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 roundup of weekend news, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that appeared since
Friday, 30 July 2021.
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Toyota SA executive chairman Johan van Zyl dies due to Covid-19 complications BusinessLive reports that Johan van Zyl, executive chairman of Toyota SA, died on Friday aged 63 due to Covid-19 complications. Van Zyl had a long career with the company, beginning in 1993 when he was appointed director for Toyota SA’s vehicle sales & dealer network. He was appointed Toyota SA’s CEO in 2003, and in 2013 was promoted to CEO of Toyota Africa. In 2015 he took on the role of CEO of Toyota Motor Europe (TME) until his retirement in early 2021. On his return to SA this year, Van Zyl remained chairman of Toyota SA. Andrew Kirby, CEO of Toyota SA Motors, paid tribute to Van Zyl, saying: “We have lost a much-loved and admired leader who will be remembered for his leadership and success of both Toyota SA and TME. He was also an amazing human being — for those of us who were fortunate to work closely with Johan, we will always remember him as an aspiring mentor, who had a story to share on any topic and who truly cared about people. His tireless efforts for our company, industry and country will be sorely missed.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard at BusinessLive. Lees ook, ‘Van Zyl het help bou aan SA’, sê Minister Ebrahim Patel, by Maroela Media Sanef mourns as four journalists succumb to Covid-19 complications News24 reports that the South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef) has paid tribute to four journalists who recently died as a result of Covid-19 complications. They are former SABC football analyst Coudjoe Amankwaa, Business Report journalist Sandile Mchunu, former Daily Sun journalist Sonqoba Kunene and Khopotso Bodibe, a former producer at SAFM and later at Health-e News. "Sanef is saddened that the deadly Covid-19 pandemic continues to claim more journalists' lives. We are mourning the death of four specialist colleagues who excelled in their craft," the organisation indicated in a statement. It conveyed condolences to the journalists' families and to the media fraternity. "They will live on in the hearts of those they touched, for nothing loved is ever lost. Their zest for life will be missed. May their dear souls rest in eternal peace," Sanef said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Getrude Makhafola at News24 All South Africans have a right to accept or refuse Covid-19 vaccines, say experts Sunday Independent reports that according to at least four leading experts, employees who refuse to take Covid-19 vaccinations are acting perfectly within their freedom of choice, and employers have no right to take any disciplinary measures against them. They say that to threaten or pressure employees to take vaccines is unlawful and a clear violation of their human rights, including the declaration of freedom of choice, right to bodily integrity and privacy. Trade union federation Cosatu has issued a stern warning to employers, saying “no employee should be dismissed” for refusing to take a vaccine. Concerns were raised after the Department of Basic Education (DBE) recently threatened to invoke operational requirements and incapacity clauses of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) against teachers who elected not to be vaccinated. Dr Raynauld Russon of the Institute of Commerce and Management at Wits University said although the government has stated that no one would be forced to take vaccines, he always knew that it would use other methods to push people to vaccinate, including peer pressure. He stressed that “everyone has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected. It is uncertain how far the department of education is willing to push for vaccination without interfering with the dignity of the individual”. University of Pretoria medical scientist Professor Tivani Mashamba-Thompson said people who refused to take vaccines were covered by the existing human rights laws. Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa, vice-chairperson of the SA Medical Association (Sama) said: “It is the responsibility of the employer to prevent work-related hazards and keep a healthy workforce. However, the president (Ramaphosa) is on record informing the citizens including workers that the vaccine will not be compulsory.” Sama president Dr Angelique Coetzee said the best strategy would be to educate and counsel teachers and the public on the need to take vaccines for two main reasons, namely to ensure safety and secondly, that the country contains the infection toward attaining “herd immunity” as soon as possible. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Manyane Manyane at Sunday independent No one can force you to take Covid-19 vaccine, not even your employer, says acting health minister Independent Media reports that following reports that some employers were threatening to dismiss staff who chose not to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, acting Health Minister Mamoloko Kubayi has advised that no person should be forced to take the vaccine. Kubayi, who was updating the media on Friday on the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out plan, said: “We all have freedom of choice. Vaccine is voluntary, whether you take the vaccine or not, please, we urge you not to infringe on the rights of others. No one can force you to take the vaccine, not even your employer.” Earlier last week, the SA Human Rights Commission called on people to come forward if they had been threatened with losing their jobs or rented accommodation for refusing to have a Covid-19 vaccine. Gauteng commission head Buang Jones said the SAHRC had received complaints from people who had been told they would be dismissed from their job or evicted from their residences if they did not take the vaccine. “We are exploring all available legal options and would like to see how best we can address the situation with affected employees and the implicated employers,” said Jones. The Department of Employment and Labour has also set out guidelines that serve as a directive in order for employers to make it compulsory that staff get vaccinated. Getting vaccinated remains voluntary, but if an employer does a risk assessment at the office, staff could be forced to get the jab. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Rudolph Nkgadima at Independent Media. Read too, SAHRC’s approach to vaccinations is misguided, says Zackie Achmat, at The Citizen (paywall access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
With current legal framework ‘complex and fragmented’, government report calls for national policy on occupational safety and health BL Premium reports that a state-commissioned report has found that the government needs to develop a national policy and strategy on occupational safety and health (OSH) to instil a culture of compliance with health and safety regulations across all sectors of the economy. The report indicates that although SA has a comprehensive legal framework on OSH, it is “fairly complex and fragmented”, with the main legislation falling under three government departments and other regulatory agencies. The report, titled “The Profile of Occupational Health and Safety SA”, was launched virtually by Department of Employment & Labour (DEL) Deputy Minister Boitumelo Moloi on Friday. It was commissioned by the DEL and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The report is the first of its kind and it will be produced every three years. Four main pieces of legislation under three departments govern OSH. These include the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (Coida) under the DEL; the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA) under the Department of Mineral Resources & Energy; and the Occupational Diseases in Mines and Works Act (ODMWA) under the Department of Health. The report’s recommendations include developing an integrated data collection system on occupational injuries and diseases that will inform national policy and strategy on OSH. “As a member of the ILO, SA has an obligation to develop a national OSH policy and a national OSH strategy,” the report advised. Fedusa general secretary Riefdah Ajam said the country should not be left wanting in terms of international best practices on OSH and that a strategy and policy on OSH should be a non-negotiable. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (paywall access only). Read too, Labour report shows long road ahead for improving occupational health and safety, at Fin24 Two Tshwane metro cops killed, another injured as suspected drunk driver rams into accident scene on Saturday News24 reports that two Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) officers were killed and a third was injured when a suspected drunk driver crashed into them at an accident scene on Saturday. One of the three officers, who was off duty, had initially been injured in an accident on the R80 Mabopane highway earlier that evening, according to metro police spokesperson, Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba. The other two, who were on duty, went to the scene and while they were trying to help her, became involved in a second accident. The off-duty officer was killed in the second crash, as well as one of the officers who helped her. The third officer was injured. The driver of the Mercedes Benz involved in the second crash, who was also injured, was arrested for suspected drunk driving. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Getrude Makhafola at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Unrest and looting affected 14,500 jobs, says Gauteng premier David Makhura Saturday Citizen reports that Gauteng premier David Makhura said on Friday that a preliminary estimation showed that R3.5 billion in damages had been caused by the recent unrest in parts of the province and 14,500 jobs had been affected by the violence. He was speaking at a media briefing on the province’s economic recovery efforts and the Covid pandemic. However, Makhura advised Gauteng would not be declaring a provincial state of disaster, like the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) government did on Thursday. He indicated that the impact of the damage to infrastructure in the province had not been as extensive as in KZN. “I want to repeat that in our province, we basically suffered the destruction of businesses and the displacement and destruction of property. This is trading property. The unrest impact on Gauteng is different from the impact in KZN. So, there were no factories here or warehouses that were attacked,” Makhura reported. He added that despite the limited damage to infrastructure in Gauteng, the impact on small businesses and the livelihoods of residents had been more severe. Makhura indicated that 30 out of 500 township malls in the province had been attacked. “What we are looking at is how do we bring back these business operations. We are going to work with the national government on the [economic] packages announced,” he said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thapelo Lekabe on page 8 of Saturday Citizen of 31 July 2021
TerraCom advises on fatality in May at South Africa coal mine Reuters writes that Australian coal miner TerraCom reported on Friday that a contractor had died at its South African mine on 6 May, leading to an 11-day halt in operations at the time. In a production report, the company disclosed that the fatality occurred at its 49%-owned New Clydesdale Colliery mine, but did not give details about how it happened. TerraCom added that coal sale deliveries were delayed in early July due to the political unrest in SA. Earlier in the month, the country witnessed its worst violence in years after protests broke out following the jailing of ex-president Jacob Zuma. Read the original of the short report in the above regard at Mining Weekly Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Fuel prices in August expected to be over 20% higher than January BusinessLive reports that the petrol price reached a record high in July and things are about to get worse in August. Motorists can expect further hefty price hikes when the monthly fuel price adjustment takes place on 4 Aug, with the Automobile Association (AA) expecting petrol to go up 83c/l, diesel by 48c and illuminating paraffin by 48c. Commenting on unaudited month-end fuel price data released by the Central Energy Fund, the AA said the average rand/US dollar exchange rate consistently trended upward during July and the weaker local currency will make it more expensive for SA to import fuel. Over the same period, international oil prices averaged higher, despite a mid-month pullback. The association says the new increases will mean the price of petrol will have climbed nearly 23% since January, the diesel price about 20% and illuminating paraffin about 30%. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at BusinessLive. Read too, Sharp increase in petrol and diesel prices on the cards for August, at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
DA calls for Saps devolution to provinces and municipalities The Citizen reports that the Democratic Alliance (DA) called for a devolution of the SA Police Services (Saps) after its National Commissioner Khehla Sitole admitted before the Police Portfolio Committee on Thursday that the force would be handicapped in fulfilling its mandate following organisational restructuring. The Saps force is currently undergoing restructuring to trim its personnel to meet budget requirements. The party said that the recent civil unrest that engulfed KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng made it evident that Saps was poorly managed, resulting in its failure to carry its mandate to protect and serve the public. The DA’s Shadow Minister of Police, Okkie Terblanche, said that the only way to bring back the police force to its full capability was a devolution. “As it stands, allowing Saps’ power to sit with provinces and municipalities will ensure that needs of local communities are much better met and will allow local crime rate to plummet,” said Terblanche. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
National Treasury proposes partial access to pension savings in a ‘two-pot system’ BL Premium reports that the National Treasury has proposed a “two-pot system” for withdrawals from pension funds, with one-third being accessible before retirement and two-thirds being locked into compulsory preservation for retirement. The debate over access to retirement savings by those in distress advanced last week, with comments by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni on Wednesday that the matter had been “stuck in the system for too long”. He has instructed officials to act on it with haste. For more than a year, business, labour and the government have been in discussions in Nedlac on a proposal to allow withdrawals due to hardship brought about by Covid-19. But no draft amendment bill has emerged. Parliament has begun debating the issue in the form of a private member’s bill from Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Dion George, which is being discussed in the standing committee on finance. Treasury deputy director-general Ismail Momoniat said in an interview on Thursday: “The approach is for a limited system of withdrawals together with mandatory preservation. It will allow some form of withdrawal but then you will not be able to take out the rest of it before retirement. There has to be greater preservation.” Momoniat also said the Treasury wanted to make it compulsory for everyone who worked to contribute to retirement savings “including people such as Uber drivers and contract workers”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Carol Paton at BusinessLive (paywall access only)
SIU makes damning finding against Health minister Zweli Mkhize in probe into Digital Vibes contract BL Premium reports that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), which is seeking to recoup millions of rand spent on the controversial Digital Vibes contract, has accused Department of Health (DOH) Minister Zweli Mkhize of unlawful and improper conduct for his role and wants his family to repay about R4m. Digital Vibes was initially contracted to handle the DOH’s National Health Insurance (NHI) communication work, but its scope was later expanded to include work on the department’s Covid-19 campaigns. In court papers filed in the Special Tribunal on Thursday, the SIU wants a R150m contract reviewed and set aside and for those implicated to be ordered to pay the SIU or the DOH the money they received with interest. The SIU said Mkhize put pressure on DOH director-general Malebona Matsoso via repeated text messages to approve the communication contract for Digital Vibes, a company that counts his former personal assistant and secretary as owners. “At best, this conduct on the part of the minister was improper and, at worst, the conduct of the minister was unlawful,” the SIU claimed in an affidavit. The SIU also stated that “there is evidence that the minister has directly and indirectly received gratifications from Digital Vibes”, citing R3.8m that flowed to Mkhize’s son Dedani, while another R6,720 was used for repairs at Mkhize’s Bryanston property. The court papers will pile pressure on President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has staked his political reputation on rooting out corruption, to act strongly against Mkhize, who has been on special leave pending the outcome of the investigation into the scandal. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (paywall access only). Read too, DA wants Mkhize fired as SIU seeks to recover R150 million from Digital Vibes, at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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