In our Thursday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Consumer inflation unchanged in February at 5.7%, but bread and maize meal prices jump Fin24 reports that annual consumer price inflation reached 5.7% in February, unchanged from 5.7% in January. Still, transport prices and food saw big increases last month. With diesel and petrol prices up by a third over the past year, transport prices increased by 14.3% year-on-year. Food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 6.4% year-on-year, from 5.7% in January and 5.5% in December. Maize meal, white bread and fish saw the largest price increases. After decreasing steadily for eight months, annual price increases for bread and cereals (including wheat, rice and maize) reached 3.7% in February from 1.5% in January. A number of bread and cereal products saw large monthly price increases, with maize meal (up by 3.7%) and white bread (up by 3.2%) being some of the largest gainers. In rand terms, a loaf of white bread was on average 69c more expensive in February than in January, up to R16.16 from R15.47, Statistics SA indicated. Fish prices also saw a big increase, rising by 2.3% between January and February. Tinned fish (excluding tuna) and frozen fish fingers recorded the largest monthly increases. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Fin24. Read too, February inflation rate remains at 5.7% despite large increases in price of maize, bread and fish, at The Citizen. En ook, Brood, meel, vis nou duurder, by Maroela Media Repo rate expected to go up on Thursday, with the only question being by how much The Citizen reports that the repo rate is expected to go up on Thursday and, after an increase of 25 basis points in January, the only question is whether it will be increased by 25 or 50 basis points. The repo rate is the rate at which the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) lends money to commercial banks and one of the tools it uses to control inflation, which was 5.7% in both January and February. The SARB’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will announce its decision about the repo rate on Thursday. Inflation targeting is a framework in which the SARB uses monetary policy tools, especially the control of short-term interest rates, to keep inflation in line within a given target. The MPC would like to see inflation close to the 4.5% midpoint of its 3%–6% target range. The Bureau for Economic Research (BER) at Stellenbosch University expects the repo rate to be increased by 25 basis points, which would be the third consecutive rate hike. However, the BER does not completely rule out a 50 basis points increase. Meantime, Herman van Papendorp of Momentum Investments noted that the latest surge in international oil prices has triggered a large upward revision in the Reuters consensus forecast for inflation. The consensus expects headline inflation to average 5.5% for 2022, whereas the January 2022 estimate had been 4.8%. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ina Opperman at The Citizen. Read too, Inflation supports case for a third rates rise, at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Finance Minister says government intends to shield consumers from soaring fuel price Fin24 reports that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana says government hopes to cushion consumers from the spiking oil price, at least temporarily, for the months of April and May. "I can’t reveal the details at this stage. We are in a sensitive discussion with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE). There is the intention by government to take some immediate steps for April and May. We want to make some mitigating steps during these two months," he told MPs in reply to question in the National Assembly on Wednesday. He said an announcement would be made in the next few weeks. SA consumers are already facing record high petrol prices, and R2 a litre increase is anticipated for April. This will take petrol to R24 a litre. Fuel prices increases also have a significant impact on food prices. The fuel price is highly regulated, and all retailers must charge the retail price set by the DMRE. The price has four components: the basic fuel price; retailer and wholesaler margins; levies and taxes; and distribution and storage costs. The most immediate source of temporary relief would be to suspend the fuel levy, as has been done in some other countries. The fuel levy makes up 23% of the price at the pumps. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Carol Paton at Fin24. Read too, Government aims for fuel price relief for April and May, at BusinessLive With inflation, interest rates and fuel prices, consumers facing ‘perfect storm’, Solidarity warns Solidarity on Wednesday expressed its concern about the increasing pressure South African consumers have to bear. This came after Statistics SA earlier released the latest consumer inflation figures, which indicated a 5.7% increase in the consumer price index (CPI) in February 2022. According to the trade union, consumers simply cannot keep up with all the price increases they have to carry and more pressure on them would have disastrous consequences. Theuns du Buisson, economics researcher at the Solidarity Research Institute (SRI), noted that the salaries of most people would have been adjusted at the beginning of the year. “Thus, the sky-high inflation we are currently experiencing has not been included in such adjustments. Moreover, fuel price inflation of 29.4% is much higher than general inflation. Employees are struggling to make ends meet as they are simply losing more and more buying power every month,” he pointed out. According to Solidarity, the latest inflation figures clearly confirmed the merit and urgency of its demand that fuel prices be left to the market and be deregulated in their entirety. The union further emphasised that the prospect of interest rates being raised by the SA reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee on Thursday as “highly alarming and unjustifiable”. Du Buisson noted: “At the moment, consumers are facing the perfect storm that is having an extremely negative impact on their budgets. This must be stopped in its tracks immediately, the deregulation of all fuel prices, as well as an unchanged or even lower interest rate being a good starting point.” Read Solidarity’s full press statement in regard to the above at Politicsweb Other internet posting(s) in this news category
‘Pure criminals’ behind spate of attacks on City of Tshwane employees delivering services in Soshanguve BusinessLive reports that the City of Tshwane has blamed criminality for a spate of attacks and robberies perpetrated against employees delivering municipal services in Soshanguve, one of the most impoverished areas dogged by service delivery challenges in the metro. Tshwane metro spokesperson Selby Bokaba appealed to communities to stop the assault, attacks and robberies on its employees. He advised that city workers were refusing to go to Jukulyn in Soshanguve, which was notorious for the attacks on employees, without a police escort. Bokaba indicated that the reasons for the attacks varied: “They range from pure criminality and frustration with prolonged power outages ... the attacks are pure criminality as our workers are robbed of their cellphones and money. In the past three months alone we have had 11 attacks on our workers.” Tshwane, which has been experiencing power outages in past weeks, said in a statement on 20 March that its technical teams had managed to restore power to most areas. In an earlier statement on 18 March, executive mayor Randall Williams said the metro faced a series of challenges from “small groups of illegally striking workers” affiliated to SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu). Samwu Tshwane regional secretary Mpho Tladinyane denied that Samwu members were on strike and lashed out at Williams for “driving a wedge between workers and community members”. He said as a result of the “lies” that Samwu members were on strike, disgruntled residents of Jukulyn in Soshanguve were assaulting city employees and robbing them of their personal belongings. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive Thirty-two staff members at Helen Joseph Hospital assaulted by psychiatric patients since start of year TimesLive reports that thirty-two members of staff at Helen Joseph Hospital in Gauteng have been assaulted by psychiatric patients since the beginning of the year. This is according to Gauteng health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi, who responded in a written reply to a query from DA Gauteng shadow health MEC Jack Bloom. The patients have also caused “extensive property damage” at the hospital. Last week Sunday Times spoke to a senior member of staff at the hospital who said the psychiatric departments were in crisis, as patients who did not have access to, or were not taking their medication, had worsening symptoms and were not stable. She said long queues of these patients, some suffering psychotic conditions, made the environment unsafe for staff and patients. In a statement on Tuesday, Bloom said incidents had increased because of a massive increase in the number of psychiatric patients after the fire at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital closed its psychiatric unit. “Staff live in fear because of the violence from psychiatric patients,” he indicated. According to Bloom, extra staff and security were urgently needed, but the real problem was the continued closure of psychiatric wards at Charlotte Maxeke and the general shortage of beds in the province for mental health patients. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Alex Patrick at TimesLive
Cosatu throws its weight behind striking e-hailing drivers EWN reports that the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has declared its support for protesting e-hailing drivers, who are demanding improved vetting systems, an end to alleged exploitation and for the sector be regulated by government. The drivers’ memorandum of demands was received by Gauteng Department of Transport deputy director general, Motubatse Motubatse, on behalf of MEC Jacob Mamabolo, in Johannesburg on Wednesday afternoon. They claimed they were being exploited and victimised on SA roads because of unfair business practices, which pitted them against other players in the industry, and wanted Mamabolo to act. At the same time, Zikho Tamela of Cosatu affiliate Satawu said that, while the transport union had been aware of the plight of e-hailing drivers, the federation had now thrown its weight behind their mass protest. “Your exploitation in your industry is part of our challenge. Together, we must fight the capitalists, we must fight for our interests as workers. Our future is in our hands comrades,” he commented, adding that Cosatu's leadership would join the drivers on the last day of their protest on Thursday. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Masechaba Sefularo at EWN Other internet posting(s) in this news category
HPCSA revises annual fee increase after complaints from doctors The Citizen reports that the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) has revised its annual fee increase following complaints raised by doctors. In a statement on Tuesday, HPCSA president Simon Nemutandani said the council held an extraordinary meeting last Saturday and decided on a maximum increase of 5.7% for affected professional boards. In December 2021, the council had agreed upon a 13% fee increase for the practitioners under the Medical and Dental Professions Board. Payment of the revised 2022/23 annual fee increase will be extended until 30 April 2022. Affected practitioners would receive a credit on their practitioner account in due course to implement the reduction in annual fee increases, while those who had already paid the earlier amount would have a credit on their account which would be allocated against future annual fees or any other open outstanding invoices, said Nemutandani. Earlier in the month, the SA Medical Association (Sama) criticised the initial increases as “unfair” and “not justifiable”, and said it would engage with the HPCSA on the matter. It sent request for information in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act to obtain budgets, minutes of meetings, and other relevant communication and data relating to council’s ‘justification’ for increasing the fees. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen
eThekwini mayor denies that ANC predetermined candidates for city manager post News24 reports that eThekwini Metro Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda has denied allegations that the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal predetermined the candidates for the vacant Durban city manager position. The ANC and Kaunda stand accused of fixing the appointment after the ANC's deployment committee allegedly met last week and "decided" on three favoured candidates. "It is alleged that (KwaZulu-Natal) Premier Sihle Zikalala played a key role in this meeting and that the favoured candidate, who is currently a municipal manager on the South Coast, is his selection," said Democratic Alliance (DA) eThekwini caucus leader Nicole Graham. According to Graham, the ANC and its coalition partners "fought off all attempts to further open the process of appointing a new municipal manager". Kaunda on Wednesday said the process of appointing a new city manager was "well on track and it is being handled with the sensitivity and care it requires". He confirmed that he had received correspondence from Graham "who is alleging that there was political interference in the process leading up to the appointment of the city manager", but he denied the allegations, saying that the "ANC has no role in the appointment of city managers". Kaunda reported that the process to appoint a city manager was still under way. “After all the processes have unfolded, a report will be presented to the executive committee for its consideration, and the council," Kaunda indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kaveel Singh at News24 These are the top five candidates in the running for police commissioner job News24 reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa is considering appointing a career police officer as the next national commissioner of the beleaguered SA Police Service (SAPS). This as the current top cop Khehla Sitole rounds off his chequered term of office. The Presidency last month announced that Sitole had agreed to the early termination of his contract for the benefit of the country. This effectively negated a board of inquiry into his fitness to hold office. Apparently, the following five names are being considered by the president: KwaZulu-Natal police boss Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla "Lucky" Mkhwanazi; Gauteng police boss Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela; retired Lieutenant-General Gary Kruser; Lieutenant-General Fannie Masemola, head of policing; and Lieutenant-General Liziwe Evelyn Ntshinga, head of crime detection and former Eastern Cape provincial police commissioner. At this stage, Ramaphosa is apparently not considering appointing an outsider to head up the embattled police. While Ramaphosa considers his options, the clock is running out, as there are less than two weeks before Sitole vacates his post. There is a possibility that Ramaphosa may install an acting police commissioner while making a decision on a permanent appointment. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jeff Wicks and Adriaan Basson at News24 (subscriber access only)
Higher Education Department considers prohibiting oversupply of courses by private colleges IOL reports that the Higher Education Department is considering the prohibition of private colleges that seek to offer oversupplied courses or courses that do not contribute to the economy. That was indicated by the department’s director-general, Nkosinathi Sishi, on Wednesday when he briefed the higher education portfolio committee on the proliferation of illegal colleges. “While the department continues to work with the state law enforcement agencies to expedite the investigation and prosecution of illegally operating private colleges, it is also considering the prohibition of registration of private colleges that seek to offer oversupplied programmes and/or any other programmes that do not contribute to the economic development trajectory of the country and reduce the high unemployment,” Sishi indicated. Higher Education Deputy Minister Buti Manamela said the department had been working with the police and the Basic Education Department since 2011 to clamp down on bogus colleges. “Over 40 illegal operators were arrested which included US-based operators using the logo of Department of Higher Education and Training as a way of enticing students. We have laid charges with the FBI and published a list of colleges, local and international, on our website as means to warn the public about alleged unscrupulous providers and their modus operandi,” Manamela told MPs. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mayibongwe Maqhina at IOL Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Cape Town commuters told to find alternative transport ahead of massive taxi strike on Thursday IOL reports that two of Cape Town’s taxi associations, namely the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) and the Congress of Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta), have confirmed a joint march to Western Cape Premier Alan Winde’s offices on Thursday morning. According to SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) spokesperson Gershon Geyer, Codeta and Cata will “present a memorandum containing a set of grievances that they have as an industry, especially those operating in townships”. The list of grievances include impoundments of taxis, unfair requirements for release of impounded taxis and various other issues directly affecting the Cape’s taxi industry. The march to Winde’s Wale Street offices in Cape Town was approved after the associations submitted an application. As a result, none of the routes associated with Codeta and Cata will be operational on Thursday. “Cata and Codeta gave their assurances that there will be no interference and intimidation of the other regions that will be operating as per normal,” Geyer said. Other transport services – such as trains and buses – are expected to continue as normal. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Crispin Adriaanse at IOL Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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