OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY

Cop shot dead, three others, including a security guard, wounded in shooting at Tembisa filling station

News24 reports that a police officer was gunned down and three others, including a security guard, were wounded during a robbery at a filling station in Tembisa, Johannesburg in the early hours of Thursday.   Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said the officers had responded to a robbery in progress at a filling station in Andrew Mapheto Drive. A gang of about 15 armed men had robbed the store of an undisclosed amount of money and cigarettes. As the group was about to leave, they noticed a group of police officers entering the filling station. They immediately opened fire on three members attached to the Tembisa South police station and a security guard. Three officers and a security guard sustained multiple gunshot wounds and were also disarmed off their service pistols," Mathe reported.   They injured were rushed to hospital, but one officer was declared dead. The suspects fled the scene in two vehicles.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Iavan Pijoos at News24

Unarmed, off-duty Cape Town cop shot dead near his home

News24 reports that a Cape Town Central police officer was shot and killed outside his house in Samora Machel as he returned home after a 12-hour night shift in the CBD. The 39-year-old sergeant was gunned down in Oliver Tambo Drive at approximately 06:45 on Thursday. Western Cape police spokesperson Colonel André Traut advised: "He sustained several gunshot wounds and succumbed at the crime scene. The victim was not armed with his service pistol at the time of the incident and it is still unclear whether he was killed for access to a firearm."   Samora Machel's community policing forum spokesperson, Bongani Maqungwana, said the community was shocked by the incident, and called for better protection measures to be put in place in the area. "We were not expecting this. If the criminals can even shoot cops, that means they mean business. The state must up the ante,” Maqungwana stated.   This incident followed shortly after the annual SAPS commemoration celebrations held in Pretoria on Sunday, where President Cyril Ramaphosa honoured fallen officers and their families.   More than 30 officers were killed between March 2021 and March 2022.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nonkululeko Lekoma at News24

PUTCO STRIKE

Amidst wildcat Putco strike, Labour Court to rule soon on applicability of bus industry wage deal

BL Premium reports that the Labour Court is expected to rule soon on whether Putco’s employees are entitled to a 6% wage agreement reached in 2020. This amidst a crippling wildcat strike that has halted the bus company operations in Gauteng and left over 150,000 commuters in the lurch. The company’s bus drivers downed tools eight days ago and embarked on a strike in Soweto and Pretoria, demanding that the company should implement the wage agreement. Putco was forced to stop operations after some of its buses were vandalised, with threats that they would be set alight. The company threatened to dismiss about 1,000 of its employees for taking part in the illegal strike. In March 2020, employers and unions signed a one-year 6% wage agreement at the SA Road Passenger Bargaining Council. Putco spokesperson Lindokuhle Xulu confirmed that the illegal strike was related to the nonpayment of the 6% salary increase and bonus for 2020. He advised:   “Putco applied for exemption not to pay the 6% salary increase and the bonus for 2020 due to the impact that Covid-19 had on the finances of the company.” He also reported that unions “successfully” challenged the matter in court and that Putco “has now referred the matter to the labour court for a review, because there are two rulings on it.” Xulu added that the wildcat strike has had a “huge impact” on commuters, leaving 150,000 stranded across Gauteng. Cosatu called on the management of Putco to sit down with unions to address the concerns that were currently on the table. “Employers should understand that if they fail to soberly handle this growing resentment, it will only harden attitudes and fuel the rising militancy and struggles for better wages and better working conditions,” said spokesperson Sizwe Pamla.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)

WAGE NEGOTIATIONS

With possible strike on 26 September looming, security guards demand R900 salary increase

SowetanLive reports that security officers across the country have threatened to down tools if employers don't increase their salaries by 16%, which translates to a R900 monthly wage increase every year over the next three years. SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) spokesperson Amanda Tshemese said the R900 increase would be a sacrifice: “You have security guards who are guarding buildings worth billions [of rand] but earn R4,000. Our members are being exploited and it cannot be accepted. At cash-in-transit heists the first people criminals find are security guards, they face danger head-on and employers don’t seem to understand that.” Initially, employers offered a 3.5% increase, but Tshemese said a new offer had been made by the employers, but refused to disclose how much the offer amounted to. “We have started the consultation process with our members and we are moving to other provinces to hear [their input]. If our members reject the offer we are heading to the streets on September 26,” she stated. One security guard who earns a monthly salary of R4,377 and who spends R1,400 a month on transport to commute to work, commented: “R900 won’t make the world’s difference, but it will make a bit of a difference in my family’s life. Two of my three children use transport to go to school which costs me R600 for both. I still have groceries to buy to make sure they have food when going to school.   We really do not have much because we simply cannot afford much. Food prices have gone up, petrol prices are affecting taxi fares. We can hardly make ends meet.”

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Noxolo Sibiya at SowetanLive

MINING LABOUR

Mantashe says R49bn needed for derelict mines, announces new security force to combat illegal mining

Fin24 reports that according to Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) Minister Gwede Mantashe, it would cost the government R49 billion to rehabilitate all 6,100 of the derelict mines in its database, but the department only has a budget of R140 million for that purpose.   Mantashe was addressing a National Assembly plenary debate on Thursday on the "persistent illegal mining activities and concomitant crimes". The debate came a month after the rape of eight women in Krugersdorp by suspected illegal miners. Mantashe said in SA, illegal mining was historically associated with derelict and ownerless mines and was now having an impact on operational and licensed mines.   "It is estimated that the South African economy and the mining sector lost approximately R49 billion in 2019 to illegal mining. It is further estimated that mining companies spend over R2 billion on security just to prevent these illicit activities," Mantashe indicated. He also announced that the SA Police Service (SAPS) would establish a specialised force to combat illegal mining. The new security force will be a "multi-disciplinary unit" between the SAPS and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at Fin24. Read too, Mantashe unveils plans for “specialised police unit” as government seeks to curb illegal mining, at Miningmx. And also, Hijacked by zama zamas: gun battles, bombs force closure of working gold mines, at Sunday Times (subscriber access only)

YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

Jobs and government corruption are biggest worries for SA youth

Bloomberg reports that according to a recent survey, SA youth have identified unemployment and government corruption as their biggest concerns. The worries of the 18- to 24-year-olds interviewed in SA were, on average, more pronounced than those in 14 other African nations, according to a statement released on Thursday by the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, which surveyed 300 people in SA. “Just under one in three SA youth say their country is headed in the right direction, while almost two thirds say it is on the wrong track,” the foundation reported.   This was a marked change from a 2019 survey, when almost half of those surveyed said the country was headed in the right direction. Creation of new, well-paid jobs was a top priority for 30% of SA youths, while reducing state corruption was a key focus for a quarter of South Africans.   Another priority was improving service provision. Overall the survey found that South African youths were “much less trustful” of leaders than most of those interviewed elsewhere in Africa. They also believed more strongly than most other Africans that the control of resources by foreign companies had not benefited locals and that global powers had a negative influence on the country.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Antony Sguazzin at BusinessLive

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• Youth jobs scheme back on track and targeting new industries after Covid disruption, at Engineering News

‘GIG’ WORKERS

SA ‘gig workers' see fuel costs eat into earnings and are increasingly concerned about safety

Business Insider SA reports that South Africa's 'gig workers' are under increasing strain, according to the fourth annual Fairwork report compiled by Oxford University and UCT. The report, which looked into the working conditions of these workers and ranked e-platforms on how they were treated, said there was a deterioration in conditions as well as a reduction in the rankings of the e-platforms.   These workers, who work for platforms like MrD and Uber, fall into a grey area regarding how they are classified under labour law. As they are not classified as employees, but as self-employed or independent contractors, the platforms can avoid the costs arising from employees' rights, like minimum pay, maximum hours, and paid leave. Fairwork's ranked 13 platforms like local ones SweepSouth, MrD, and M4JAM, as well as international ones like Uber, and UberEats out of 10 on their treatment of workers based on: pay, conditions, contracts, how well they are managed, and representation. It said the platforms' scores in 2022 were overall lower than last year. Of the 13, only six e-platforms (getTOD, Kandua, M4JAM, NoSweat, Picup, and SweepSouth) provided evidence that their workers were paid above the minimum wage of R23.19/hour. The drop in points is partially explained by the changes made to the report's scoring of principles of fair conditions and fair representation. The rising fuel price has had a huge impact on wages.   Fuel costs are especially onerous for gig workers in the ride-hailing and delivery sectors, as they must cover all costs associated with their work. Aside from rising costs, safety issues were also a problem with half the e-platform workers interviewed saying it was a growing concern.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Larry Claasen at Business Insider SA. Read too, E-platform workers see earnings eroded by high inflation, at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)

INFLATION / COST OF LIVING

Too early to call inflation peak, says Reserve Bank’s Lesetja Kganyago

Bloomberg reports that according to SA Reserve Bank (SARB) Governor Lesetja Kganyago, it is too early to call the peak of consumer inflation, which is running at its fastest pace in 13 years. “Until the public can see that now inflation is definitely on a downward trajectory, it is too early to call the peak,” he said in an interview on Thursday. He went on to say that until “we feel that inflation is now under control and is on a downward trajectory towards where we want, which is the mid-point of our inflation targeting range” the bank must do whatever it takes to nip inflation in the bud. Annual inflation quickened to 7.8% in July. The Reserve Bank’s monetary policy committee prefers to anchor inflation expectations close to 4.5%. Central banks across the globe are unleashing the most aggressive tightening of monetary policy in a generation to cool surging inflation and stem portfolio outflows. SA has raised its benchmark interest rate by 175 basis points this year -- with a surprise 75-basis-point increase in July being its biggest in almost two decades.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kamlesh Bhuckory at Fin24

SA consumers remain bleak over rising inflation, interest rates

Bloomberg reports that South African consumer confidence remained in the doldrums in the third quarter, weighed down by rising inflationary pressures and lending costs. First National Bank’s quarterly index measuring sentiment rose to minus 20, from minus 25 in the previous three-months, with the removal of all remaining coronavirus restrictions contributing to the marginal improvement.   The index has been negative for 13 straight quarters, the longest stretch since the series began in 1982.   “Consumer confidence in general remains very low and not conducive to healthy growth in real consumer spending.   Mounting inflationary and interest-rate pressures coupled with dismal consumer confidence point to a significant deterioration” in spending, especially on durable goods, FNB indicated.   Sentiment improved most among low-income earners, mainly due to the government extending the payment of welfare grants and increasing the number of those who were eligible.

Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Simbarashe Gumbo at Moneyweb

SUSPENSIONS

More staff at property practitioners regulator to be suspended, charged

Moneyweb reports that further senior managers and junior staff at the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority (PPRA) are set to be suspended this week, following the finalisation of a forensic investigation that confirmed fraudulent and other irregularities were committed by suspended CEO Mamodupi Mohlala. PPRA chair Steven Ngubeni confirmed this on Wednesday, adding that the forensic investigation was completed on 23 August and not only implicated Mahlala but also a number of staff members. He said none of the managers and staff implicated had yet been suspended.   Ngubeni explained that the PPRA was required to first inform Minister of Human Settlements Mmamoloko Kubayi, which it had now done. “We have received a response from the minister to say she notes the findings of the forensic report and she encourages the board to act on all the findings contained in the forensic [investigation] and to pursue its own recommendations to the minister. That is to suspend people who are implicated and charge people who are implicated and to [refer] criminal charges against some of the people who are implicated. That is the process that we are yet to begin with during the course of this week,” Ngubeni reported. He declined to mention the names of the managers and staff implicated because they have not yet been formally notified of the findings of the forensic investigation and the implications of these findings for them. PPRA board member Pamela Makhubela said the board had decided to refer criminal allegations to the law enforcement agency.   She advised that the board had to date laid charges against Mohlala and the disciplinary hearing against her commenced before she indicated that she had referred the matter to the CCMA for hearing. The CCMA is scheduled to hear the matter from 26 October 2022.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Roy Cokayne at Moneyweb

ALLEGED CORRUPTION / FRAUD

Junior accountant pleads not guilty to stealing R53.7m from her former employer MTN

SowetanLive reports that the state has given details of how a former MTN junior accountant, who had been earning R22,000 a month, allegedly stole an average of R7.6m a year from the company for seven years without being detected. On Wednesday, Ruth Moshabane pleaded not guilty to all the charges. She had made her first appearance five years ago after Standard Bank contacted MTN after noticing 90 huge transactions from the company’s bank accounts into hers. Moshabane changed lawyers about eight times, which delayed the beginning of the trial. According to the indictment submitted to the specialised criminal court in Palm Ridge, Ekurhuleni, on Wednesday, Moshabane stole R53.7m through 90 transactions made between December 2010 and April 2017, the year she was finally arrested. She allegedly moved cash from the company’s bank accounts to her two personal accounts from FNB under the false pretence that she was paying Mutual & Federal and Guardrisk Insurance for services that the companies were to render.   Moshabane had access to 76 MTN bank accounts that were used to pay vendors. During her 2017 bail hearing, the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) attached her five houses, seven vehicles and investments and froze her bank accounts.   At the time, the state said Moshabane was transferring some of the houses to relatives in a bid to conceal them.   Moshabane is out on R200,000 bail.   The case was postponed to later in September for trial.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Penwell Dlamini at SowetanLive

An effective 15 years in jail for former KZN Treasury head who ‘treasonously’ abused his position

Sunday Times reports that former KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Treasury head Sipho Shabalala has been sentenced to an effective 15 years in prison for his role in the so-called “amigos case”, involving the award of a R44m contract for water purification plants by the provincial government. In June this year, Judge Dhaya Pillay found Shabalala, 56, guilty of corruption, fraud, money laundering and contravening the Public Finance Management Act. On Thursday she handed down sentences amounting to 45 years, but ordered that they run concurrently with the 15 years she imposed for corruption. Pillay said she had considered a heavier sentence but had “restrained herself”, given Shabalala's age and health. She likened the offences, which involved funds destined for the alleviation of poverty, to “treason”. Shabalala immediately applied for leave to appeal his conviction and sentence.   Pillay said she would hear argument on this on Tuesday and extended his bail until then. He was arrested with 22 others, including ANC heavyweights Mike Mabuyakhulu and Peggy Nkonyeni, in 2010 in what became known as the “amigos case” – a reference to how the accused referred to each other in correspondence. The contract for the supply of water purification plants was given to Cape Town-based businessman Gaston Savoi's Intaka Holdings and the money came from the poverty relief fund.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tania Broughton at Sunday Times (subscriber access only)