In our Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Ramaphosa laments youth unemployment, calls for youth to rally together IOL reports that addressing those marking Youth Day in the Eastern Cape on Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa called on young people to rally together as they battled the current challenges. He pointed out that the youth remained affected by a number of challenges, including poverty, unemployment and inequality. The president noted that the country’s economic woes had been worsened by Covid-19, the July unrest and the floods in KwaZulu-Natal. Yet many businesses were beginning to recover and efforts were being made to ramp up the economy. Ramaphosa said more young people needed to get into the labour market: “The fact that millions of young people are not in employment, education or training is the greatest challenge facing our country today. As we rebuild from the pandemic, we therefore remain focused on growing our economy and creating jobs. We remain focused on far-reaching economic reforms and creating conditions for the expansion of businesses throughout the country.” He added that the government wanted to remove more bottlenecks and cut the red-tape to make it easier for investors to come into the country. Ramaphosa also said they have set up a number of employment programmes to hire young people. These included the teacher assistant programme where thousands of young people were employed. This and many other programmes would help assist in getting the youth into different sectors, he asserted. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Siyabonga Mkhwanazi at IOL. Lees ook, Werklose jonges steeds grootste kopseer – Ramaphosa, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Ministers engage with truck owners and protesting employees over N3 blockade BL Premium reports that the government has again moved in to engage truck owners and their employees in a bid to stop the N3 blockade, which has been stifling business since Tuesday. The three-day blockade affected the crucial corridor connecting SA’s economic hubs of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. On Thursday, the N3 was closed to traffic, with a column of trucks stretching for kilometres, obstructing the tollway in both directions on Van Reenen’s Pass. The truckers were calling for an end to the employment of foreign drivers in the sector. In a document dated 25 May, the All Truck Drivers Foundation (ATDF-SA) said no SA company should continue employing foreign drivers. It also demanded that the price of petrol and diesel be reduced to R11.28/l. This week’s blockade is the second in as many years. In a statement on Thursday evening, transport minister Fikile Mbalula, who together with labour minister Thulas Nxesi and his home affairs counterpart Aaron Motsoaledi, were mediating on behalf of the government, said the warring parties were on the verge of an agreement. “We have taken note of the complaints about the sluggish pace of implementing interventions in areas that we agreed on. A follow-up engagement is scheduled for June 19 with the stakeholders,” Mbalula said. Gavin Kelly, CEO of the Road Freight Association (RFA), which represents employers in the sector, on Thursday penned an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa. He advised that transporters stuck on various routes lost about R25m in truck operating costs each day that the protest by disgruntled local truck drivers continued. The road freight and logistics industry is key to the economy, contributing about R480bn and employing more than 300,000 people. It has been the scene of deadly turf wars between local and foreign truck drivers, with the former accusing employers in the sector of preferring to employ foreign drivers. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, Government to meet with truckers as four arrested for 'economic sabotage', at News24. Read the Road Freight Association’s open letter at Moneyweb N3 blockade cleared, police make several arrests for 'economic sabotage' EWN reports that the N3 blockade that caused a congestion near Van Reenen's Pass has been cleared, with the police indicating that they have made arrests. Earlier on Thursday morning, a number of trucks were abandoned on the national route blocking both directions. However, both lanes have no been opened. “I can confirm that the N3 at Van Reenen's pass has been reopened for traffic. Four men aged between 40 and 59 have been detained for obstructing a national route, damaging or interfering with essential infrastructure, and economic sabotage,” Kwazulu-Natal police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker advised. Police said more arrests were expected as they continued to probe the circumstances that led to the incident. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Nhlanhla Mabaso at EWN. Lees ook, N3 by Van Reenenspas eindelik oopgestel, by Maroela Media
Health Minister’s advisory committee urges more research on long Covid TimesLive reports that the Health Minister’s Covid-19 advisory committee has made its first recommendations about long Covid, but conceded that many questions remained about the condition. In a memo to Minister Joe Phaahla dated 27 May, committee heads Koleka Mlisana and Marian Jacobs noted that a study of adults hospitalised with Covid-19 found more than two-thirds reported an incomplete recovery three months after their acute illness. Long Covid symptoms had also been detected in up to one-third of patients who had mild infections. They said: “While most symptoms appear to abate over time, the natural history of the condition is not yet known… On average, individuals experiencing long Covid function at 59% of their pre-Covid abilities, and more than 20% of individuals are unable to return to work. Poor quality of life is associated with prior ICU admission and fatigue.” Risk factors for long Covid include advancing age, being biologically female, pre-existing comorbidities (including obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and asthma), and immunodeficiency (including HIV and cancer). Fatigue, breathlessness, cognitive difficulties, muscle and joint pain, headache, persistent cough, chest pain, anxiety, depression and sleep disturbance are common symptoms of long Covid, according to the ministerial advisory committee. However, Mlisana and Jacobs noted: “There are presently no registered or evidence-based therapeutic interventions available for treatment of long Covid.” The experts encouraged patients with long Covid to be vaccinated and to join clinical research programmes “to permit the generation of local data and provide access to emerging therapies”. The committee also suggested long Covid should be recognised as a medical condition by the health department, which should lead the effort to develop evidence-based clinical guidelines for the condition. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Solidarity demands intervention by Parliament to address ‘dreadful’ shortcomings at Department of Social Development Solidarity announced on Thursday that it would be approaching Parliament to demand urgent intervention at the Department of Social Development (DSD). This came after a report by the Solidarity Research Institute (SRI) revealed significant shortcomings at the department. Bianca Smit from the Solidarity social workers’ network indicated: “The DSD is currently in a dreadful state and is totally unsustainable. How can any department function properly when 77,5% of those in the industry indicate that there are indeed cases where the department has not acted in the client’s best interests? At the same time, the report shows that 74% of the respondents indicated that they are even aware of cases where the department acted unethically.” According to the trade union, it had earlier this year addressed a letter to the DSD on behalf of its members, but no attention was given to the issues raised. Solidarity maintained that the department would not be able to reform without drastic external intervention, the absence of which could eventually lead to the collapse of social services in SA. “We have no choice but to resort to these steps and to demand urgent action by Parliament. The DSD is ignoring its mandate and the most vulnerable in our society, as well as those who dedicate their lives to preserve the dignity of those people must bear the brunt of this failure,” Smit said. Solidarity’s social workers’ network contends that the DSD’s apathy towards social workers is driving people away from the profession they have dedicated their entire professional lives to. Read Solidarity’s press statement regarding this matter at Solidarity News. Lees ook, Dringende ingryping by maatskaplike ontwikkeling geëis, by Maroela Media
Aspirant doctors in limbo over community service placements, with health department yet to accept applications BL Premium reports that with just two weeks to go until community service doctors and medical interns are due to take up posts that open on 1 July, the Department of Health (DOH) has yet to begin accepting applications, leaving hundreds of aspirant healthcare professionals in limbo. The situation could delay dozens of young medical school graduates from qualifying as doctors and deprive clinics and hospitals of much-needed staff, particularly in rural areas. It is directly at odds with an assurance Health Minister Joe Phaahla gave parliament that all community service doctors would be allocated posts at least a month before they were due to start work. Doctors are required to complete 12 months of community service before they qualify. Community service is also a requirement for 16 other healthcare disciplines, including pharmacists, psychologists, physiotherapists and professional nurses. They are required to submit their applications for internship and community service on the DOH’s online portal, which as of Thursday still carried a notice saying the 2022 midyear cycle was not yet open. The DOH’s director for HR information systems, Victor Khanyile, said the system would open next week, but could not specify the date. Applicants will have a three-day window in which to submit their documents, and they can expect a response within 48 hours, he said. He emphasised that most community service and intern posts were filled in January, while the midyear intake was a “mop-up operation” to cater for people who needed extra time to complete all their study blocks. The SA Medical Association (Sama) said it was prepared to take legal action if the national health department did not resolve the matter swiftly. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Helen Suzman Foundation fights termination of permit system that allows Zimbabweans to keep living legally in SA BusinessLive reports that a legal challenge is being mounted against the decision by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to terminate the permit system allowing Zimbabweans to live legally in SA. According to Nicole Fritz, CEO of the Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF), the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) has prevailed for well over a decade, meaning that permit-holders have built lives, families and careers and contributed to SA’s economy. The November announcement of the ZEP’s termination, which affects about 178,000 Zimbabweans working and studying in SA, came with little notification and no public consultation. “At present, ZEP holders must have obtained other forms of residency authorisation – in most cases an almost impossible requirement – by December 31 or leave SA. They will be put to a desperate choice: to remain in SA as undocumented migrants with all the vulnerability that attaches to such status, or return to a Zimbabwe that, to all intents and purposes, is unchanged from the country they fled,” the HSF noted. It added there were thousands of children who had been born in SA to ZEP holders during this time who had never visited their parents’ country of origin. The HSF said its position was that “those who have scrupulously observed SA’s laws to live and work here under the ZEP cannot have such permits terminated without fair process, good reason and a meaningful opportunity to regularise their status.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard at BusinessLive
Auditor-General finds municipalities are paying consultants millions to do very basic tasks Fin24 reports that according to Auditor-General (AG) Tsakani Maluleke, there has been no improvement in the audits of SA’s municipalities, with only 41 out of the country’s 257 municipalities receiving clean audits. She said that compared to five years ago, 61 municipalities had improved their audit outcomes, while 56 had regressed. This showed that her office's interventions to improve financial management were not being taken seriously. The AG said that poor or non-existent record-keeping was again bedevilling many municipalities, who often employed expensive consultants to try to make sense of their financials. She lamented that at times these consultants were employed to do the "very basics," such as VAT and tax returns, even though the municipalities had staff to do that. Consultants were paid R1.26 billion to help improve the financial reporting of municipalities, even though the finance units of municipalities were paid over R10 billion in salaries. The Chris Hani municipality in the Eastern Cape, for example, paid a consultant R34 million for VAT submissions. Maluleke said that 25 municipalities received a disclaimer audit opinion from her office, while nine did not even submit enough information for an opinion to be hazarded. A disclaimer is the worst result a municipality can receive from the AG, indicating that its financial statements have no value. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jan Cronje at Fin24. Lees ook, OG-verslag wys op verval, wanbestuur van ANC-munisipaliteite, by Maroela Media
Solidarity submits comments on Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (‘Bela Bill’) On Wednesday, Solidarity submitted its comments on the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (the Bela Bill). According to the trade union, the Bela Bill will have a major impact on schools’ independence and, if accepted into law, governing bodies will cede almost all their powers to the state, especially with regard to learner admission and language. “The intention of the state is clearly to centralise the education system. The implementation of this amendment bill will have tragic consequences for education communities and the children receiving their education at public schools. Undoubtedly this will ultimately also affect the quality of education,” asserted Johnell van Vollenhoven, policy analyst at the Solidarity Research Institute. Solidarity argued that practical terms the acceptance of the Bela Bill would mean that public schools would go back to becoming state schools again, where a community would have almost no insight into the teaching and management of its school or its children. “This proposed legislation is in direct conflict with the objectives of South Africa's democracy. The intention of the Constitution is precisely that public schools should function with greater autonomy and that communities should take responsibility for the management of these schools,” Van Vollenhoven pointed out. According to Solidarity, the submission of its comments was “only the beginning of a huge battle lying ahead”. The union said that although it would participate in all other public participation processes, “it will not hesitate to approach the courts if the government tried to steamroller the legislation through Parliament without paying proper attention to the outcomes of the public participation process.” Read Solidarity’s press statement in the above regard and study its full comments on the Bela Bill at Solidarity News NGO challenges ‘lenient’ sentences given to teachers for assaulting pupils SowetanLive reports that according to lawyers representing the SA Council for Educators (Sace), there was nothing legally wrong with fining a teacher who assaulted a pupil R10,000 and allowing the teacher to keep his or her job. This argument was put to the Pretoria High Court in defence of Sace’s lenient sanctioning of two teachers, one who beat up a pupil so much he needed head surgery. In 2015, a teacher in Gauteng used a hard pipe to strike a 10-year-old boy on the head and the child went for surgery due to injuries he suffered. After undergoing surgery, the boy’s mother was forced to move her son to a special school as his cognitive abilities had suffered. In the second case in Limpopo in 2019, a teacher used her hand to strike a pupil, aged 7, across her left cheek. She then used her hand again to hit the child on top of her head. The child's left ear bled. Sace subjected both teachers to disciplinary processes, after which they received fines of R10,000 and their names were removed from the teachers’ roll. But this was suspended for 10 years and they are still working at the same schools. On Tuesday, Section 27, representing the Centre for Child Law and the parents of the pupils, approached the court challenging this decision, which they said was too lenient. They also claimed that the current prescribed guidelines that Sace used to sanction teachers who have assaulted pupils did not put the interest of the child at heart. These guidelines as provided for in the Sace Act were issued in 2016 and revised in 2020. Corporal punishment was outlawed in SA in 1996, but despite the law, incidents of educators assaulting pupils have persisted over the years. Judgment was reserved. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Penwell Dlamini at SowetanLive
Iata seeking more information on skills situation in aviation worldwide, including South Africa Engineering News reports that the representative body of the worldwide airline industry, namely the International Air Transport Association (Iata), has announced that it has extended the deadline for its Global Skills Survey until 24 June. So far, more than 400 air transport industry professionals have participated in the survey. Iata sees the survey as being vitally important for the future of the sector. For example, discussions at the recent Iata Ground Handling Conference (concerned with the handling of commercial aircraft at airports) revealed an “alarming shortage of talent” in that sector. Iata Flight and Technical Operations director Stuart Fox warned: “We need to act now to address these shortages and guarantee the sustainability of our industry.” Preliminary findings from the survey so far included that 50% of respondents reported that training new employees was a challenge because of the time and resources required, while 48% were concerned about the uncertainty in the aviation sector. Anticipating and planning demand for services was a challenge for 48% of respondents. Job market competitiveness, regarding the recruitment and retention of staff, was a challenge for 44%. Fox directly appealed to aviation professionals in SA to take part in the survey. “As a professional from South Africa, I would be very interested to see how the skills gap is perceived in your part of the world,” he stated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News
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