In our Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Kalafong hospital staff forced to produce IDs, government condemns Operation Dudula IOL reports that Kalafong hospital staff members have also been targeted by members of the lobby organisation Operation Dudula after they were required to produce IDs proving that they were South Africans. The group has been picketing and targeting foreign nationals outside the hospital in Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria, for several days. Speaking to Radio 702, Kalafong Hospital CEO Sello Matjila said: “Our staff have no free movement. I mean even during the day, I imagine that if someone wants to go buy food just across the hospital they cannot do that any more because this group is just lurking outside the hospital.” According to Sowetan, members of the group mainly stopped women based on their “appearance and skin tone”, and also demanded to see proof of identification. The patients were also asked questions to ascertain their origin. The publication added that white people and light-skinned black people were reportedly permitted to enter the hospital freely, while dark-skinned people faced a barrage of questions to ascertain if they were South African. Last week, ‘Doctors Without Borders’ said several foreign nationals had been turned away from public hospitals in Tshwane by activists in what the non-governmental organisation called an intensifying xenophobic climate and politicisation of healthcare. Government spokesperson Phumla Williams pointed out that the actions by Operation Dudula members infringed on basic human rights and went on to say: “The victimisation of patients and hospital employees who are suspected of being foreign nationals should be condemned by all of us.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Brenda Masilela at IOL Gauteng health department will turn to courts, police to stop Operation Dudula threatening migrants at hospitals News24 reports that the Gauteng health department says it will turn to the courts and police to ensure that services at hospitals in the province are not disrupted by protesters who are opposed to the treatment of foreign nationals at health facilities. It pointed out that access to healthcare was a "fundamental human right" that was protected by the Constitution. Members of Operation Dudula have been protesting outside the Hillbrow Community Health Centre in Johannesburg and the Kalafong Hospital in Atteridgeville, Pretoria. At Kalafong Hospital, people working at the hospital reported that Operation Dudula members were turning people away. While the protesters claimed they were only asking the hospital to implement existing policies, ‘Doctors Without Borders’ reportedly claimed that Operation Dudula members were turning patients away based on their appearance and accents. Last week, the office of Gauteng's health MEC obtained an interdict preventing Puleng Tau, Lucas Makhubele, Mamohau Matime and an "unknown group of protesters" from "threatening and denying patients and employees of Kalafong Hospital access to the hospital" and the protesters were ordered to disperse. A small group of protesters returned to Kalafong Hospital on Tuesday. Police arrived later in the morning to speak to the group. A small group of protesters gathered outside the Hillbrow Community Health Centre on Tuesday. Gauteng health department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said they were aware of Tuesday’s protests, but disruptions were not taking place. Operation Dudula's Johannesburg chairperson, Siphiwe Shabangu, vowed to continue picketing outside all health facilities in Johannesburg until their demands were met. Operation Dudula has been widely criticised for promoting xenophobic sentiments and vigilantism. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ntwaagae Seleka and Alex Mitchley at News24. Read too, Dudula members bar patients from hospital based on skin tone and demand to see people's documents, at SowetanLive Operation Dudula vows to extend its anti-foreigners siege, with nationwide pickets outside clinics, hospitals SowetanLive reports that Operation Dudula members are expected to roll out their national campaign on Wednesday to force foreigners to pay for treatment received at state hospitals, while blocking undocumented ones. But the police could not outline plans to mitigate the unlawful action and instead have opted for a “wait and see” approach. On Tuesday, Dudula took to the Hillbrow Clinic in Johannesburg demanding that foreigners pay for services they received at the clinic, while at Kalafolong Hospital in Atteridgeville, Tshwane, they used a loud hailer shouting “foreigners are not allowed”, and telling them to “go back home”. Earlier this week, the hospital had been granted a court interdict to force police to stop the group from intimidating patients. Dudula national coordinator Thabo Ngayo said they would embark on a nationwide picket outside clinics and hospitals for management to bill foreign nationals who used the medical services. He added they wanted records of how many foreign nationals have been serviced this year alone. Last week a video was shared on social media where Limpopo health MEC Phophi Ramathuba went on a rant at a patient, believed to be a Zimbabwean admitted at Bela Bela Hospital, about how foreign nationals were burdening the province’s health system. This sparked Dudula's latest campaign targeted at public hospitals. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Penwell Dlamini, Nomazima Nkosi, Noxolo Sibiya & Mpho Koka at SowetanLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Unions have 21 days to decide on state’s revised 3% ‘final’ pay offer BL Premium reports that following talks at the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) on Tuesday, public service unions have 21 days to persuade their members to accept or reject the government’s revised, final offer of a 3% across-the-board wage increase. Frikkie de Bruin, general secretary of the PSCBC, said the latest offer to the more than 1.3-million public servants included a R1,000 after-tax cash gratuity to be in force until the pay agreement expired on 31 March 2023. The 3% offer – the government previously tabled a 2% hike in the cost-of-living adjustment – mirrors the recent 3% pay increase, backdated to April 2021, for ministers and deputies, premiers, MECs, MPs, MPLs, traditional leaders and judges. The Public Servants Association (PSA) and Cosatu affiliates, which initially demanded a 10% pay hike, recently trimmed their demands down to 6.5%. “Trade unions now have the opportunity to consult their members and seek mandates on the provisions of the (3%) agreement. The consultation process must be concluded within a 21-day period. The PSCBC will pronounce on the outcomes after the consultation period or as and when the agreement reaches a majority,” De Bruin indicated. Reuben Maleka of the PSA advised that employer representatives stressed in talks at the bargaining council on Tuesday that “this is their last offer”. The PSA lodged a dispute at the PSCBC in July after rejecting the government’s 2% offer and R1,000 after-tax cash gratuity. The state argued at the time that that equated to a combined 6.5%. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Soweto doctors under siege with 10 armed robberies in past five months SowetanLive reports that the Soweto Independent Practitioners Association says armed criminals are targeting private doctors and it has called for police to do more to protect general practitioners. The association has recorded 10 armed robbery cases at Soweto surgeries in the past five months. Spokesperson Brenda Sibeko said they engaged with senior Gauteng police officials after Dr George Koboka was killed at his consulting rooms in March, but no tangible measures have been implemented. Patients are also affected by crimes targeting private doctors. In June, three patients were injured when robbers, pretending to be patients, walked into a surgery in Protea Glen and demanded cellphones and money from everyone inside the practice. Several doctors have improved security features at their facilities, but the association said there was no direct line to the police patrolling affected areas. Dr Vusumuzi Nhlapo, who was shot in front of his patients in Jabulani, remarked: “The only thing I am relying on is the security features I have added, but I don’t feel safe while working in my own space.” Nhlapo added private doctors could not permanently close their practices because they cared about the communities they served. A suspect arrested in the Koboka murder case will appear in the Orlando Magistrate’s Court on 8 September. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bafana Nzimande at BusinessLive Cops increasingly becoming ‘soft targets’ for criminals The Citizen reports that according to experts, public distrust in the SA Police Service’s men and women in blue has not only fostered a sense of lawlessness, but has also made them targets for criminals. In the latest cop killing, the past weekend saw an off-duty police officer being shot in cold blood while having a haircut at a street barber in Bramley View, Johannesburg. A massive manhunt has been launched for his killer. Earlier this month, the quarterly crime statistics revealed that 10 off-duty officers and eight on-duty officers were killed from April to June in the first quarter of the financial year. But according to the statistics, there was a decrease in cop killings, with 31 murdered in the same period last year. According to figures in the police’s annual reports, on average 60% of the victims of police murders were on duty during the attacks. Security expert Dr Johan Burger reported that a recent Stats SA opinion poll indicated that the trust in and for the police decreased from about 49% to 25% during the past decade. “This undoubtedly contributes to the belief among niche communities that police officers are poorly trained and an easy target,” Burger said. Professor Jaco Barkhuizen, a criminologist and head of the department of criminology at the University of Limpopo, said because there was no trust in the police, criminals saw it as an open invitation to target police. “Especially for violent criminals, police have become soft targets, because society has lost faith in the police service. And the moment you lose faith in an institution, you lose faith in the individuals – rightly or wrongly so,” Barkhuizen argued. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Marizka Coetzer at The Citizen (subscriber access only)
Leader of ruling party in Lesotho pledges support for zama zamas SowetanLive reports that the leader of the ruling All Basotho Convention (ABC) party in Lesotho, Nkaku Kabi, has thrown his weight behind the Terene faction of the famo music gangs alleged to be behind illegal mining in SA. Addressing a rally in Butha-Buthe on Sunday, Kabi said the coalition government was supportive of Terene Famo and also criticised South Africans who accused Basotho citizens residing in SA of being behind crimes being committed on South African soil. Kabi is also a close ally of the Terene gang leader, Sarele Sello, also known as Lehlanya. A fortnight ago, thousands of irate Krugersdorp residents attacked a group of illegal miners – known in SA as zama zamas – following the gang-rape of eight women who were recording a music video at a mining dump. Police have blamed illegal immigrants, some of whom are Basotho, for the crime. Kabi, whose party is alleged to be enjoying financial support from the proceeds of illegal mining, especially during the electioneering period ahead of Lesotho’s national polls on 7 October, said he was going to ensure that the famo gangs were taken care of in all spheres of their lives. “I am holding Lehlanya’s hand because he is a Lesotho national who speaks the same language as us,” Kabi said. This was not the first time Kabi pledged his support for the famo gangs. Recently he travelled to Klerksdorp on a similar mission and has even lauded Lehlanya for recruiting more than 40,000 members for the ABC in the build-up to the elections. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Marafaele Mohloboli at SowetanLive Ramaphosa says SANDF could be called in to assist in fighting illegal mining EWN reports that speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) should remain alert, in case it was needed in the fight against illegal mining. In July, eight women were gang raped – allegedly by a group of illegal miners – in Krugersdorp on the West Rand. Police then began conducting multiple raids in the area and at least 120 people were arrested on charges relating to being in the country illegally. Police Minister Bheki Cele announced earlier this month that a specialised unit to combat the rampant crime and illegal mining of abandoned mines, west of Johannesburg, had been deployed. He said efforts were in place to improve the criminal justice system, adding that law enforcement agencies should collaborate. “The national security council agreed on further action to tackle illegal mining, and that the SANDF could be called upon to support the South African Police Service should it be required,” Cele indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Babalo Ndenze at EWN ‘We are not zama zamas’, say artisanal miners as they demand proper regulation, decriminalisation The Citizen reports that the National Association of Artisanal Miners (NAAM) on Tuesday called on members of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources to urge government to speed up legislation and decriminalise small-scale mining across the country. The committee heard from Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) and Women Mining Affected Communities United in Action (WAMUA) on issues in the mining sector, including illegal mining. Artisanal or small-scale mining is still illegal in the country. The abundance of unregulated and abandoned mines, meanwhile, has given rise to ruthless criminal syndicates mining minerals, often accompanied by violence and turf wars that spill over into bordering communities. NAAM coordinator Paps Lethoko said small scale miners condemned violence and crime, and have formed corporations in partnership with communities. He indicated that they have complied with the Department of Minerals and Energy’s requirements that they register cooperatives in order to be formalised, but were not receiving necessary assistance and support from either the department or the Minerals Council SA (previously called the Chamber of Mines). Lethoko told MPs: “There has been little or no political and practical support to ensure long term solutions are found to the current unregulated sector. The negative impact of crime, such as what happened in Krugersdorp gives all informal miners a bad name.” He said the SA Police Service (SAPS) were clueless about artisanal mining and the new (unimplemented) policy, leading to clashes as authorities considered them illegal and just another group of ‘zama zamas.’ He also called on authorities to not restrict mining permits to South Africans only. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Getrude Makhafola at The Citizen (subscriber access only) Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
No job, no food: Too soon to celebrate lower unemployment rate Moneyweb writes that the recent announcement that SA’s unemployment rate declined in the quarter to June 2022 was met with relief and a note of optimism, but even a cursory look at the figures shows that celebrations are premature. For one thing, the unemployment rate of 33.9% means that nearly eight million people are still searching for jobs – without success. If one adds the 3,568,00 discouraged work seekers to the 7,994,000 who are actively job hunting and the number rises to more than 11.56 million people who would actually like to work and improve their lot in life. Thus the expanded unemployment rate in SA is still very close to 45%, compared to the 33.9% according to the narrow definition of unemployment. The Bureau for Economic Research at Stellenbosch University noted in its weekly economic review that “even with the better job numbers, the level of total employment remains about 860,000 jobs below the pre-Covid level”. Meanwhile, surging inflation is adding to the hardship of households struggling to survive with too few breadwinners. Consumer price inflation in SA hit a 13-year high of 7.8% in July – with food inflation especially worrying. In particular, the prices of staple foods such as bread and cereals have increased sharply over the last year, by a massive 13.7%. Expectations are that inflation is bound to stay high, and specifically food inflation. Meantime, the prices of electricity and other household fuels increased by another 8.1% (off an already high base), while the 56% increase in petrol and diesel has seen soaring transport costs for people using their own cars as well as those relying on public transport. Read the full original of the excellent report in the above regard by Adriaan Kruger at Moneyweb
Gauteng government to conduct lifestyle audits and polygraph tests on officials Pretoria News reports that Gauteng Premier David Makhura has announced that all MECs and government officials in the province will have to undergo lifestyle audits and polygraph tests in order to win the fight against corruption. Makhura pointed out on Tuesday that the province was following in the footsteps of the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape, which had already conducted lifestyle audits. He advised further: “MECs will go through a process that will enable them to get a full top secret security clearance. There are two provinces that have done lifestyle audits the way president Ramaphosa has prescribed. The end process of this is that all the MEC’s will do a polygraph test.” Makhura went on to explain: “We are working with the state security agency which has completed the work they have done. The polygraph test is very important for us, it's what we call the gold standard ... to set a precedent that even when officials are appointed as MECs they must undergo the lifestyle audits that will assess their income and the fullness of their competence.” He said the polygraph tests were scheduled for September and all the MEC’s would go through the test. Makhura added that it was a decision of the Department of Public Service and Administration that the lifestyle audits must apply to all the officials in government and that they would also include the assessment of qualifications, viz.: “If you claim you have such a qualification, it will be verified. This will also include if you are involved in any crime. This will also include checking tax compliance.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mashudu Sadike at Pretoria News Despite Sace requirements, teachers with criminal records are still in classrooms TimesLive reports that there are teachers, fortunately a minority, who are active in the profession despite having a criminal record they have not disclosed. This is despite a policy since 2019 that all new teachers registering with the SA Council of Educators (Sace) must obtain and submit police clearance certificates. Schools are also legally required to do background checks on prospective educators and any other prospective employees, including sports coaches, administrators and grounds staff, to ensure they are not listed on the National Register of Sexual Offenders and the National Child Protection Register. As a result of these requirements, the number of educators undergoing criminal checks has grown by 254% since 2019. Despite the checks, the TPN Credit Bureau said its data reveals 3.6% of teachers have a criminal record and more than two-thirds of those have not declared they have a previous conviction. “It is a point of concern that around 26% of those with a conviction have more than one conviction,” the bureau noted. The top five criminal conviction types are theft (26.3%), traffic offences (20.29%), assault (15.13%), fraud (4.61%) and drug trafficking (3.95%). Convictions related to abuse and crimes of a sexual nature make up 2.63% of convictions. Part of the reason educators with criminal records are slipping through the cracks is that educators employed before the new policy was introduced in 2019 were not required to submit police clearance certificates. TPN Credit Bureau advised schools, crèches, aftercare facilities and institutions caring for mentally vulnerable individuals to conduct regular criminal checks, even on long-standing employees. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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