In our Tuesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Blaming Eskom staff for load shedding is unfair, says Solidarity Moneyweb reports that according to trade union Solidarity, Eskom management was increasingly blaming staff in public for load shedding, but failed to provide the basics for them to keep the lights on. “There are no spares, because there is no money. Staff are trying to improvise and get permission for makeshift plans, but when the pawpaw hits the fan, management turns on them and blame them,” said Tommy Wedderspoon, coordinator for the electrical sector at Solidarity. He indicated that the morale among Eskom staff was at rock bottom as unions head to the CCMA, where a dispute about Eskom’s “unilateral implementation of salary increases and reduction in benefits” will be heard in December. SA has been suffering rolling blackouts on and off since 23 October, with a break on 1 November when the country went to the polls for municipal elections. Eskom CEO André de Ruyter, who has previously called for a culture change at Eskom, has referenced criminal activities at a number of power stations. He has also announced a system of financial incentives and penalties for power station managers, based on the performance of their plants. Wedderspoon said power station managers who stood to lose part of their pay when their plant performed poorly were in an impossible position as there was no money for them to order spares to keep their plant running. Under these conditions staff tried to make plans and when another plant was standing idle, they might, for example, cannibalise it for spares. According to Wedderspoon, this was done “with approval” – but if things went wrong, they were blamed and told the approval was unauthorised. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Moneyweb Black Business Council calls for De Ruyter’s head over Eskom power crisis The Citizen reports that the Black Business Council (BBC) has called for Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter and the entire board to step down over the electricity crisis in the country. Though the BBC was among the first to congratulate De Ruyter on his appointment in November 2019, it said it had realised two years later that the country had nothing to show but the highest number of blackouts in its history. The power utility is currently implementing stage 4 load shedding until 5am on Friday, and will then downgrade to stage 2 until Saturday morning. “It was anticipated that an additional seven units would have returned to service by Monday, and this has not materialised. Further, a generating unit at Arnot power station tripped this morning, contributing to the shortages,” said Eskom on Monday. In response, the BBC said it was clear the Eskom leadership was “out of its depth”. “The BBC is of the view that the country should acknowledge that the Eskom leadership is completely overwhelmed, inept and out of its depth. They simply don’t seem to be able to have a handle on this crisis and as such, should be let go as there appear to be no prospect in sight for any improvement of this serious situation,” said CEO Kganki Matabane on Monday. He indicated that the prolonged power cuts were affecting businesses badly and were also chasing investors away as no one would want to invest in a country where the power supply was not stable. Matabane said blaming state capture for the energy crisis was a “tired excuse”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Vhahangwele Nemakonde at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Free State school principal shot dead on Friday while walking to car News24 reports that a 53-year-old Free State principal has died after he was shot in the head and stomach while walking towards his car on Friday. According to the police, Andile Ketso, the principal of Mooifontein School in Zastron was killed just after 20:00 while walking from Basotho Bricks towards his car. "He sustained three bullet wounds on the head and one on the stomach. He was certified dead on the scene by [emergency medical service]," a police spokesperson reported. The suspect and motive for Ketso's killing are still being investigated. Ketso's murder follows a series of pupil stabbings in the province. Two pupils - in grades five and ten - died after they were allegedly stabbed by fellow pupils in unrelated incidents, while a matric pupil was admitted to hospital after he also became a victim of a stabbing. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Cebelihle Mthethwa at News24
Real number of SA's Covid-19 deaths lost in all the paperwork Sunday Times writes that SA is breathing a collective sigh of relief as Covid-19 infections drop to their lowest level since the first few weeks of the pandemic, but for SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) scientist Professor Debbie Bradshaw there’s a growing tragedy that can’t be ignored. An estimated 268,183 South Africans have lost their lives to the virus, three times more than the official death toll. One of the reasons official Covid-19 deaths are lower than the true figure is because only deaths in hospitals are counted. Even in hospitals, “some patients die from Covid before they have been tested while others are dead on arrival in an ambulance”, said Bradshaw. Another reason is the time lag caused by SA’s paper-based system for detailed cause of death data. The forms doctors complete are submitted to the home affairs department before going to Stats SA. “Forms from 2020 are still being processed [at home affairs] and Stats SA is currently working on deaths from 2019,” Bradshaw pointed out. She and her team use data from previous years to determine expected natural deaths in any week of the year based on seasonal variations. They compare this number with actual deaths to determine ‘excess deaths’, then analyse whether Covid can be primarily blamed for those excess deaths. This means “the real challenge with the system” is in collecting information and “until we go beyond a paper-based system to an online system”, it will be slow. Another issue is a 2014 regulation that keeps cause of death information entered by a doctor confidential. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tanya Farber at Sunday Times Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Bail bid by group of 85 alleged ’zama zamas’ abandon their bail bid in Orkney court News24 reports that a group of 85 alleged illegal miners, commonly known as ’zama zamas’, abandoned their bail application at the Orkney Magistrate's Court, in North West, on Monday. Their case was postponed to 1 December for investigation. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Henry Mamothame indicated: “Their status verification was completed and they are all in the country without legal documents. They will not be applying for bail and they have terminated the services of Legal Aid. They are now represented by a private attorney.” They are facing charges of attempted murder, illegal possession of prohibited firearms and ammunition, illegal possession of gold, and theft and conspiracy to commit an offence. Eighty-seven zama zamas were arrested on 20 October, at Shaft 2 in Orkney, following an intelligence driven operation, by a multi-disciplinary team of law enforcement officers. The group allegedly opened fire on the team of officers when they arrived at the shaft. Six suspected illegal miners were gunned down and eight others were wounded when police returned fire. Of the eight suspects who were injured, six have been discharged from hospital and two are still under police guard in hospital. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Molaole Montsho at IOL 'Illegal mining activities were part of our lives,' ex-shift boss tells Lily Mine inquest News24 reports that a former Lily Mine shift boss testified at an inquest in the Mbombela Magistrate's Court that illegal mining was the order of the day at the mine, long before the tragedy that left three workers trapped underground on 6 February 2016. Jacobus Potas testified on Monday at the inquest into the death of Solomon Nyirenda, Pretty Nkambule and Yvonne Mnisi, who were buried underground when the container they were working in plunged into a sinkhole. "There were constant raids [for illegal miners] at the mine. In one incident, we recovered a generator, clothes and drilling machinery belonging to zama zamas. Illegal mining activities were part of our lives. They were illegally mining all over the mine,” Potas stated. He disputed earlier evidence by another witness. Dean Ackerman, who worked for Lily Mine, claimed that he and other miners were ordered to blast and drill the crown pillar at Level 4, which could have caused the mine to collapse. Ackerman testified that they drilled the crown pillar repeatedly until it became thin. But Potas asserted that this was impossible, saying. “It was too high to reach it … We didn't mine the crown pillar. The whole mine was below the crown pillar. Under the crown pillar there was an open space. I don't understand what Ackerman meant when he testified that we mined on the crown pillar. There were no open voids between two or three levels as he had claimed." The inquest continues. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ntwaagae Seleka at News24 Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Frustrated guards sit idle at home while VUT dithers on insourced contracts Sunday Independent reports that Vaal University of Technology (VUT) has been accused of sabotaging the process of insourcing in order to continue with tendering security services. In 2016, VUT entered into an agreement with labour unions and the Student Representative Council to in-source security guards and cleaners. Insourcing of guards became phase two of the project in 2016/17 and those who worked for Mafoko Security Patrols, which provided security at VUT at the time, were to be absorbed. However, the workers are still waiting to this day. One of the officers, William Mofokeng, reported that they were sitting at home five years after the agreement to in-source their services. “About 400 people are sitting at home. This is sad. These people have actually stolen this project because about four companies were given contracts despite us filling the forms. We were told that we would be hired during phase two after cleaners were insourced. But this has never happened. And we don’t get clear answers when we ask what was happening,” claimed Mofokeng. Nehawu acting spokesperson Lwazi Nkolozi commented: “Part of the reasons that the matter has taken this long can be attributed to many factors such as the university being placed under administration recently and also the finance of the institution.” VUT director for marketing and public relations Kediemetse Mokotsi said the first phase of insourcing of security guards commenced in 2020 after 57 security officers were insourced. She said these officials formed part of the supervisory and surveillance component. “The second phase is set for 2022 where it is estimated that 210 security officers will be insourced, but this is highly dependent on the infrastructure that must be established. This number can therefore be reduced substantially," she indicated. Read the full original of the detailed report in the above regard by Manyabe Manyane at Sunday Independent
Three Eastern Cape teachers arrested after assaulting nine-year-old grade 3 pupil SowetanLIVE reports that three teachers from Mqabo Junior Secondary School in Engcobo, Eastern Cape, are facing suspension after they allegedly assaulted a nine-year-old Grade 3 pupil. The teachers were arrested on Wednesday and charged with assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm after they attacked the pupil, whom they accused of telling others that she had seen two teachers kissing at school. The three teachers appeared at Ngcobo Magistrate's Court on Thursday and were granted R500 bail each. Eastern Cape education spokesperson Mali Mtima said the department has taken a decision to suspend the teachers, but that they would only be served with suspension letters after receiving bail. The pupil's mother said the incident happened on 29 November. “She came back home crying, with bruises on her legs and arms. Her face was swollen and I was shocked to see her like that. She said three teachers took turns beating her. At some stage the stick broke but that did not stop them. There was a message for me to go to the school,” the mother reported. She indicated that it was only on the following Wednesday when the teachers called her to apologise for their actions. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Yoliswa Sobuwa at SowetanLIVE
No further announcements from health department on rollout or implementation of NHI until after bill is passed Solidarity reported on Monday that Dr Nicolas Crisp, Deputy Director-General at the Department of Health, has confirmed in a letter to the trade union that the department would be making no further announcements about National Health Insurance (NHI) until the applicable bill has been passed by Parliament. In a letter dated 24 October 2021, Crisp pointed out that the NHI Bill was currently before Parliament and until the Parliamentary processes have been exhausted and the bill has been endorsed by the National Assembly, the department could not make announcements relating to the rollout or implementation of the NHI. According to Solidarity, this is a victory for its members in the health sector, as well as for its other members in general who have all been confronted by major uncertainty about implementation of the NHI. “We have numerous members in the health sector who are constantly grappling with statements made by the department creating the impression that the department is acting as if the NHI was already law. For our members this letter brings more certainty about their future, especially in the light of research that has already shown how negative health workers are about the bill,” Anton van der Bijl, Solidarity’s head of legal matters, indicated. Solidarity wrote to Crisp in September after he had stated at a conference in August that the NHI would come into effect by the end of the year, whereas the bill still had to be debated in Parliament and was still subject to public participation. Read Solidarity’s press statement in the above regard at Solidarity News. Lees ook, Geen nasionale gesondheidsversekering tot nuwe wet aanvaar word, by Maroela Media
Former Mahikeng bank employee in dock for allegedly pocketing R600,000 from clients News24 reports that a former North West bank employee was due to appear in the Molopo Regional Court on Monday on four counts of fraud for allegedly pocketing R600,000 from the accounts of bank clients. Siphiwe Hlathi, 28, was working at a bank in Mahikeng at the time of the alleged crimes, which were allegedly committed in October 2018. Police spokesperson Captain Aafje Botma indicated: "At the time of the commission of the crimes… the accused was... handling retired or resigned public servants' accounts. According to reports, the accused would – after lump sum payments into the clients' accounts – deactivate cellphone notifications. Moreover, he would, without the knowledge of the clients, transfer monies ranging from R30,000 to R50,000 from the victims' accounts, all amounting to R600,000, into his personal account." Clients reported the transactions to the bank after becoming suspicious. A police investigation followed, and Hlathi was arrested. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Nicole McCain at News24
Department of Transport says it will address the licensing and other issues faced by truckers Business Report writes that the Department of Transport said on Friday that policy changes in the road freight industry would be hastened following widespread protests by truck owners and drivers and meetings held with them. Two weeks ago, the government had promised to meet aggrieved truckers and drivers who complained about foreign nationals taking their work opportunities and the lack of strict regulation in this industry within the country. The Transport Department said on Friday in a statement that the government would address licensing and other issues, including cross-border transport relations, foreign drivers issued licences, fake licences, prosecution of non-complying employers, and discrimination against local drivers by the industry. A joint inspection undertaken to address non-compliance in the freight sector would also be intensified, with law enforcement including migration and road traffic and the SAPS playing a much more active role. The government further committed to scan migration and transport legislation impacting negatively on South African drivers, and said it would implement tough measures against employers who employed people without proper documentation. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Edward West at Business Report Kruger National Park mum on SAHRC report into abuse, racism and torture City Press reports that an investigation into racism, torture and the killing of black rangers, as well as their arbitrary dismissals and suspensions from Kruger National Park (KNP) is allegedly being swept under the carpet. In 2019, the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) stepped in to investigate the game reserve after whistle-blowers wrote to President Cyril Ramaphosa and leaked information to the media about how black staff members, particularly field rangers, were often targeted with false accusations of rhino poaching and other offences, and then suspended and dismissed unfairly. The complaint also implicated the Skukuza police for allegedly colluding with the white managers of KNP to charge black employees without any evidence. The SAHRC conducted the investigation jointly with the CCMA. SAHRC Mpumalanga manager Eric Mokonyane presented the investigation report to the KNP management on 18 October, but not to the victims who gave evidence or to their unions. When pressured last week to give reasons for the SAHRC’s refusal to make the report public, Mokonyane said the report was being “processed”. SANParks spokesperson Isaac Phaahla commented: “We have not compiled a report which we can share with you. The SAHRC compiled it and should be able to share it with you.” Recommendations from the report, which City Press says it has seen, confirmed that the SAHRC and CCMA had found the allegations, particularly those by field rangers, which Phaahla had repeatedly dismissed as being baseless, to be true. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sizwe Sama Yenda at City Press (subscriber access only)
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