke will take over from the previous deputy, Tsakani Maluleke, who was appointed as auditor-general (AG) in December after the death of the outgoing AG, Kimi Makwetu, in November 2020. As deputy AG, Chauke will be the national audit office’s accounting officer and will be responsible for supporting the AG during her fixed seven-year term. Chauke's career includes a stint as a partner at SizweNtalubaGobodo as well as at Deloitte Africa. He joins the office of the AG from Deloitte’s Risk Advisory in Johannesburg. He is a qualified CA (SA), CISA and CIA with over two decades of auditing experience, and studied at Unisa, Wits and UCT. Maluleke expressed optimism that Chauke would be able to help her office drive efforts to tighten auditing processes in SA. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Marelise van der Merwe at Fin24
Hostage drama at GEPF’s offices in Durban defused after retired soldier allegedly demanded payment of his pension News24 reports that a former SA National Defence Force (SANDF) solider has been detained by the KZN police for questioning in connection with a hostage situation at the Government Employees Pension Fund’s (GEPF’s) offices in Durban. The armed man, who retired as a soldier earlier this year, held GEPF employees hostage for an hour over his frustration at delays in receiving his pension. The man allegedly stormed the offices on the 12th floor of Salmon Grove Chambers on Anton Lembede Street on Thursday afternoon armed with a pistol. No shots were fired and the firearm was not drawn. No one was assaulted. Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said they had taken the man for interrogation and would open a case of intimidation. Mbhele dismissed reports that the man had carried an explosive device. Reports of a man armed with an explosive device sent afternoon shoppers into a panic and brought traffic to a standstill on the busy street earlier on Thursday afternoon. A phalanx of emergency personnel and law enforcement officers stood ready on high alert outside the building. GEPF confirmed the incident and said trauma counselling would be given to employees who were subjected to the hostage drama. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Malibongwe Dayimani at News24. Read too, Durban-gyselaarsdrama: Verdagte het ‘pensioengeld’ geëis, at Maroela Media
Solidarity report shows alarming racial discrimination in South Africa Trade union Solidarity released a report on Thursday relating to “the continuous and fearsome trend of racial discrimination in South Africa.” Connie Mulder, Head of the Solidarity Research Institute (SRI), showed that a survey, to which 4,856 respondents reacted, indicated that race was virtually predominant in SA. “Not only are people classified according to their race on a daily basis, but respondents unanimously agreed that your race determines your rights in South Africa. This statement is then followed by thousands of incidents where participants explicitly explained how they themselves and their children were discriminated against based on race alone,” Mulder explained. According to Solidarity, the current prevailing situation in SA was completely abnormal and that the state’s insistence on apartheid-type racial classification – and the consequent enforcement of racial regulation that directly affected people’s jobs, service delivery and their children – caused enormous damage to race relations. Mulder went on to indicate that the state’s regulation of race was beginning to reflect in basic interpersonal interactions and service delivery. Solidarity’s report forms part of a larger complaint that the union will be lodging with the United Nations’ (UN) Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) later this year. Read Solidarity’s press statement and view the entire report at Solidarity News. Read too, SA is rasmal – verslag, at Maroela Media
Lindiwe Sisulu holds water and sanitation officials to account for irregular expenditure BL Premium reports that the department of human settlements, water and sanitation is making steady progress in holding to account those responsible for the mountain of irregular expenditure incurred over the years. Human settlements, water and sanitation minister Lindiwe Sisulu has appointed former minister Susan Shabangu to head up a ministerial advisory disciplinary committee (established in December 2020) to drive the process of holding officials identified as wrongdoers to account and to respond to concerns raised by the auditor-general (AG). The AG has expressed concern about the lack of consequence management — the holding of officials to account — in government departments generally but in the department of water and sanitation in particular. The department and the water boards that fall under it have been plagued by fraud, corruption and procurement irregularities. In the 2020/2021 financial year the department notched up irregular expenditure of R9.8bn (R9.6bn the previous year) while the water trading entity that is responsible for water infrastructure and some service provision had irregular expenditure of R7.8bn (R7.7bn). Sisulu and Shabangu briefed MPs on Thursday on the progress made in investigating, disciplining and prosecuting those allegedly involved in fraud, corruption and procurement irregularities. Shabangu was frank about the fact that billions of rand had gone missing from the department. However, she expressed confidence that by the end of 2021, all the matters involving about R9.7bn would have been finalised. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Linda Ensor at BusinessLive (paywall access only). Read too, Water and Sanitation Department reveals almost R10bn in irregular expenditure, at Independent Media
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