In our Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Hundreds gathered at Marikana koppie on Tuesday to commemorate 10 years since massacre News 24 reports that hundreds of people gathered at the infamous Marikana koppie in the North West on Tuesday to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Marikana massacre when 34 Lonmin miners were killed when police opened fire on them and 78 people were injured. Community members and miners danced and sang while holding sticks. Some wore Association of Miners and Construction Union (AMCU) T-shirts and overalls and others had blankets. Families of the miners who died also attended the event, along with survivors. UDM leader Bantu Holomisa, One South Africa Movement leader Mmusi Maimane and Advocate Dali Mpofu were among those present. Mike Khoza, who had been present 10 years ago, recalled: “I was here protesting as well. I witnessed police officers opening fire and we ran in different directions, not knowing where to go. We asked for money but instead, there was bloodshed. Today we are here because we don't have a choice." AMCU's Phuthuma Manyathi said "we have kept this event for the past 10 years because we know what these comrades died for". Manyathi added: “There is also no community upliftment. As you can see...there is no development of the area, no justice and no one has been arrested [for the killing of 34 miners]; it's [a] betrayal because nobody cares on the side of government. There has never been any changes of any sort. So we actually feel like we are betrayed by those we put in power.” In a statement on Tuesday, the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) and Amnesty International SA said the government had "failed to deliver more than 2,000 promised houses in Marikana, while Sibanye-Stillwater evaded accountability and points fingers at Lonmin". Sibanye-Stillwater bought Lonmin in 2009. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jeanette Chabalala at News24 ‘Justice for Marikana will only be served if we see Ramaphosa behind bars’, says AMCU president Mail & Guardian reports that Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) president Joseph Mathunjwa said on Tuesday that the families of those who died when police shot dead 34 striking Lonmin workers in Marikana 10 years ago would not heal until President Cyril Ramaphosa accounted for his role in the massacre. “Justice for Marikana will only be served if we see Ramaphosa behind bars,” Mathunjwa stated. After a two-year halt of gatherings to mark the anniversary of the 16 August 2012 shooting due to the Covid-19 pandemic, those who survived the shooting as well as union officials and politicians gathered for the 10th commemoration in North West province on Tuesday. Ramaphosa was then SA’s deputy president and a non-executive director of Lonmin. An email he wrote to a company executive at the time referred to the violence which accompanied the protest as “plainly dastardly criminal” and that there must be “concomitant action” to address it. Trade unions argue that Ramaphosa thus incited the police shooting that followed. He, in turn, has maintained that his communication and emails did not constitute actionable incitement or wrongful conduct. In a statement, the government said it was working with Sibanye-Stillwater – which bought Lonmin in 2019 – and other stakeholders to initiate a Marikana renewal plan that would see the revitalising of the mining sector, compensation for families, new schools and housing, a memorial site at the koppie and holding those responsible for the deaths accountable. Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele said the Marikana tragedy was a turning point in the history of a democratic SA and should never be repeated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sonri Naidoo at Mail & Guardian (subscriber access only) Marikana wasn't an accident, says SERI News24 reports that as the country commemorated a decade since the Marikana massacre, Thato Masiangoako of the Socio-Economic Rights Institute pointed out that what happened in August 2012 was "very deliberate" and not an "accident". On 16 August 2012, 34 people were killed and 78 seriously injured when the police opened fire on protesting miners in Marikana. Masiangoako said about the events on that day that mortuary vans were ordered, ammunition was ordered and the miners, who were trying to leave peacefully, were then killed in cold blood. “A lot of them actually bled out, they could have been saved, but the medical support couldn't get to them in time. Miners then fled and went to hide at scene 2, where police then pursued them and killed them in cold blood. A lot of miners were surrendering, but they were being shot dead,” Masiangoako recalled. She also asserted that the state had fallen short in sympathising with the families: "We are still waiting 10 years later. No one has come to them and matched with them on a human level to say what happened should not have happened. There has been none of that. And because there had been no apology, this (is) hampered the ability of each family to move forward.” Masiangoako added that the families of the 10 people, including two Lonmin security officers and police officers who died in the days leading to the 16 August massacre, often felt when Marikana was spoken about that they were "forgotten". Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jeanette Chabalala at News24. Read too, Rights organisations are seeking accountability for failed Marikana housing, at Mining Weekly Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Protest by mining affected communities outside Parliament on Tuesday GroundUp reports that under the banner of Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA), about 100 activists picketed, sang and toyi-toyied outside Parliament on Tuesday, while they waited for officials to receive their memorandum. Members of the Alternative Information and Development Center, the Social Justice Coalition, Intlungu yaseMatyotyombeni Movement, the SA Federation of Trade Unions, Tshisimani Centre for Activist Education, and the Western Cape Pickers Forum also joined the protest. But no official came forward. The protesters had come from Limpopo, Free State, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and North West provinces. They wanted the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to see to it that mining communities were meaningfully consulted, and that prior and informed consent was received for mining operations, said MACUA’s national co-ordinator Meshack Mbangula. In a press release, MACUA and Women Affected by Mining United in Action (WAMUA) said: “In 2020, MACUA and WAMUA delivered 50,000 signatures of affected community members to Parliament … Throughout 2021, we have sent email after email, memorandum after memorandum”. But there has apparently been no response from Parliament. “We need a permanent platform where we can continuously give reports to the Department of Mineral Resources about these problems and where we continuously hold mining companies accountable for mining related problems,” MACUA general secretary Tokelo Mahlakoane stated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Vincent Lali at GroundUp Minerals Council blames ‘procurement mafia’ for blocking progress with mining community social and labour plans TimesLive reports that the Minerals Council SA (MCSA) says it has recommitted itself to ensuring the Marikana massacre does not happen again. The MCSA (previously called the Chamber of Mines) was commemorating the massacre on Tuesday, 10 years after it occurred in Marikana in August 2012. “It was a moment for deep introspection in the mining industry to ensure the underlying matters that may have contributed to the (Marikana) tragedy were addressed to avoid a repetition of the events that rapidly escalated out of control,” the MCSA said. But, it added: “There are some solutions that mining companies have within their control, but there are critical areas that are not, and these can only be addressed by government, such as delivery of municipal services, residential planning, local economic development and the provision of socioeconomic infrastructure. Moreover, the ‘procurement mafia’, which were groups of politically connected or criminal elements demanding a fee were increasingly disrupting implementation of mines’ social and labour plan (SLP) projects through violence and intimidation in order to extort concessions. “The procurement mafia use their clout to whip up community agitation and disrupt mining operations to back their demands for contracts that will benefit them. These criminal elements disrupt the development of SLP projects and give rise to the perception mining companies are doing little or nothing about honouring their commitments,” the council claimed. It said it was working closely with the security cluster to address gangs extorting mines for contracts and benefits through intimidation. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Alex Patrick at BusinessLive. Read too, Minerals Council clamps down on ‘procurement mafia’, says SLPs are being frustrated, at Mining Weekly Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Saftu and Numsa clash even as national shutdown looms on 24 August GroundUp reports that as the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) prepares for its national protest action on 24 August, the participation of its largest affiliate, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), hangs in the balance. Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim pulled the union out of attending Saftu’s special national executive committee meeting on Tuesday, and took aim at Saftu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi for what he perceived as interference in the union’s operations. On Tuesday, Jim sent a letter confirming that Numsa would not be attending Saftu’s meeting, because an agenda item would discuss the court challenge to Numsa’s recent elections and Numsa’s decision, subsequently overturned by the courts, to suspend its erstwhile second deputy president Ruth Ntlokotse. On Monday, a letter sent by Numsa’s attorneys attempted to kibosh any discussion at Saftu’s meeting about the legal tussles surrounding the recently interdicted Numsa national congress. The letter claimed that since a court battle was underway “neither Numsa, nor Saftu, can in any way discuss the content of matters which are currently before the courts, since this would be against all legal principles”. In response to the lawyers’ letter, Vavi implored Jim to review Numsa’s decision not to attend, and said that since Saftu itself was not party to the court cases, discussion of the matters was permissible. There have been a series of increasingly tense exchanges between Jim and Vavi following Numsa’s national congress. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by James Stent at GroundUp Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Sassa working on a plan to help recipients of social relief distress grants find jobs TimesLive reports that according to Department of Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu, the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) is working on a plan to help those receiving the R350 social relief distress grant (SRD) find work. She was responding to a parliamentary question by the EFF, which asked “what measures of intervention will her department take to accommodate the more than 500,000 people that will be excluded from the SRD due to budget constraints?” Zulu’s department was allocated a R44bn budget that can only accommodate 10.5-million SRD beneficiaries until the end of March 2023. Zulu said: “Currently, Sassa is in the process of establishing a data-sharing relationship with the departments of public works and infrastructure, and employment and labour, with the goal of assisting Covid-19 SRD recipients to gain access to employment opportunities. Furthermore, the department has finalised a framework on linking social protection beneficiaries to sustainable livelihoods initiatives, with the view to provide skills targeting the unemployed and those on the SRD database to enhance chances of employment.” Zulu said the department would focus on vulnerable individuals, with a particular focus on youth and women. “These measures are intended to provide for those who cannot be accommodated through the social grants or the SRD grant and to channel them into more sustainable jobs and other economic activities,” Zulu indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Unathi Nkanjeni at BusinessLive
PwC reckons SA may see its own 'Great Resignation' trend as employees are forced back to the office Fin24 reports that SA has not seen a sweeping ‘Great Resignation’ trend like developed countries, but that might be changing. In richer countries, labour markets tightened in the past year as record numbers of employees resigned from their jobs. SA has seen the loss of highly skilled professionals to emigration, while others have quit their jobs to work remotely for international firms. But the country has not seen the same mass resignation trend. PwC, which published its latest executive directors' report on Tuesday, believes that's because SA's economy only fully opened in 2022. Before that, companies were not pushing for the return to the office as in developed economies that have been living free of lockdowns for much longer. "I think we might start to see a larger spike in resignations and attrition as traditional-focused employers start to push people more back to the office. We typically have a bit of a lag with regards to how the world moves," said PwC’s Andreas Horak. But while more people may be yearning to work remotely, permanently, Horak reckons that the reality is that a hybrid system is a more practical solution that most employees can settle for. "With Covid-19, we've seen that flexibility doesn't come necessarily at a cost to the company. Now we need to create a conducive environment where people don't feel that they are forced to pick between contributing to their own families versus their own careers. This needs to be the debating point in boardrooms," said Horak. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Londiwe Buthelezi at Fin24 (subscriber access only)
Long drawn-out process to appoint eThekwini city manager 'nearing completion', says mayor News24 reports that the long, drawn-out process to appoint a permanent city manager in the eThekwini Metro is almost at the finish line. "We would like to confirm that the process to appoint the city manager is nearing completion. This follows the conclusion of interviews more than a week ago and the scheduling of competency assessments for the candidates for this week," Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said on Tuesday. The city manager post has been vacant following the arrest of Sipho Nzuza, who is one of the accused in the Durban Solid Waste R320 million tender saga involving embattled former mayor Zandile Gumede. The full council voted, with an ANC majority, to terminate Nzuza's employment and pay him the remainder of his contract. Kaunda indicated: “We want to reiterate that the filling of the city manager position is urgent and as the leadership of the City, we have prioritised it.” He commended the selection panel that was approved by council "for moving with speed to finalise the process". A previous panel came under fire from opposition parties who pointed out it contained ANC-affiliated politicians, including Kaunda. In April, the City announced that the recommendations of that panel would not be approved. Kaunda conceded that the Auditor-General was concerned by the lack of a permanent city manager. He said the City had received 158 applications and, of those, 17 candidates had been shortlisted for the pivotal post. A report would be presented to the City’s exco and to the council next week, Kaunda indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kaveel Singh at News24
Lotteries Commissioner resigns with “immediate effect” GroundUp reports that the Commissioner of the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) has resigned “with immediate effect” just weeks before her term expires at the end of September. Thabang Charlotte Mampane served ten years as Commissioner – effectively chief executive officer of the NLC. Her first five-year contract was extended in September 2017. Last year Mampane earned R4.5-million. The NLC has been overwhelmed with corruption over the past few years. Mampane’s resignation comes just over two weeks after GroundUp revealed that Lottery funding meant to build a Limpopo school razed by fire during a protest had been used to pay for her luxury home in a golf estate. Apparently, Mampane was going to face disciplinary action in connection with the use of Lottery money to purchase her house. It is unclear what the effect of her sudden resignation will be on this process. The purchase of the house is also under investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), which has been probing corruption involving Lottery funds ever since President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a proclamation in October 2020 authorising the investigation. Thendo Ramagoma, the former deputy of the NLC’s Arts and Culture distributing agency and current legal executive, has been acting as Commissioner since Mampane went on leave two weeks ago. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Raymond Joseph at GroundUp. Lees ook, Lotto-baas bedank ‘met onmiddellike effek’, by Maroela Media
Skills shortage partly to blame for lack of female CEOs, PwC survey suggests BusinessLive reports that only seven of the JSE’s top 100 companies are run by women CEOs, which highlights the glaring gender imbalance that continues to overshadow SA’s corporate sector despite efforts to ensure greater diversity at the top. Financial services firm PwC’s annual survey of listed company executive directors was released on Tuesday. It showed that though the representation of women in CEO and CFO posts had improved, women still occupied just 19% of top finance posts in June, up from 17% in 2021. Across the JSE, female CEOs constituted just 8%, up from 5% a year earlier, while CFOs sat at 22% from 17%. Among all the locally listed entities, the female representation at executive level stood at 15%, moving up slightly from 13%. The PwC survey found that there were only 53 women among the 208 new executive appointments across the JSE between January 2020 and June 2022. PwC’s research suggested that SA’s skills shortage and the bidding war for talent was contributing to the dearth of women executives, who tended to stay in their posts for shorter stretches. Female executives spent one to five years in their roles compared with the three to eight years typical of their male counterparts. But PwC said companies needed to make more effort to ensure appropriate succession planning. PwC’s Makhosazana Mabaso said employers should also ensure that conscious steps were taken to afford women, particularly those identified as future successors, with the opportunities to grow within their roles and areas of expertise. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Andries Mahlangu at BusinessLive. Read too, South Africa still making minimal progress in addressing gender gaps, at Engineering News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Cape Town domestic worker gets her job back after being fired on same day she disclosed her HIV status News24 reports that a Cape Town domestic worker, dismissed after disclosing her HIV status, will be returning to work. "I cannot wait to get back to work," Mavis Tambo reacted, adding that going back to work would be a little "awkward", but she was confident that everything would work out well. Last month, the mom of three was fired on the same day she told her employer she was HIV-positive. The 42-year-old woman approached the CCMA, which ruled that she had been unfairly dismissed. Her employer, however, had welcomed her back before the ruling was finalised. Tambo worked at a Brackenfell home for four months before informing the Carroll family about her HIV status. She made the decision to tell the family so that they could understand why she would be late for work at least once a month, to pick up her medication at the day hospital. Tambo said she understood her sacking to mean that the Carrolls likely felt she would infect them. Tambo appeared at the CCMA on 8 July, and last Monday the commission ruled in her favour. In the settlement, Tambo was reinstated with the same remuneration and new conditions include that she be given time off for counseling, and that she be allocated time to collect her medication at the clinic. Advocate Jackie Nagtegaal of ‘Law For All’ explained that in SA employees do not have to disclose their status to employers. But, if they decide to do so, the employer may not discriminate or victimise them in any way. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisalee Solomons & Adiel Ismail at News24 (subscriber access only)
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