In our Thursday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Solidarity report exposes appalling conditions under which SAPS detectives work MyBroadBand writes that a new report published by the Solidarity Research Institute (SRI) has revealed that the detective services department of the SA Police Service (Saps) is facing a disaster because it is left without little to no resources or support to conduct investigations. SRI conducted research among police detectives through an electronic questionnaire sent to its members working in the Saps Detective Services. From the 400 responses received, it deduced that detectives across the country worked in an environment where even the most basic support was lacking. SRI said detectives had to work in dreadful, untidy, and unhygienic conditions with little to no equipment at their disposal. Solidarity network coordinator and former Saps lieutenant colonel Renate Barnard said that detectives were not only overwhelmed with cases but were also slated as lazy if they complained about resource shortages. Many respondents complained about seriously obsolete computers and software, one of whom said they had to share their machine with three others. “The computer is almost 15 years old and cannot be used on the Internet,” a respondent indicated. Some respondents said they were forced to use unlicensed software on their computers. What makes matters worse is the horrific working environments in stations. SRI economic researcher Theuns du Buisson named the Pretoria Central Police Station as an example, stating it had raw sewage running down its walls. “How can anyone work in such conditions? There is no Internet, no email communication, no telephones, no stationery, no printers, no ink, no vehicles, no assistance, no fingerprint powder, no brooms, no mops and no toilet paper,” he reported. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Hanno Labuschagne at MyBroaddBand. Lees ook, Grafika: Polisiestasies val (letterlik) uitmekaar, by Maroela Media. Read Solidarity’s press statement regarding this matter and access the full report at Solidarity News 'We need more boots on the ground', says Popcru as it slams drop in police numbers SowetanLive reports that the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) wants increased technology support and more police officers, its president indicated at a central executive committee meeting this week. “Over the past few years budget cuts, poor infrastructure, a lack of resources and training, and staff shortages have reached crisis levels and are preventing our members from performing their work effectively,” Zizamele Cebekhulu-Makhaza told 800 delegates. These challenges placed police and correctional service officers at risk, he claimed. A recent 2022/23 annual performance plan reported a decline in officers from 199,345 in 2011/12 to 182,126 at the end of the 2020/21 financial year. Cebekhulu-Makhaza said: “The greatest declines were seen at police station level, where human resources decreased by 14.3% between April 2012 and July 2021. They now hold just 43.4% of ideal personnel demand requirements, or four in 10 of officers needed.” In contrast, Cebekhulu-Makhaza reported that the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA) announced a 43% increase in employed private security officers to 557,277 – nearly triple the number of SAPS members. Further interventions were needed to improve police visibility and activity on the ground, Cebekhulu-Makhaza asserted. Additionally, there were technological solutions that must be employed as one of the resources to fight crime. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sisanda Mbolekwa at TimesLIVE
Protesting Kalafong hospital staff barricade road, trash health facility News24 reports that on Wednesday, staff members at Kalafong Provincial Tertiary Hospital in Pretoria embarked on a protest which saw the facility being trashed. A large crowd gathered in front of the public hospital's gates and video footage on social media showed how protesters used burning tyres to barricade the road outside the hospital. It was still unclear by Wednesday afternoon what the protest was about. Another video, also circulating on social media, showed how the interior of the hospital was trashed, with spilled trash bins and rubbish scattered along the corridors. Gauteng health department spokesperson Philani Mhlungu said they were still waiting for communication from the facility before issuing a formal statement regarding the matter. Police officers were present to monitor the situation. Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said no violence had been reported, and no arrests had been made. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Zandile Khumalo and view the videos at News24
Worsening power crisis threatens the viability of small businesses, says Reserve Bank BL Premium reports that corporate liquidations shot up 11.8% in the year to September as insufficient and unreliable power supply caused havoc, mostly to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In its financial stability review released on Tuesday, the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) said that, combined with high interest rates and debt-serving costs, most of those companies lost their ability to service their debts and closed shop. Sustained load-shedding has been cited as one of the stumbling blocks for economic growth and investor sentiment, worsening the country’s other pre-existing vulnerabilities, the Bank indicated. Power utility Eskom, which supplies more than 90% of the country’s power, is debt-laden and its obsolete power stations constantly break down, resulting in near daily power cuts – and a break in business. SA has seen 170 days of rolling blackouts this year due to a maintenance backlog of Eskom’s ageing coal-fired power plants. “Insufficient and unreliable electricity supply is likely to threaten the viability of some corporates, especially small and medium-sized enterprises,” the Bank said, adding that this could spill over into the financial sector. Cyber attacks, climate change and global conflict also pose risks to SA’s financial stability. But Covid-19, which featured among the top concerns in the Bank’s May review, is no longer a risk due to the prevalence of less virulent variants. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Andries Mahlangu at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
More Eskom arrests as coal truck driver, supervisor apprehended at Matla power station News24 reports that a truck driver and his supervisor were arrested on Monday for allegedly swapping out good-quality coal, and delivering sub-standard product to Eskom’s Matla power station. "The arrests took place after the truck driver was found to be in possession of sub-grade coal destined for the facility. The coal swapping allegedly took place at a known illegal coal yard in the Mpumalanga area, prior to the delivery being made at the Matla power station," Eskom reported on Wednesday. The power utility said a specialist team of investigators from Bidvest Protea Coin, which is contracted to Eskom to investigate coal, diesel and fuel oil theft cases, tracked the truck as it entered and left the illegal coal yard and headed to the power station. "During questioning, the truck driver admitted to offloading the 'good-quality' coal he had received from the Arthur Taylor Colliery, located in Mpumalanga. He further alleged that he was acting on the instructions of his supervisor when he proceeded to the Rondebult coal yard to exchange the coal," Eskom indicated. The two were arrested and a case was opened with the police. This was the third major arrest in two weeks linked to efforts to steal coal and fuel from Eskom. Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Ahmed Areff at Fin24. Lees ook, Nog ’n steenkooldief vas, by Maroela Media SSA blames De Ruyter for delay over vetting of executives, but Eskom denies knowledge of timely requests for information BL Premium reports that the tussle between the State Security Agency (SSA) and parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) over the obligation of the SSA to account to the committee on its vetting of Eskom officials, remains unresolved. The SSA is now seeking legal advice on how to proceed. Parliament’s chief legal adviser, Zuraya Adhikarie, told Scopa the SSA does have an obligation to account to Scopa and if it refused to do so it could be summonsed. The SSA argues it is legally required to report only to parliament’s joint standing committee on intelligence (JSCI) and has elevated the matter to a higher authority in parliament in a bid to resolve the impasse in view of the different legal opinions. Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele, who is responsible for the SSA, and deputy minister Zizi Kodwa appeared before the committee on Wednesday. Kodwa said Eskom remained the biggest challenge in terms of vetting of officials. This was allegedly not due to the ineffectiveness of the SSA but the failure of the applicants to submit the required information. He singled out Eskom CEO André de Ruyter as having failed since June to submit information. In a response, Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said that “Eskom is not aware of any request by the SSA for any documentation [form] for the vetting process of its CEO dating back to June. Only in October 2022 did Eskom receive the vetting documents for processing by the CEO and other executives in Eskom who have been in this position since January 2020.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Protesting community healthcare workers at Sedibeng municipality finally paid SowetanLive reports that about 200 community healthcare workers of the Sedibeng district municipality, who had been camping outside municipal buildings due to non-payment, were excited as the employer finally deposited their money on Wednesday. Alina Modise, one of the 187 ward-based HIV/Aids co-ordinators contracted by the municipality who were not paid on time, said she was happy that she finally got paid as she was facing eviction. Since Monday, dozens of workers had been protesting outside the municipal building in Vereeniging, demanding payment. The group had also been sleeping there. The workers were appointed in July on 12-month contracts that run until June. They have now received their September, October and November salaries. The workers receive R3,500 every month and are responsible for raising awareness on HIV/Aids through door-to-door campaigns in areas in Sedibeng. They also carry out tasks at local clinics such as Covid-19 screening at the entrances and assist patients with collecting their medication. Municipal manager Motsumi Mathe explained: “We had a delay [in payment] this year because of outstanding data in the reports we submitted to the health department. The department picked up that there were inconsistencies in our reports. We take responsibility for not submitting all documents properly.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mpho Koka at SowetanLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
MPs run out of time to adopt NHI bill in time for the ANC’s elective conference BL Premium reports that Parliament’s health committee has run out of time to process the controversial National Health Insurance Bill in the National Assembly before the ANC’s elective conference after a key meeting with the health department was delayed. The NHI Bill is the government’s first piece of legislation in realising its plan for universal free health coverage. Two weeks ago, the committee’s chair, Kenneth Jacobs, said MPs aimed to have the bill adopted by the National Assembly before parliament rises on 6 December, a little over a week before the ANC conference begins on 16 December. At that stage, a meeting had been scheduled for input from the health department on the issues raised during public submissions and detailed deliberations by MPs on the bill. However, the meeting with the health department was postponed for a week, leaving the committee without enough time to complete its work on the bill. Its last meeting for the year is on Friday. Nicholas Crisp, the health department’s deputy director-general for NHI, said last week’s meeting with the committee had to be postponed because both he and health minister, Joe Phaahla, had been among the delegation accompanying President Cyril Ramaphosa on a state visit to the UK. “There is still a lot of work to do,” said Jacobs. Parliament would reconvene after the State of the Nation address in February and the committee should complete its work on the bill in “a month or less”, he indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
North West principal suspended for allegedly preventing 19 matric pupils from completing exam News24 reports that a principal of a North West school was suspended after she kept 19 pupils in her office at the time when they were supposed to be writing Life Sciences paper two. The principal allegedly summoned the pupils from Moreri Secondary School in Tseoge Village to her office on Monday to chastise them for missing their extra lessons over the weekend. The pupils were only let out of the principal's office 50 minutes before the exam was due to end. As a result, the pupils could not finish their examination in time. North West Department of Education spokesperson, Elias Malindi, confirmed that the incident took place. He indicated that the principal had been placed on precautionary suspension and the matter referred to the Department of Basic Education (DBE). Asked whether the pupils would be given a chance to rewrite the paper, Malindi said the provincial department would not be able to decide. "This is a national paper, so we have written a report to the Department of Basic Education and Umalusi for advice and to lead us on the directives that we should implement on such a matter," he indicated. Earlier this month, the DBE instituted disciplinary proceedings against a principal of a school in Ekurhuleni after Grade 12 pupils missed their Economics exams. The principal, from Phandimfundo Secondary School in Etwatwa, allegedly told the pupils not to show up for their exam as she feared they would fail. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Zandile Khumalo at News24 Deputy principal stripped naked and beaten after allegedly having sex with pupil, place on suspension News24 reports that the deputy principal of a school in Seleteng Ga-Mphahlele, outside Lebowakgomo in Limpopo, was placed on precautionary suspension after he allegedly had sex with a pupil. A video shared on social media shows the naked teacher standing outside the school gate, bloodied from injuries sustained during a beating. Allegedly, community members beat him after they caught him having sex with the pupil. Limpopo education department spokesperson Mike Maringa said the department was aware of the video clip. "The educator, who was allegedly assaulted, is accused of having a sexual relationship with a learner at the school where he works," Maringa confirmed. He added: “The matter is receiving urgent attention and the department is taking the allegations very seriously. The teacher is placed on precautionary suspension, pending the finalisation of the matter. We do not have a report of such happening in the school premises. It is alleged that it happened outside the school premises." SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) spokesperson Nomusa Cembi commented: "We condemn what the teacher did and understand that the parents are angry, but we are concerned that matters are dealt with violently. We would have advised parents to report the matter to the authorities, rather than take the law into their own hands." Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Nicole McCain at News24. Read too, Deputy principal accused of sleeping with pupil placed on precautionary suspension, at SowetanLive
Trial of 11 accused in Transnet corruption case, including Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama, postponed to April TimesLIVE reports that the Transnet fraud and corruption case involving about R400m has been postponed to 20 April 2023, after which it will be transferred to the High Court for trial. The 11 accused include former group CEOs Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama, former CFOs Anoj Singh and Garry Pita, and former group treasurer Phetolo Ramosebudi. They appeared in the Palm Ridge specialised commercial crimes court on Wednesday alongside Regiments Capital directors Niven Pillay and Litha Nyhonyha, former Regiments Capital shareholder Eric Wood and his employee, Daniel Roy, and Kuben Moodley, owner of Albatime. Another accused added in October is Goitseone Mangope as a representative of consulting firm McKinsey SA. It was confirmed that April 20 would be a “holding date” to be used to assess the case before parties decided on their next steps. The former executives are charged with contravening the Public Finance Management Act and fraud, while others are charged with fraud and money-laundering. The charges relate to millions Transnet paid Trillian for organising a R30bn club loan to help buy 1,064 locomotives. It was allegedly a double payment as Transnet had already paid Regiments Capital, where Wood was also a director, for the work. Trillian allegedly did nothing to earn the fee, but invoiced Transnet. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Issac Mahlangu at BusinessLive Senior Lotteries staff suspended as corruption crackdown gains momentum GroundUp reports that the crackdown on corruption at the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) is gathering momentum, with the suspension of five key staff members. One of them, Tendo Ramogoma, NLC Legal Executive, resigned soon after he was suspended a few weeks ago. The officials, who were all placed on suspension over the past few weeks, have been suspended on full pay. Their disciplinary hearings are expected to begin early next year. Acting spokesperson for the NLC, Odaho Ntsana, confirmed that five officials had been suspended and one had resigned. "Disciplinary procedures are underway," said Ntsana. This followed the earlier resignations – both with immediate effect – of former NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane and former chief operating officer Phillemon Letwaba, both of whom were facing disciplinary hearings involving Lotteries funds. Former board member William Huma also resigned last year after he was confronted with allegations of corruption on his part. Meanwhile, the SIU, which began its Lotteries investigation after the signing of a proclamation by President Cyril Ramaphosa in October 2020, will apparently apply for its term and mandate to be extended. Until now the SIU has concentrated on corruption involving Lotteries grants. If the mandate is extended, the unit will also look at tenders and service providers, and other supply chain management issues. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Raymond Joseph at GroundUp
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