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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PSA to consult members on government's improved 3% wage offer TimesLive reports that the Public Servants Association (PSA) on Wednesday said it welcomed the revised wage offer by the government of 3% for public servants. Parties to the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) met on Tuesday, where a draft agreement was tabled for consideration. In terms of the revised offer, the employer would increase the pensionable salaries of all employees on salary levels one to 12 by 3% between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023. The employer also offered to continue to pay a non-pensionable cash allowance of R1,000 until 31 March 2023. Earlier in August, the PSA, which represents more than 235,000 public sector employees, declared a dispute in respect of the 2022/23 wage negotiations. The parties agreed to a facilitation process, which led to the latest offer. The PSA commented: “Although the offer on the baseline alone is not close to the inflation rate, the PSA is of the opinion that the continued payment of the cash allowance will provide much-needed financial relief to employees who had to bear the brunt of the high cost of living in recent months whilst awaiting the negotiation processes to be concluded.” The trade union said it would embark on a mandate-seeking process to determine if the offer was acceptable to its members. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLive
Football Players Union worried about PSL players becoming victims of crime because of their perceived wealth The Citizen reports that in the past year, four Premier Soccer League (PSL) players have been victims of car hijacking and robbery and the SA Football Players Union (Safpu) is concerned that its members may be targeted because they are believed to be earning good money. Safpu president Thulakganyo Gaoshubelwe said in an interview that they had noted with concern the recent incidents. He indicated: “It is worrying and we have noted them. But we know that crime is a serious problem in the country that needs to be taken seriously. We worry when ordinary South Africans become victims of crimes and it is even worse for us when it happens to our players. It is worrying because their lives are in the public eye and they are seen as people who are well off and could be targeted because of that.” Former Kaizer Chiefs and now Sekhukhune United midfielder Willard Katsande is one of the PSL players who have been victims of crime in recent months – and it has happened twice. The first incident was a road rage related incident where his car was damaged in a fight with another road user. Katsande suffered some cuts and bruises in the incident. In the second incident he was hijacked around the Southgate area where he was meeting clients. Shortly after that, another PSL player, Melusi Buthelezi of TS Galaxy also became a victim of a hijacking. His incident happened in Soweto in February. After that it was Orlando Pirates’ Vincent Pule who was hijacked in Riverlea. And just a few weeks ago, former Chiefs defender Sibusiso Mabilso was also hijacked. “We have already started campaigns to alert our players that they should be vigilant at all times and be aware of their surroundings,” said Thulakganyo. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sibongiseni Gumbi at The Citizen (subscriber access only)
Sale of mineworkers’ Ubank to African Bank could hamper transformation in banking sector Business Report writes that the sale of Ubank, the mineworkers’ bank that is SA’s solely black-owned private bank, to African Bank may come as a huge blow to attempts to transform the country’s banking sector. African Bank, whose shareholders include large commercial banks, recently revealed that it was a successful bidder to acquire part of the Ubank, which has been under curatorship since May this year. African Bank would pay R80 million to buy the assets of the mineworkers’ bank. Earlier this year, the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) announced that it would soon be selling sell its 50% shareholding in African Bank to avoid a conflict of interest as the SARB, as the regulator, could not be both a referee and a player. The SARB acquired this share after African Bank was placed under curatorship in 2014. Recently there has been growing concern about black people being deprived of ownership in the financial sector. This is because all major banks are largely white-owned. The history of Ubank reflects that it was established to counter the reluctance of major banks to accommodate mineworkers. In the early 1990s, the Godsell Motlatsi Commission led to the commercialisation of the institution, which was granted a banking licence in June 2000 under the name Teba Bank, with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Chamber of Mines of SA being the trustees. In 2010 it was renamed Ubank. SA Reserve Bank (SARB) governor Lesetja Kganyago recently told Parliament’s standing committee on finance that the central bank would not take part in financially rescuing Ubank or Ithala. Kganyago was responding to a question posed by committee chairperson Joseph Maswanganyi about the plight of the two black-owned banks and transformation in the financial sector. Kganyago said SARB’s intervention into the bank’s affairs was, according to the law, limited to protecting depositors’ interests. “We do not have the regulatory strategy that says we have got to prevent banks from failing because we do not have the ability to prevent them from failing,” he pointed out. Kganyago said “banks can fail” and, if that happened, the SARB had a responsibility to make sure that they did not take with them the assets of the depositors “meaning that the depositors’ interest must be protected”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bongani Hans at Business Report Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Operation Dudula supporters threaten to bar foreign national from hospitals nationwide Pretoria News reports that Operation Dudula supporters picketing outside Kalafong hospital in Atteridgeville on Tuesday threatened to roll out their action across the country. The group said their campaign would seek to prevent suspected foreigners from assessing medical treatment from other hospitals. For almost three weeks, protesters have been hurling threats against foreigners and stopping them from using the health-care centre. On Friday, the Department of Health obtained a court interdict from the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ordering them to disperse from the facility. However in defiance of the interdict, about 10 people picketed again on Tuesday outside the hospital. Police were called but they only read out a court interdict to the group and left. Operation Dudula representative Dan Radebe said: “We are rolling out the campaign throughout the country from today (Tuesday) and we are carrying on.” He claimed supporters of the operation were on standby to picket outside various hospitals. “All that we are fighting for is for people to respect our laws,” Radebe claimed. ‘Doctors Without Borders’ in SA has expressed worries that protests preventing patients, including migrants, from accessing medical care smacked of xenophobia. The organisation said that through its operations in Tshwane it had recorded several cases where migrants with a legitimate right of access to health had been denied care. Radebe commented: “We understand that they have a code of ethics to save lives. We are not against that. But upon discharging those illegal migrants – do you discharge them on to the street or as the CEO do you summon the police and immigration (officers) to hand them over.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Rapula Moatshe at Pretoria News. Read too, Dudula vows to extend its anti-foreigners siege, at SowetanLive. And also, Voetsek Dudula! EFF calls out members for turning away 'illegal' foreigners at Kalafong Hospital, at TimesLive
At 9.7% in July, Food inflation in SA hit its highest level in six years Engineering News reports that according to the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP), South African food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation hit 9.7%, in year-on-year (y-o-y) terms, in July. This was the highest level since the severe drought in the country during 2016 and 2017. However, the South African figure is still noticeably behind the y-o-y food inflation rates for Zambia (11.3%) and Kenya (15.3%). In month-on-month (m-o-m) terms, South African food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation in July was up 1.1%. The sector contributed 1.7 percentage points to the consumer price index y-o-y headline inflation figure of 7.8%. The price of the BFAP’s ‘Thrifty Healthy Food Basket’ (THFB) came to R3,261 a month. This was 11%, or R329, up in y-o-y terms, and 2.4%, or R76, more in m-o-m terms. The THFB is composed of a nutritionally-balanced selection of 26 food items and is designed to feed a family of two adults, one older and one younger child, for a month. “Our view is that food inflation is close to peaking – if the July figures were not at the peak already,” the BFAP observed. There were, however, issues of concern, such as whether or not the current ban of cattle transport within SA – to try and prevent the spread of food-and-mouth disease – would be extended beyond its initial three-week period. Should the ban be extended, the supply of beef would be constrained, driving up prices. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News
In its battle for survival, Denel eyes tensions in Europe and elsewhere BL Premium reports that Denel, the broke state-owned arms manufacturer on the brink of collapse, has suggested that instability in Europe and elsewhere due to the Ukraine war could drive its recovery as countries move to boost their defence capabilities. Briefing a joint meeting of parliament’s public enterprises committee and the select committee on Denel’s poor financial position, company executives highlighted that the geopolitical instability in Europe and other parts of the world could give impetus to significant defence industry requirements. Denel, one of many parastatals struggling to recover from state capture, had huge losses in recent years and is struggling to meet its financial obligations, including paying suppliers and staff. The latter led to a mass exodus of skilled personnel that further weakened its ability to deliver on key revenue-generating projects. Denel CEO William Hlakoane told MPs there was still significant interest in the company’s “battle-proven intellectual property”. “Despite its financial difficulties, there is still appetite by numerous countries and companies to acquire Denel’s products or form deeper strategic relationships,” he claimed. Hlakoane said Denel should be able to restore critical capabilities by either attracting skills directly or through support of the local industry. Some MPs scoffed at Denel’s submission, saying it was scant on detail and nothing more than a wish list. “Denel cannot fulfil its order book, no matter how big that order book is ... we have no detail of what is going to come in, what is going to be addressed,” said DA MP Ghaleb Cachalia, pointing to the mass exodus of skilled staff frustrated by the lack of financial security. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bekezela Phakathi at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Over a quarter of SA's senior government managers aren't qualified – and it's really bad in the police Business Insider SA reports that thousands of senior managers in SA’s public service do not have the qualifications required for the positions that they currently hold. On a national level, the police department is the worst offender. At the start of 2022, more than 25% of senior government managers "did not have the requisite qualifications for the positions that they occupied," according to Thulas Nxesi, acting minister of public service and administration. This was revealed in response to a parliamentary question delivered in May. Nxesi, when quizzed by DA MP Martha Gondwe, confirmed that a total of 2,412 out of 9,309 senior managers did not have their qualifications reflected on Persal, the government's Personnel and Salary System. Nxesi, however, added that "there might be SMS [senior management] members who possess proper qualifications, but such are not reflected on the Persal system." Despite subsequent Persel updates, the level of unqualified senior managers has barely budged. This was revealed during the latest round of questioning by Gondwe. Roughly half of the unqualified senior managers can be found in national departments. Of all national departments, the police recorded the highest number of unqualified senior managers, totalling 214 and accounting for 9% of all those defined as not having proper qualifications. The civilian secretariat for police service, on the other hand, had one of the lowest numbers of unqualified senior managers, recording only two as of the start of May. The department of justice and constitutional development also performed poorly, with 144 senior managers not having the requisite qualifications for the positions that they occupied. Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Luke Daniel at Business Insider SA
Newly amended Employment Equity Act to come into effect in September 2023 Engineering News reports that the amended Employment Equity (EE) Act, which empowers the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) Minister to regulate sector-specific EE targets and to regulate compliance criteria to issue EE Compliance Certificates, is expected to come into force on 1 September 2023. The EE Amendment Bill 2020 was passed by Parliament on 27 May, but must still be assented to and signed into law by the President. According to DEL acting deputy director-general Thembinkosi Mkalipi, the signing of the Bill by President Cyril Ramaphosa is imminent and is expected to take place between now and the beginning of 2023. Organisations that do business with the State will have to be in good standing when it comes to compliance with EE. Engagements on the setting of sector-specific EE targets started from June 2019 and will be completed by the end of September. The DEL will, in due course, publish the list of sector targets for public comment. Mkalipi indicated: “The implication for employers is that if you have an EE plan in place it will be affected by the setting of targets and you will have to revisit your targets.” He noted that 18 sectors have so far been consulted on the setting of EE targets, while the remaining sectors to be consulted between now and the end of September include mining and quarrying; public administration and defence, manufacturing, information and communication; and construction and real estate. Mkalipi reported that a new EE online assessment system would be created to monitor the implementation of sector targets, with assessments to be done yearly. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News
Makhura’s threat of polygraph testing for MECs nothing but a scare tactic, says legal expert The Citizen reports that Gauteng premier David Makhura’s promise to subject all members of the provincial executive council to polygraphs for full security clearance to ensure their “integrity” has been dismissed as a “scare tactic” by a legal expert. According to Makhura, polygraph tests are in line with the lifestyle audits conducted by the State Security Agency (SSA). All MECs have already complied and cooperated with the SSA during the first phase lifestyle audits. Makhura indicated about the second phase: “The polygraph test is a gold standard for us. We plan to set a precedent where, even when people have been appointed to positions, [they] should undergo this process. We are not aware what the polygraph questions will be. It is science. It is already a policy of the department of public service and administration. A polygraph test is done by state security to check the consistency of responses.” However, advocate Mannie Witz said polygraph tests were just a “scare tactic”, which could not be used against someone in a court of law. Witz pointed out that if a polygraph test was conducted following lifestyle audits, it would only determine correspondence or not with the type of question asked. “Polygraph tests are done to pick up a reaction following a question. It will not give you the exact answer. It is an indication but not conclusive proof,” he noted. Democratic Alliance Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga questioned that Makhura would not say which MECs had undertaken lifestyle audits and had been found wanting. According to Msimanga, the exercise could simply be a public relations stunt. According to Makhura, lifestyle audits would also be introduced for all managers of departments and not just senior managers. The provincial government would prioritise those “who enjoy the biggest slice of the budget”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lunga Simelane at The Citizen
Government officials hamstrung by corruption rules, says Treasury’s Momoniat Bloomberg News reports that according to the acting head of the National Treasury, SA needs to review the way it is tackling corruption to ensure it does not impede officials from delivering services and doing their jobs. The current approach was geared toward implementing overly restrictive rules, rather than agreeing on a set of principles to determine how money was spent, Ismail Momoniat indicated in a speech on Tuesday. He also said the country should consider making it illegal for public office bearers to be involved in procurement. Graft became endemic during former president Jacob Zuma’s almost nine-year rule, with the government estimating that more than R500 billion was stolen from its coffers. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who succeeded Zuma in 2018, has said that tackling the scourge is a top priority, including tightening up on procurement processes. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Prinesha Naidoo at Fin24 Hawks arrest two social development employees for alleged theft of diesel meant for generators at places of safety The Citizen reports that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) has arrested two Department of Social Development employees, namely Sipho Dikhobe and Reinet Gamede, for allegedly stealing diesel meant to refuel backup generators at safe homes around Johannesburg. According to Captain Lloyd Ramovha, between March 2019 and February 2021, Dikhobe, who was employed as a project officer, saw a gap to make money by allegedly stealing diesel. “He continually procured diesel for the places of safety backup generators despite the fact that those generators were not operational at the time. Gamede, who is a driver, would be in the company of Dikhobe during these illegal activities that resulted in them profiting just over R1 million,” Ramovha reported. The Hawks’ investigation, which commenced in October 2021, culminated in the duo being arrested. They have appeared in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, where the case was postponed to 28 September 2022. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Work on Cape Town’s Central Line temporarily suspended after allegations of attempted extortion Cape Argus reports that work on Cape Town’s Central Line has been temporarily halted following allegations of attempted extortion by gangsters. Bonteheuwel councillor Angus McKenzie reported that the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) decided to temporarily suspend work being conducted on the Central Line following an incident on Monday morning in which alleged gangsters violently accosted and chased workers off-site. McKenzie said: “Yesterday (Tuesday) morning I met with Prasa officials and the SAPS (SA Police Service) regarding the incident. To ensure the safety of staff and the surrounding communities, a decision was taken to halt operations. This step was taken not to appease gangsters and extortionists but to make sure that those staff members are safe.” McKenzie said over the next few days, Prasa and the SAPS would put in place a detailed security plan after which work on the line would restart. He added: “We will not be held ransom by gangsters, nor will we allow gangsters to assume control of our projects and communities.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nomalanga Tshuma at Cape Argus
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