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 Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Discovery to introduce mandatory Covid-19 jabs for all staff BL Premium reports that Discovery has become the first JSE-listed company to announce mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for all staff. Its move is likely to fuel a debate about whether other companies should follow a growing international trend. CEO Adrian Gore explained that the decision to require staff to be vaccinated as of 2022 was a moral imperative for a company that had lost about 14,000 clients and more than 20 staff members to Covid-19. The company announced the decision when it released its annual results for the year ended June 2021, saying the policy was a “clear moral and social obligation” informed by its core purpose to make people healthier. It said there was also a legal obligation to protect employees. Discovery had sought legal advice on whether to institute a mandatory vaccination policy, Gore indicated. He disclosed that about 49% of Discovery’s roughly 10,000 staff members, including contractors and temporary workers, had already been fully vaccinated. The low number was due to a large portion of the staff being in younger age groups that only recently became eligible for vaccination. While vaccine mandates have been controversial, proponents have cited clear scientific evidence that vaccines greatly reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death from Covid-19, while the unvaccinated have a greater chance of transmitting the virus. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Garth Theunissen and Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Lees ook, Discovery gaan inenting verplig; regering oorweeg inentingspaspoort, by Maroela Media Health minister explains government’s reasoning in 'exploring' use of a vaccination card/proof News24 reports that according to Health Minister Joe Phaahla, the envisaged Covid-19 vaccination card, which is generally called a vaccination passport, will not deprive people of their basic human rights. "It is not compulsory. What we are exploring is to use some aspect of what is generally called vaccine passports. We just want to call it a vaccination card/proof, through which we can use that as an encouragement and incentive,” Phaahla indicated on Thursday. He went on to explain: “When you say passport, it sounds too strong. It is basically an access card, which will, in future, when we want to open more and more activities, whether it is sporting spectators, entertainment and many other social activities, we want to look at that as an incentive through which certain activities will be available with increasing numbers for those who are vaccinated.” Phaahla said the government hoped to conclude the plan of using the vaccination card/proof in the next two weeks. It was previously reported that Phaahla had stated that it was "quite certain" that a time would come when public facilities would not be accessible without proof of vaccination. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Canny Maphanga at News24 Cabinet extends state of disaster to 15 October Independent Media reports that Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele advised on Thursday that the Cabinet had extended the national state of disaster to 15 October. “Cabinet approved that the country should remain on alert Level 3 of the national response to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Gungubele said at a media briefing following a meeting of the Cabinet. He also reported that the Cabinet had been briefed by the Department of Health on the progress of the vaccination roll-out programme. Referring to infections at schools, Gungubele indicated: “The Department of Health assured Cabinet that more work is being done to understand and contain the reported school cluster outbreaks, particularly in the Eastern Cape. Cabinet appeals to parents, learners and school-governing bodies to ensure strict adherence to the wearing of masks, ventilation, social distancing and hand-washing hygiene. Strict adherence to the non-pharmaceutical health protocols remains the most effective defence against the spread of the virus.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mayibongwe Maqhina at Independent Media. Read too, Restaurants ask Ramaphosa to extend lockdown curfew by an hour, at Sunday Independent Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Popcru decries "alarming rise" in police killings, with off-duty Cape Town cop hijacked, shot dead on Thursday News24 writes that Western Cape police have confirmed that an off-duty officer was shot dead in Cape Town in the early hours of Thursday. The 35-year-old sergeant was gunned down in Eerste River after allegedly being hijacked. He was shot in his neck and, after having been transported to a nearby hospital, succumbed to his injuries. The officer had been stationed at Lentegeur’s visible policing unit. The Hawks are investigating the case. The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) on Wednesday decried what it called an "alarming rise" in police killings, which nationwide totalled 38 within the last eight months. "Within a space of 10 days in the month of August, at least six officers have perished at the hands of criminality, with at least one having survived an attack," said spokesperson Richard Mamabolo. Popcru president Zizamele Cebekhulu commented: It has been far too long that the issues of police safety have been put by the wayside, and we cannot afford to stand idle. We urgently need a formulation of protective and preventative strategies necessary to protect our police officers.” He went on to say: “It is clear fact that police officers are being singled out as targets for attack irrespective of being in or out of uniform. In other words, they are known and identified in their neighbourhoods as police personnel." Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tammy Petersen at News24. Lees ook, Nóg ’n polisiebeampte om die lewe gebring, by Maroela Media Two more arrested with a ‘lot of cash’ in connection with whistleblower Babita Deokaran’s murder News24 reports that two more people have been arrested in connection with the murder of senior Gauteng health department finance official Babita Deokaran. Police minister Bheki Cele confirmed the arrests on Thursday and said that police had also recovered two vehicles and one firearm. “But interesting, it looks like they have been arrested with a lot of cash in their cars. The story was that it was an expensive exercise, where people were getting a lot of money each to pull the mission of killing Babita. I hope now it will be able for [them] to tell us where the cash comes from,” said Cele. Earlier this week, six suspects appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court in connection with the murder. They were charged with murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and possession of unlicensed firearms. Deokaran, died in a hail of bullets last Monday in Winchester Hills, south of Johannesburg. She had been a key witness in an investigation run from Gauteng premier David Makhura’s office into personal protective equipment (PPE) tender corruption. According to the police, a woman who was in the car with Deokaran at the time of the attack was in a “safe place”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Iavan Pijoos at TimesLIVE. See too, Two more suspects arrested in whistleblower Babita Deokaran’s murder case, at EWN
Sassa lost R11m after thousands improperly benefited from R350 grant, action to be taken against civil servants involved BusinessLive reports that the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) lost about R11m after 31,955 people improperly benefited from the Covid-19 social relief of distress (SRD) grant. Sassa’s Dianne Dunkerley told MPs that the agency investigated all beneficiaries after it emerged from a March report by the auditor-general that 67,000 people might have benefited from the grant even though they were not entitled to it, while some were overpaid. The R350 SDR grant was introduced in 2020 and ran until April 2021. It was reintroduced in July and will be paid until March 2022. The grant is aimed at providing assistance to “persons in dire material need that are unable to meet their families’ most basic needs”, including those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and unrest in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The agency warned last Friday that it would take action against government employees who unlawfully benefited from the grant. “Sassa exercises zero tolerance to any deliberate attempt to access social grants by people who do not qualify for these. Further action will be taken where it is found ineligible public servants have continued to receive these grants,” the agency warned. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Cebelihle Bhengu at BusinessLive
NUM calls for investigations following two separate mine fatalities on 1 September Mining Weekly writes that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has reported that two fatalities occurred in the mining industry on Wednesday, 1 September. The first was at Harmony Gold’s Mponeng mine, in Gauteng, owing to a fall-of-ground incident. The second was at African Rainbow Minerals’ Two Rivers mine, in Limpopo, which was apparently also due to a fall-of-ground incident. The union has called on the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to ensure that thorough investigations were done at both sites. Harmony confirmed that an investigation into the incident at Mponeng was underway, while operations in the affected section have been suspended. "It is of utmost importance that we ensure a safe working environment at all our operations, and we commit to providing the necessary support to the family in dealing with this unfortunate tragedy,” Harmony CEO Peter Steenkamp indicated. Read the original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Local cannabis industry disappointed by the lack of details in the government’s cannabis master plan Financial Mail writes that the grand vision in the national cannabis master plan includes all the government’s favourite catchwords: economic development, job creation, inclusive participation, rural development and poverty alleviation. The department of agriculture, land reform & rural development presented its master plan to MPs on 25 August. Cannabis was said to represent "a new dawn … a global market that will uphold democratic principles such as human rights and better application of science and research". But the private sector is less than euphoric about the lack of specifics in the plan, and is growing increasingly frustrated at the glacial pace at which the government is clearing away the legal hurdles that still paralyse most of the nascent industry. Industry representatives in Nedlac, to which the plan was submitted in June, have begun the process of trying to fix it. Among them is Ayanda Bam, CEO of a cannabis and hemp advisory company. Bam believes part of the problem is that the plan was drafted by specialists in agriculture, not commerce. "We’ve not been creative enough in the master plan, we haven’t really thought about this industry as a commercial sector … There’s a real challenge with the coherence," he commented, adding that the plan needed to analyse where SA already had competitive advantages. Bam, one of SA’s foremost advocates of the potential of hemp — cannabis with low levels of the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — lists a multitude of flaws in the master plan, including its failure to cut through the thicket of legislation governing the plant. The way many players in the industry see it, there are opportunities that would be easy to grasp. For example, the number of people already growing and trading dagga (illegally) in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and elsewhere is estimated at 900,000. All the government needs to do is change the law to make them legal. Read the full original of the comprehensive eport in the above regard by Anton Ferreira at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Presidency says green paper on social security didn’t follow due process and effects of early release to be assessed TimesLIVE reports that Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele says the government will assess the effect, if any, of the controversial social security green paper that has been withdrawn. Among other things, the paper, published two weeks ago, proposed that workers should contribute 8%-12% of their earnings towards a government-run fund. At a media update on Thursday, Gungubele said: “When such papers are issued, normally they would have been consulted with the cabinet ... and we don’t express any view about the contents of the paper until it has gone via a proper process. We will assess if it has caused any damage and have no doubt that communications people will have to find a way of dealing with that.” Gungubele admitted that due processes had not been followed and the government had not adopted a position on the paper’s contents. The paper sparked controversy and drew the ire of trade unions, who promised to “vehemently oppose the ludicrous” proposal. They said the proposal would amount to an additional tax on workers already struggling to make ends meet. The business sector also felt let down by the release of the paper. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nonkululeko Njilo and Linda Ensor at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Parliament’s Cyril Xaba warns that if Denel collapses, so will SA’s defence industry EWN reports that Cyril Xaba, chairperson of parliament’s joint Standing Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, has warned that if state-owned arms manufacturer Denel collapses, so will the country’s multibillion-rand defence industry. Xaba was addressing a National Assembly sitting on Thursday where MPs considered the committee’s report on engagements with the defence industry. Members like Xaba painted a bleak picture of the state of Denel and how this could affect other companies in the sector. He said the country should enhance its defence capabilities and Denel should be a key focus. “The committee welcomes the turnaround strategy to reposition Denel and other measures taken to intervene in its affairs. Denel must be saved. If it goes down, it will go down with parts of the defence industry,” Xaba warned. The Democratic Alliance’s Sarel Marais agreed with Xaba, saying the declining defence budget was the biggest challenge facing the sector. “It seems little to no political will exists to rescue this industry and to recoup the defence force to protect our nation in a sustainable manner,” he lamented Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Babalo Ndenze at EWN Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Employment Equity Directorate gearing up for implementation, enforcement of Act Engineering News reports that the Department of Employment and Labour’s Employment Equity (EE) Directorate is gearing itself up for the implementation and enforcement of the new EE Act once the Parliamentary processes are finalised by March 2022. EE director Ntsoaki Mamashela is hopeful that the processing of the EE Bill will now be expedited, as Parliament has resumed after a recess. The EE Bill is expected to go to the National Council of Provinces for consideration soon. The Amendment of the EE Act of 1998 is intended to reduce the regulatory burden on small business, while simultaneously empowering the Employment and Labour Minister to regulate sector-specific EE numericals and to promulgate Section 53 of the EE Act for the issuing of EE compliance certificates. On Thursday, Mamashela said the expected introduction of five-year sector targets would mark the beginning of a clean slate. “All current EE plans will fall away in September 2022 and the new plans will have to be aligned with five-year targets. Self-regulation has not worked,” she indicated. Mamashela also advised that further sector engagements on sector targets, which started in 2019, would continue. These have already been held with sectors such as mining, financial and business services, wholesale and retail, and construction. It is envisaged that the sector engagements will be concluded by February 2022 with proposed targets. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News
Nicholas Crisp appointed as acting health director-general following the suspension of Sandile Buthelezi TimesLIVE reports that Nicholas Crisp has been appointed acting director-general of the national health department following Sandile Buthelezi’s suspension. Buthelezi was asked to go on leave, reportedly after he was questioned about his role in the R150m Digital Vibes scandal. His suspension followed soon after the appointment of a new minister and deputy minister to head the crucial department that is tasked with managing and controlling the Covid-19 pandemic. Crisp confirmed that he would be taking over “for a minimum of 10 days”, and that he had been informed of the decision at on Thursday. Crisp is a deputy director-general in the department, and is responsible for handling the country’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout. Crisp said one of his priorities was to propel the vaccination rollout. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sipokazi Fokazi at BusinessLive
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