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 Tuesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Travel industry urges Sato use existing EU or similar Covid-19 vaccine passports BL Premium reports that, as the government weighs up using digital vaccine passports to record if people have been jabbed against Covid-19, members of the travel industry are encouraging use of the EU’s digital application or another country’s existing app to make travel in and out of the country easier. Countries in the EU and 13 other countries have adopted a single digital system that records vaccination status. It produces a QR code for scanning at borders to show the vaccination status of travellers without sharing their private information or ID numbers. This digital passport is supported by the International Air Transport Agency that represents several global airlines. The travel industry, which once contributed up to 3% of SA’s GDP, is urging the government to use this existing app to record vaccination data. Vaccinated South Africans are issued with paper cards. A standardised digital passport would make it simpler for people to travel to SA, helping to boost the ailing travel industry. President Cyril Ramaphosa said two weeks ago the government would this week provide an update on its plans for vaccine passports. Nicholas Crisp, deputy director in the department of health, said the government would comment on the issue after Tuesday’s National Command Coronavirus Council where this issue might be raised. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Katharine Child at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) SA and UK scientific experts meet over travel red list concerns TimesLIVE reports that information provided by SA scientists to their UK counterparts will be factored into the latter country's decision-making on whether to keep SA on its travel “red list”. Travellers from, or who travelled through, countries on the red list are required to quarantine at their own expense before being permitted entry into the UK. The SA government, and scientists, have argued that keeping the country on the list does not make scientific sense, and threatens to severely dent the country's already battered tourism sector as the December holidays approach. In a statement, the health department confirmed that SA scientists met their UK counterparts on Monday “to discuss the latest trends around Covid-19, respective Covid-19 testing strategies, and the prevalence and risk posed to our vaccination programmes by variants of concern”. The meeting was initiated by the UK high commission and SA government to ensure the most up-to-date and accurate sharing of information. The insights provided will feed into the next review of UK border measures, which is due to take place within the next fortnight. The issue of vaccine certificates was also discussed. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at TimesLIVE Anti-vaccine protests having negative impact on jab programme, says Western Cape health department EWN reports that recent ‘anti-vax’ demonstrations in Cape Town may have resulted in waning demand for Covid-19 vaccines in the province. Just over a week ago, about 600 demonstrators descended on the Sea Point promenade, advocating against the jab. Last month, a group gathered outside Groote Schuur Hospital, calling it a gas chamber. The province can administer 50,000 vaccine doses a day, but only around 30,000 shots are being administered daily. The provincial health department's Dr Saadiq Kariem believes that the diminished uptake could be due to Covid-19 fatigue, complacency and the recent protests by anti-vaxxers and Covid-19 denialists. "Unfortunately these anti-vax protests are having a negative impact on our vaccination programme and I think it's part of the reason why we have lower than expected numbers of people presenting themselves at sites," he stated. The decline in vaccine uptake has been evident across the country. Read the full original of the short report in the above regard by Lizell Persens at EWN Report on Covid-19 relief fund for artists reveals National Arts Council overshot budget by more than double News24 reports that a forensic report has revealed that the National Arts Council (NAC), which was tasked with allocating nearly R300 million in Covid-19 relief funds to artists, overshot its budget and approved more than double the amount that had been allocated. In October 2020, the Department of Arts and Culture and the NAC entered into an agreement for the latter to distribute R285 million in the Presidential Economic Stimulus Programme (PESP) as relief for artists and programmes affected by the pandemic. It has now been revealed that a failure by the council to provide financial oversight in the PESP implementation resulted in an over-commitment of R637 million, namely more than double the allocated budget. The report, which was handed to Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa last week, revealed that applicants had been approved and contracted for more funding than they had applied for, that the NAC had approved more beneficiaries than there was funding allocated for, and that, contrary to the NAC Act, certain former council members acted as adjudicators in the funding allocation process. At a briefing on Monday, Mthethwa vowed that those involved in the maladministration would face justice. He advised that said that the report had fingered five employees for wrongdoing. Three of the implicated employees no longer worked at the NAC, while the minister has given the remaining two a week to respond to the allegations. NAC chairperson Princess Celenhle Dlamini said that a very small number of people had received more than what they should have as the NAC had managed to halt the process before the money had been disbursed. She said that money would not be recovered from those artists who had been overpaid as they were not at fault. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lwandile Bhengu at News24 (subscriber access only). Read too, Heads expected to roll over mismanaged Covid relief cash, at The Citizen (subscriber access only) Jobs in SA’s film industry cut by 60% during lockdown, with little government relief Business Insider SA reports that SA’s film and video industry has been devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns, while relief measures offered by government have been inadequate to stave off major job losses. According to a report by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), a subsidiary of the department of sport, arts, and culture, SA’s film industry contributed – both directly and indirectly – R7.2 billion to the country’s economy in 2019. This contribution dropped to just R2.9 billion over the past year due to the global pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, approximately 31,444 full-time equivalent jobs were sustained by the film industry. This dropped by around 60% over the past year to just 12,775 jobs sustained in 2020/21. But despite serious job losses – and annualised income derived by employees dropping from R218 million in 2019/20 to R88 million in 2020/21 – government has done little to assist the embattled film industry. Only 17% of respondents indicated that they had not applied for any of the public or private film support measures offered. Yet only 33% of applicants received some form of financial support over the past year. When asked whether the film industry has been afforded adequate support measures, 75% of respondents said no. Respondents cited flawed and convoluted application processes as a major stumbling block. But the tide is slowly turning, helped along by public-private collaborations, like the recently signed partnership between Netflix and the NFVF to fund local filmmakers. Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Luke Daniel at Business Insider SA Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Four soldiers seriously injured after military vehicle plunges into a river in KZN The Witness reports that four members of the SA Defence Force (SANDF) suffered serious injuries after a military vehicle known as a Samil 50 plunged over a bridge along the Wasbank Road, in the Mwela Wela area near Ladysmith, on Monday morning. The bridge, which is seven metres high, is on a dirt road which turns off the N11, towards Wasbank. It is believed that the Samil 50 was travelling along the dirt road on its way to Ladysmith and, when crossing the bridge, lost control and crashed down. Officials on the scene said that the soldiers all sustained serious injuries to their legs. The driver of the vehicle was trapped in the wreckage, while other passengers managed to crawl from the mangled wreck among rocks and water of half as meter from a local ‘spruit’. Members of the Fire and Rescue Unit from Alfred Duma Municipality had to use the ‘jaws of life’ to free the driver. All four soldiers were rushed to hospital. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Claudine Senekal of Ladysmith Herald at The Witness Study shows office-based employees at professional services firms experiencing stress Engineering News reports that according to management and consulting firm IQbusiness, a pilot study of office-based employees' stress and trauma levels at large professional services firms in September indicated that 66% of them were experiencing stress. The study tested key empirical indicators of trauma including financial constraints, breakdowns in close relationships, retrenchments or caring for a loved one. It found that 92% of respondents were concerned about the state of SA’s economy, 54% reported that they were experiencing financial strain and more than 69% were mentally affected by the state of poverty around them and on the news. “People returning to the physical workplace are different to when they left their offices in March 2020. We have experienced traumatic life events resulting from restrictive lockdowns, home schooling our children, suffering illness, job losses and loss of life in our network of family and friends,” commented IQbusiness governance, risk and compliance head Nadine Rix. Immediate risks to businesses include absenteeism, decreased productivity and a lack of engagement. “The emotional cost of the Covid-19 pandemic is mounting and our businesses and organisations must take a proactive approach to address the systemic trauma employed South Africans have experienced or we run the risk of lost productivity, absenteeism, high attrition rates and overall low employee morale,” IQbusiness CEO Adam Craker indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News
Blow to broke ANC as Cosatu affiliates reject crowd-funding initiative Sunday World reports that the African National Congress (ANC) has suffered another blow after affiliates of trade union federation Cosatu last week rejected the proposal of crowd-funding for the financially ailing governing party. The ANC has been battling to pay salaries to its staff. A heated debate over the electoral support for the ANC in the upcoming local government elections apparently took place last week during Cosatu’s four-day central executive committee meeting. In a strongly worded statement and clearly referring to the ANC’s failure to pay salaries, one of Cosatu’s biggest affiliates, the National Health, Education and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), told Sunday World it had rejected the crowd-funding suggestion, which the union described as seeking to “subject workers to contribute their monies to the employer who does not value and respect workers like the ANC”. Read the original of the report in the above regard by George Matlala at Sunday World Other internet posting(s) in this news category
National Treasury downplays exit of key official Bloomberg News reports that Tshepiso Moahloli, the head of assets and liability management and the most high-profile woman at the National Treasury, last week became the latest senior official to resign. Her departure follows that of Roy Havemann, Catherine MacLeod, Ian Stuart and Khetha Dlamini, all senior Treasury staff. Moahloli is being replaced by Duncan Pieterse, the current head of economic policy, who has been with the Treasury since 2013. While investors continue to have no doubt about the skills and qualifications of the Treasury’s staff, they are apparently concerned there are not enough experienced individuals to replace departing veterans such as Stuart and fill other vacancies. But, director-general Dondo Mogajane said in a recent interview that the Treasury’s succession planning was sufficient to ensure the exit of key personnel did not disrupt plans to return public finances to a sustainable path. Among key officials whose potential departure economists are concerned about is Ismail Momoniat, the 64-year-old head of tax and financial sector policy. The unofficial retirement age is 65. The Treasury has a “strong” talent pool, with three-quarters of senior managers younger than 50 years old and more than half of all staff under 40, Mogajane indicated. As at 31 August, the annual turnover rate of full-time Treasury staff was 3.9%, compared with an average of 5.5% across all government departments. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Prinesha Naidoo at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Solidarity’s case against Post Office over unpaid medical contributions to be heard on Tuesday SowetanLive reports that trade union Solidarity has hauled the SA Post Office (Sapo) to court after it failed to pay more than R600m into employees’ medical funds. The matter will be heard on Tuesday at the Labour Court in Johannesburg. Anton van der Bijl, the head of legal affairs at Solidarity, said deductions such as contributions to medical funds appeared on the salary slips of the employees, but Sapo had failed to pay the contributions on behalf of its employees to the various funds. Van der Bijl commented: “This mismanagement means that thousands of innocent workers may lose their medical cover and will thus not be able to receive the medical care they need. Many employees suffer from chronic medical conditions and are dependent on these funds. If the post office does not meet its obligations, these people will not receive their medication in October. We cannot allow our members to suffer due to the state’s mismanagement, and we have resorted to the court on an urgent basis to force Sapo to fulfil its statutory obligations.” Read the original of the report in the above regard by Mpho Sibanyoni at SowetanLive. Lees ook, Hofstryd teen Poskantoor oor onbetaalde fondse, by Maroela Media GEMS reveals eye-popping scams, including pharmacy syndicates and crooked dieticians Fin24 reports that according to the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS), which is SA's biggest medical scheme for public servants, the country is losing R22 billion a year to fraud, waste and abuse in the healthcare industry. In the past year, scams uncovered by GEMS included pharmacies colluding with members and other healthcare providers to create "cash-backs". Some specialists billed for services not rendered. With dieticians, the biggest problem was "wellness days". Whereas such days were for screening, some dieticians claimed full consultations and other services not rendered. "We are losing lots of money due to these types of offences," said GEMS senior manager for operations and risk Ishmael Mogapi during a symposium held on Friday. Mogapi said GEMS was also losing millions of rands to wasteful behaviour and abuse of the healthcare system. Mogapi's presentation showed that GEMS investigated roughly between 40 and 60 cases each month between January and August. Most of those related to pharmacies, followed by GPs, dieticians, physiotherapists and registered nurses. KwaZulu-Natal had the highest number of cases, followed by Gauteng and Limpopo. Mogapi said many of the investigations were sparked by tip-offs that the scheme received through its hotline. But it also picked up a lot of red flags through analytics done internally. GEMS chairperson Dr Sebayitseng Hlatshwayo said while there were no studies done to determine the exact extent of fraud, waste and abuse in the healthcare industry in SA, various schemes estimated that these offences translated to between 5% and 15% of all medical claims. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Londiwe Buthelezi at Fin24 (subscriber access only)
‘Blue lights’ corruption case against former top cops Phahlane and Mgwenya postponed to November EWN reports that the multimillion police ‘blue lights’ corruption case against the former national police commissioner, Khomotso Phahlane, and the former deputy national commissioner, Bonang Mgwenya, has been postponed to November. The Palm Ridge Specialised Crimes Court said this was to allow the pair to bring applications regarding the alleged unreasonable delay. The matter relates to a R191 million contract to supply emergency warning equipment for the SA Police Service (SAPS) in 2017. The accused in the matter are former top police officials, a service provider and civilians, who are charged with corruption, fraud, theft and money laundering. “The former National Police Commissioner, Khomotso Phahlane, and former deputy national commissioner, Bonang Mgwenya, plan to bring their application on 25 November. However, as a prosecution team, we still maintain we have submitted and fully disclosed to the accused all the witness statements to help them best prepare,” the investigating directorate's Sindisiwa Seboka commented. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Edwin Ntshidi at EWN Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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