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 Thursday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Cosatu, Saftu protest in major centres on Wednesday over soaring cost of living BL Premium reports that hundreds poured into the streets of Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria on Wednesday to demand that policymakers address the mounting cost of living. The largely peaceful demonstrations coincided with the release of data showing consumer inflation surged to a 13-year high of 7.8% in July. The rallies, organised by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) were the first mass protests against the government of President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose efforts to lift the floundering economy have been dealt a blow by Covid-19 restrictions and the slow pace of pushing the structural reforms that economists say are critical to putting millions into jobs and reducing poverty. Singing and waving placards reading “No to high food price”, “Stop taxing basic food items” and “High electricity pricing kills the poor”, hundreds of people wearing red T-shirts descended on the Union Buildings to hand over a list of demands. Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, received a list of demands from the leaders of Cosatu and Saftu. Saftu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, who co-led the march, called on the government to set aside at least R1-trillion, or one-fifth of GDP, to address the socioeconomic crises dogging the country. Meantime, analysts say the continued breach of the SA Reserve Bank’s inflation target of 3%-6% will raise even more pressure on the Bank to aggressively continue tightening monetary policy, which means it is likely to deliver another repo rate hike of 75 basis points (bps) at the next monetary policy committee meeting in September. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thuletho Zwane & Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Lees ook, Regering ‘neem kennis’ van massastakers se eise, by Maroela Media Saftu, Cosatu vow Wednesday’s national shutdown just the beginning of mobilisation for their demands News24 reports that according to the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), its national shutdown on Wednesday alongside the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) was just the beginning of worker mobilisation against SA’s dire economic state. The shutdown was in protest against load shedding, unemployment and the rising cost of living. While shutdown activities in Cape Town saw only a small crowd of a few hundred protesters, Saftu blamed this on dysfunctional public transport. Saftu president Ruth Ntlokotse demanded that the government should increase the national minimum wage to R72 per hour, introduce a basic income grant of R1,500 and scrap the government's 2% wage increase offer at the ongoing public service wage talks. She also demanded that the government should fill all vacancies in schools, hospitals, and police stations and that there should be a cap on fuel prices and interest rate hikes. In Tshwane, union members marched to the Union Buildings where a memorandum was handed over to Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele. While the march started with no more than 300 people, it later grew as the crowds made their way to the Union Building lawns and between 2,000 and 5,000 people eventually turned up. Cosatu leaders said they were happy with the turnout. Before addressing the crowds, there appeared to be a spat between Saftu and Cosatu leaders over how the programme would be run. At one point Saftu gathered separately from Cosatu and its affiliated unions. Eventually, the unions merged and the crowds were addressed. As each speaker took the podium, the message was the same, namely that the ANC government had failed the working class and the cost of living was too high. After receiving the memorandum, Gungubele praised the unions for a peaceful and disciplined march. But, some union members who were present started shouting at and berating the minister. The briefing had to be stopped and moved to another location. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Alex Mitchley & Khulekani Magubane at News24. Read too, 'Ramaphosa will be the death of us,' say protesters as they threaten more action if demands are not addressed, at TimesLive At 7.8%, consumer inflation hit 13-year high in July, driven mainly by rising food and fuel prices Fin24 reports that driven mainly by food and fuel prices, annual consumer inflation accelerated to 7.8% in July, up from the already-high 7.4% in June, to reach another 13-year high. On a monthly basis, the consumer price index (CPI) rose by 1.5% between June and July this year. According to Statistics SA, this was only the fourth time since 2008 that the monthly increase was 1.5% or higher. Annual food inflation rose by 9.7% in July, from 8.6% in June. Bread and cereals prices were 13.7% higher than a year ago. Between June and July, there were large monthly price hikes reported in a range of products, including, maize meal (4.2%), cake flour (6.3%), macaroni (5.0%) and white bread (2.8%). But rice prices fell by more than 3%. Oils and fats saw the biggest price hikes – up 36% in July from a year ago. In July, fuel prices were hiked by more than 10%. This hit transport prices in particular, with taxi fares up 9% in a single month. Taxi fares were 16% higher than a year ago. Petrol was 56% more expensive than it was a year before. The latest consumer inflation rate reflected the annual increase in municipality service tariffs, as adjusted in July every year. Electricity tariffs increased on average by 7.5% – which was lower than last year’s rise of 13.8% but higher than the 2020 increase of 6.3% Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Fin24. See too, Consumer inflation hits 13-year high, at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). En ook, Inflasie nou nóg hoër, maar verligting kom, by Maroela Media Index shows basket of groceries costs R500 more than it did a year ago TimesLive reports that the latest Household Affordability Index, compiled by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group (PMBEJD), shows South Africans are paying nearly 13% more for food compared with this time last year. A year ago the average cost of the household food basket, comprising 44 basic items, was R500 less than today. The index tracks food price data from 44 supermarkets and 30 butcheries in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg and Springbok in the Northern Cape. Released on Wednesday, the index shows the average cost of the basket increased by R534.47 (12.6%) from R4,241.11 in August 2021 to R4,775.59 in August 2022. PMBEJD’s Mervyn Abrahams commented: “The high cost of food remains a major crisis for millions of SA families and continues to frustrate people’s need to ... afford proper nutritious food, be healthy and well, and in control of their future.” Abrahams went on to say that progress in addressing the jobs crisis was too slow, adding that for the employed, salaries were being decimated by higher transport, electricity and food costs. In July, municipalities increased the price of prepaid electricity on average by 7.47%. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Suthentira Govender at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Labour office in Makhado closed due to health concerns arising from shortage of water The Department of Employment and Labour in Makhado, Limpopo, has closed after it was issued with a prohibition notice following a shortage of water for three consecutive weeks. The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Inspector closed the office under the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1993, prohibiting the continuing use of the building effective immediately. “The office was closed due to an unpleasant odour emanating from the ablution facilities. There has not been water in the office for some time, which poses serious health risks to the officials and clients,” the department said in a statement on Monday. Acting Provincial Chief Inspector, Reckson Tshishivheli, said the department was aware of the inconvenience that the closure would cause to its clients, however, the health and safety of clients and staff remained a priority. Tshishivheli advised that citizens could in the meantime visit the nearest labour centre in Thohoyandou (UIF Building, next to BP Garage and Musina Corner DS Hendrico and Irwin Streets). Read the full original of the report in the above regard at SANews.gov.za
Amathole strike had a serious effect on health services The Citizen reports that the recent strike by employees of the Amathole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape has had a serious impact on service delivery. The impact was particularly felt by the provincial department of health. According to spokesperson for the department, Siyanda Manana, the situation came to a point where toilets were unable to flush. “Other problems we encountered ranged from our hospital staff not being able to cook on time, the sterilisation of equipment as well as the washing of hands to ensure infection control,” Manana indicated. Speaking on behalf of the employees, Luzuko Yalezo from the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) said they only suspended their strike action after their previous meeting when the employer presented a wage offer of 6.25%. “On Wednesday the 24th there’s another meeting which we hope it will finalise things but if that meeting has no positive results and there’s no implementation of 6.25% on payday (25 August) then workers will be left with no choice but to go back on the strike action,” Yalezo warned. Yalezo said employees had not received salary increases since 2020, hence they decided to embark on industrial action. MEC for the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Xolile Nqatha, condemned the violent unprotected strike by the municipality staff. The department also blamed some of its striking employees for the recent water crisis. When approached for comment, the district municipality’s spokesperson Nonceba Madikizela-Vuso said as far as they are concerned, the strike was over. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Stephen Tau at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Zama zamas flock by the hundreds to disused West Coast concessions once owned by Trans Hex and De Beers Fin24 reports that hundreds of illegal diamond miners are operating on the West Coast concessions once owned by Trans Hex and De Beers, according to Trevor Fowler, interim CEO of Alexkor. The leadership of the state-owned diamond company was in Parliament to answer questions about its financials for the year to end March 2021. Fowler said that in the past month and a half, police had arrested about 400 illegal miners and confiscated their equipment. He told the oversight committee on public enterprises that while incidents of illegal mining in Alexkor's own concessions were on the decrease, they still took place. Fowler explained that the number of incidents of illegal mining on Alexkor land had fallen since 2020 after security was beefed up, but the same could not be said for concessions previously owned by mining companies Trans Hex and De Beers, which had both ceased mining in the area. Alexkor was aware of the movement of illegal miners to concessions formerly owned by De Beers, as they tended to cross Alexkor's land to access it. Fowler, who was named Alexkor's interim CEO in March following the resignation of Lemogang Pitsoe, told MPs that the group was in a very difficult financial situation. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jan Cronje at Fin24 (subscriber access only)
ANC claims it’s making progress on unemployment, although jobs for youth ‘remain a big concern’ SowetanLive reports that according to ANC chairperson of economic development Mmamoloko Kubayi, tangible progress is being made to address the issue of unemployment. She was reacting to Stats SA's Quarterly Labour Force Survey covering the second quarter of the year, which showed a slight 0.6% drop in the unemployment rate. Unemployment decreased to 33.9% in the second quarter from the 34.5% recorded in the first quarter. Kubayi said the ANC was encouraged by the figures, while noting that the rate of unemployment was still “unacceptably high”. “Although both unemployment and employment increased among the youth, there was a net decrease in youth unemployment rate by 1.3 percentage points in the second quarter. However, youth unemployment remains a big concern. We will ensure that the ANC-led administration sustains this progress across all sectors of our economy,” she commented. Kubayi said the ANC would continue to mobilise society around an infrastructure-led recovery with new investments in energy; water and sanitation; roads and bridges; human settlements; health and education; digital infrastructure; and public transport. “To achieve significant job creation multipliers, the emphasis will be on localisation, including maximising the use of South African materials and construction companies as well as labour-intensive method,” she explained. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nomazima Nkosi at SowetanLive
Multiple workplace problems, including sex-for-jobs allegations, plague Lenasia South Hospital EWN reports that decades of neglect at Lenasia South Hospital in Gauteng has forced workers to take to the streets, over what they have described as a collapse of management which is putting patient care at risk. Sex for jobs, security threats, nepotism, and absenteeism are some of the issues allegedly plaguing the facility. Apparently, garbage is piling up and has not been collected timeously at the facility, while bathrooms have been left unattended. The Democratic Alliance (DA) conducted an oversight visit to the hospital and said concerns over the exploitation of cleaners and allegations of nepotism at the health facility have fallen on deaf ears and continued to affect the rendering of healthcare services to the community. The DA’s Nicola du Plessis said: “It is alleged that within this hospital, there is nepotism, fraud, sex for jobs, and decayed infrastructure – that all contribute towards bad service delivery and healthcare for the community. We will continue to monitor the situation and support the community in this plight”. Read the original of the report in the above regard by Veronica Mokhoali at EWN
Labour Court orders reinstatement of two SARS executives TimesLive reports that the Labour Court has ordered the reinstatement, with backpay, of two SA Revenue Service (SARS) executives dismissed in 2017 after questioning the “restructuring” process. The court said their sin was to question the integrity of the restructuring by then commissioner Tom Moyane, with management consulting firm Bain & Company as service provider. One of the women blew the whistle on the alleged unlawful appointment of Bain at SARS. The positions of Hope Mashilo and Tshebeletso Seremane were downgraded after the restructuring in August 2015 and the two women were ordered to accept positions which were not in the approved “new structure” introduced by Bain. The employees repeatedly asked for information about the positions being “dictated” to them, which entailed them doing no meaningful work, but no information was forthcoming. The employees refused to accept the positions and this prompted Moyane to inform them that they must either accept the positions or face dismissal. The employees were dismissed due to “operational requirements” in terms of a section in the Labour Relations Act. They then challenged their dismissals and sought reinstatement. In addition, Mashilo sought an order to declare her dismissal automatically unfair due to a protected disclosure she made in terms of the Protected Disclosures Act. In a judgment handed down on Monday, acting judge of the Labour Court Smanga Sethene said SARS had failed to justify the dismissal of Mashilo and Seremane for operational reasons. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLive. Read too, Court victory for SARS whistleblower, at GroundUp
How public servants, and even departments, play the discipline system BL Premium reports that parliament heard on Wednesday that some public servants were manipulating disciplinary processes in a bid to avoid accountability, thereby costing the state millions of rand. The Department of Public Service & Administration (DPSA) told MPs that some employees in the public service deliberately pushed for disciplinary cases to be deferred, taking advantage of the fact that there were no limits to postponements. DPSA officials said there was an urgent need to review legislation governing disciplinary cases. In the 2021/2022 financial year, 229 employees at national departments were placed under precautionary suspension at a cost of R23m, while 193 public servants at provincial level were suspended, costing the state at least R81.4m. In a briefing on challenges regarding disciplinary cases, particularly those involving senior managers, DPSA director-general Yoliswa Makhasi explained: “The system as it is configured has a number of loopholes and those officials would understand those loopholes ... what they do is also forum shopping, [meaning] whilst there is a disciplinary case happening in the department, they will go to the public protector, and they will go to the bargaining council to lodge disputes and grievances and these things tend to delay cases.” She highlighted that in some cases it was the departments that played the system to get rid of unwanted employees: “Sometimes when the employer has no case, but they do not want the person to be in the organisation [for whatever reason], they continuously postpone the case.” Also, cases against senior managers were often hampered by reluctance of subordinates to testify against seniors for fear of victimisation. Furthermore, unwarranted use of legal representation in cases that were not complex often prolonged precautionary suspensions. The department indicated that the rules governing disciplinary cases could be reviewed by the next financial year. DPSA Deputy Minister Chana Pilane-Majake said: “Our concern is the number of suspensions ... people sitting at home and government actually providing lots of money on a monthly basis, figures which are concerning.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bekezela Phakathi at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Acting DPSA minister Thulas Nxesi places special adviser on special leave amid allegations of impropriety News24 reports that the acting minister of the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), Thulas Nxesi, has granted his special adviser Dr Alex Mahapa a 60-day leave of absence to allow him to respond to serious allegations against him and clear his name. This came after recent media allegations that Mahapa acted in conflict of interest during his tenure as deputy director-general in the Department of Military Veterans. Investigative journalism unit amaBhungane implicated Mahapa as having played a hand in contentious investment in empty land located on the N12 highway between Klerksdorp and Stilfontein worth in excess of R600 million. In response to a letter from Mahapa dated 17 August 2022, Nxesi wrote: “You brought to my attention a media article wherein you were accused of allegedly acting in conflict of interest to either enrich yourself or prejudice the state, in 2016 during your employment as deputy director-general in the Department of Defence and Military Veterans.” He added that although Mahapa had assured him that the allegations leveled against him "were baseless and devoid of any truth", the government needed to hold a “zero tolerance approach towards financial impropriety”. “In my current political oversight of the DPSA as its acting political head, I view allegations levelled against you in a serious light regardless of the fact that activities giving rise to the alleged misconduct happened before I employed you as my special adviser,” said Nxesi. The minister said he reserved his right to review Mahapa’s leave conditions and employment status if Mahapa failed to clear his name to Nxesi’s satisfaction at the end of the 60 days. Mahapa has denied any wrongdoing. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Juniour Khumalo at News24
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