In our roundup of weekend news, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that appeared since
Friday, 24 February 2023.
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Eskom appoints CFO Calib Cassim as interim CEO after De Ruyter's early exit News24Wire reports that Eskom announced on Friday that the power utility’s chief financial officer (CFO) Calib Cassim has been appointed as interim CEO following the abrupt departure of André de Ruyter. De Ruyter was initially set to leave Eskom at the end of March, but late on Tuesday night it was announced that he was out with immediate effect. This followed an explosive television interview in which De Ruyter said a "senior politician" was involved in corruption at Eskom. Cassim has been with Eskom since 2001, and was a former head of the utility's regulation department. He became CFO in 2018, replacing Anoj Singh. Singh, formerly a Transnet executive, is currently out on bail following charges of corruption during his time at the rail company. Cassim is a registered Chartered Accountant and holds a Master’s degree in Business Leadership (MBL). Eskom's chief operating officer, Jan Oberholzer, retires in April after five years in the job. Earlier this month, the Eskom board said it planned to scrap the COO position. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly. See too, Eskom appoints Calib Cassim as acting CEO, at Moneyweb Eskom denies tipping into Stage 8 loadshedding last week, but confirms revised framework could go up to Stage 16 Mining Weekly reports that Eskom has denied having implemented either Stage 7 or Stage 8 loadshedding last week, during which it reported power cuts exceeding 7,000 MW over some evening peaks. Each stage of loadshedding typically equates to 1,000 MW. Acting generation executive Thomas Conradie confirmed that there had indeed been a risk of exceeding Stage 6 during the week, when high levels of unplanned outages were further amplified by the shutting of all but one of the six units at the normally reliable Lethabo power station for a period. Supply was constrained further by a disruption to 600 MW of imports from Cahora Basa, in Mozambique, owing to a collapse of a transmission tower north of Pretoria. However, Conradie insisted that Stage 6 had not been exceeded. He confirmed, however, that a review of the loadshedding framework was under way to prepare for the prospect of higher stages of loadshedding in future. Apparently the new framework, which is still being drafted, could include up to 16 stages of loadshedding. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly Other internet posting(s) in this news category
City Power ropes in JMPD to escort technicians when restoring power in hotspot gang areas News24 reports that City Power has called on the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) to escort technicians and operators into hotspot gang areas when repair works are being done. Technicians have been deployed to Hursthill areas, which include Westbury, Claremont and the surrounds, to deal with outage backlogs. City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said they were cautious about the safety of employees, but teams continued to respond to outage calls. "On Sunday, the outage calls from Hursthill Service Delivery Centre were reduced to only 192, with 90 of those [calls coming in] over the past 24 hours," Mangena indicated. The CEO of City Power, Tshifularo Mashava, and local councillors were out over the weekend to assure residents that their concerns were being addressed. He said: "We apologise about the panic created by our curtailment informed by the concerns of violence. Should there be further threats, the JMPD has agreed to escort our teams to ensure there are no disruptions to [the] power supply." The leader of the Patriotic Alliance, Gayton Mackenzie, was in Westbury to provide assistance to City Power and to "ensure the ongoing gang violence in the area doesn't interrupt essential service delivery". Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisalee Solomons at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Alleged 'illegal mining kingpin' linked to R1.2-million chrome bust in 2022 arrested by Hawks News24 reports that an alleged "illegal mining kingpin" appeared on Thursday in the Northam Magistrate's Court in Limpopo, after he was arrested earlier last week. According to Hawks spokesperson Captain Matimba Maluleke, 48-year-old Cheng Liang Tom appeared in court in connection with illegal mining activities in the Northam area. His arrest has been linked to a Hawks investigation into a R1.2-million chrome bust last year. "On 3 August 2022, members of the Hawks arrested four suspected illegal miners who were found in possession of chrome that was loaded in a truck without a permit. The chrome was valued at R1.2 million. A thorough investigation was conducted and it was revealed that the chrome was destined for China where Tom was a buyer," said Maluleke. The suspect will be held in custody until 3 March, when he will be able to apply for bail. Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Nicole McCain at News24 DMRE adamant that tough new penalties needed to improve mine safety standards Business Times reports that chief inspector of mines David Msiza says that the Department of Mineral Resources & Energy (DMRE) is determined to go ahead with tougher penalties for mining companies in a bid to improve safety standards. In June last year the department published a Mine Health & Safety Amendment Bill, which, among other things, makes provisions for criminal fines of up to 10% of a company’s annual turnover. The bill was slammed at the time by leading mining law expert Willem le Roux, who has broad experience in representing mining companies in civil and criminal cases. He singled out proposals to make corporate manslaughter a crime and impose penalties of 10% of turnover for criticism. But Msiza said last week that the current penalties provided for under the act were not stringent enough to deter unsafe operations. Noting that it was impossible to put a financial value on the life of a mineworker, he indicated: "We are proposing that it [the fine] should be 10% of the money that the mine is making. There is an outcry obviously, from some of the employers and some of their legal people that are representing them, saying that 10% is too much." Msiza added that in addition to increasing penalties, the DMRE had promulgated collision avoidance legislation in December last year. This means all mines will have to equip vehicles operating underground and on the surface with technology that automatically sounds an effective warning of the danger of collision with a mineworker or another vehicle. The technology should also apply the vehicle’s brakes if necessary. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Dineo Faku at Sunday Times (subscriber access only) Outgoing Amplats CEO Natascha Viljoen sets her sights on leading a global mining company Business Times reports that Natascha Viljoen, Anglo American Platinum CEO, says she accepted a job at US-based gold company Newmont Corporation because it’s in line with her ambition to lead a global mining company. Viljoen has been Amplats CEO for three years after taking over from Chris Griffith and will join Newmont as COO when her notice of up to a year ends. In a recent interview, Viljoen said she was headhunted for the position. “I am hoping to one day run a global mining company, but there aren’t many of those around. This is a step in that direction for me. It gives me a chance within the runway that I have to essentially be able to do that. That is why it is such an opportunity for me. I did not go looking for a job. It is important to point that out. I was tapped on the shoulder,” Viljoen said. Viljoen, who took the helm a month after an explosion at the company's processing facility in March 2020, faced challenges including the decline of grades at the Mogalakwena mine and the delay in rebuilding the Polokwane smelting facility. During her tenure, Amplats launched the world's first hydrogen-fuelled truck. She led the signing of a five-year wage deal last year. Amplats this week announced a leadership shake up with the appointment of Riaan Blignaut as COO, Wade Bickley as executive head of mining technical and Agit Singh as executive head of processing technical. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Dineo Faku at Sunday Times (subscriber access only) Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Cosatu, SACP seek inclusion in cabinet during marathon meetings with Ramaphosa Mail & Guardian reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa met the ANC’s alliance partners, union federation Cosatu and the SA Communist Party (SACP), on Friday and Saturday, as he edged closer to reshuffling his cabinet. Insiders close to the talks said Cosatu and the SACP attempted to negotiate for inclusion in Ramaphosa’s executive. Ramaphosa met Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi on Friday and the meeting with the SACP scheduled for the same day was postponed to Saturday. Ramaphosa blindsided allies in the ANC and its tripartite alliance during his State of the Nation address when he announced that he would appoint a minister of electricity in the office of the presidency. They had expected Ramaphosa to announce that power utility Eskom would be returned to the ministry of mineral resources and energy, as resolved at the ANC’s December conference. Instead, Ramaphosa changed tactics and announced that Eskom would remain under Pravin Gordhan’s public enterprises portfolio, alongside the new electricity ministry. During the Friday meeting, Losi said Ramaphosa took those present into his confidence about the electricity minister position, which Cosatu had earlier raised as concerning. “The president did touch on that particular matter but even though it was not the entire collective of Cosatu that attended the meeting, I think our fears have been allayed. The president said that this minister was not a permanent fixture and it was only an interim [measure] to manage the electricity crisis,” Losi reported. The weekend meetings could mean that Ramaphosa will make his cabinet move this week. Cabinet reshuffles have usually been announced after such marathon meetings. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lizeka Tandwa at Mail & Guardian (subscriber access only)
Nampak reduces forced retrenchments to 20 after union talks BL Premium reports that packaging manufacturer Nampak has avoided a swathe of retrenchments at its plastics division after union talks resulted in an agreement to cut 20 jobs instead of the 213 initially planned. An agreement was reached “with our social partners to allow for a voluntary severance package offer to all employees in the division”, CEO Erik Smuts said. In terms of the agreement with the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) last week, severance packages will be paid by 1 April to those workers leaving at end-March. Staff who will depart at end-June are expected to receive payouts by 1 July. Though Nampak initially started consultations in terms of a section 189 notice for altogether 213 potential retrenchments, Smuts said other “viable options” – including “normal attrition” and 151 positions being made redundant in terms of operational requirements – resulted in the forced retrenchments being limited to just 20 employees. Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said the severance packages agreed on were significantly better than the initial offer. They include three weeks’ remuneration for each year of completed service compared with one week’s remuneration required by law. In addition, any amount owed to employees, including accrued annual leave, will be paid with the final wages, while each worker will also receive R2,000 towards assisting them to be reskilled. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Michelle Gumede at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) After Telkom, more tech sector lay-offs are looming Mail & Guardian writes that the technology sector has been making headlines for its job cuts, the frequency of which has become a concern, and the worst is, unfortunately, not over. Analysts have attributed the lay-offs to the market normalising after the Covid-19 pandemic, company-specific structural challenges and a potential upcoming recession. They say the industry will probably shed more jobs in the face of rising interest rates, which have increased the cost of doing business. Meantime, mobile operator Telkom announced recently it would be laying off as much as 15% of its workforce as it focuses on cost-saving initiatives. Telkom said it would be entering a formal consultation process, as it looked to restructure some of its operations, and that all its business units and subsidiaries would be affected. Other mobile operators in SA are likely to follow Telkom’s lead, according to investment analyst Peter Takaendesa. “Vodacom and MTN are probably not far off and sooner or later they’ll start to get where Telkom is. MultiChoice is also one of those that have been cutting its workforce as it’s been struggling to grow. In South Africa, a large part of the retrenchments in tech is to do with the economy and the cost of doing business is getting more and more challenging, be it load-shedding or fuel prices and, unfortunately, this has implications for jobs,” Takaendesa pointed out. Arthur Goldstuck of World Wide Worx said: “The trend that is shaping global staff reductions is the rebalancing of workforces after the pandemic. What we saw in 2020 was a massive spike in hiring people to address the explosion in demand for cloud and online services, in particular online retail. Essentially what you saw in 2020 was over-hiring and, since 2022, it has been the rebalancing of workforces.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Anathi Madubela at Mail & Guardian (subscriber access only)
Despite 'strong prima facie case' against vice-chancellor, UCT apparently opted for R12m payout to avoid messy legal battle Sunday Times reports that the council of the University of Cape Town (UCT) faced a quandary at its late-night meeting last week when it decided on the future of vice-chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng. The council had received a legal opinion that there was a “strong” prima facie case against Phakeng. However, the evidence was untested and could plunge the institution into a protracted and messy legal battle that could end up in the Constitutional Court. On Tuesday night, the council and the embattled vice-chancellor reached an exit settlement. Accordingly, Phakeng, whose second term was set to end in 2028, will walk away with a golden R12m handshake. She was under fire over an exodus of staff and alleged bullying at the university. An inquiry, headed by retired judge Lex Mpati, was commissioned to look into her alleged misconduct regarding the departure of former deputy vice-chancellor Lis Lange. According to insiders, the council had sought a legal opinion from retired judge Dennis Davis and respected law professor Halton Cheadle. Davis and Cheadle apparently advised the council that “there was a very strong prima facie case against the vice-chancellor”, but this was “based on evidence provided to them by the university, which means they had not heard her version”. An insider advised: “The council chose [to settle] and that’s where we stand. It wasn’t as if [Davis and Cheadle] said to the council ‘you have to settle because you have a weak case’. The advice given was to consider the advantages of a clean break as opposed to lengthy litigation.” Meantime, the investigation panel will continue its work “without specifically considering or investigating the conduct of the vice-chancellor”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Philani Nombembe at Sunday Times (subscriber access only). Lees ook, Goue handdruk vir UK-rektor, by Maroela Media. As well as, UCT to appoint interim VC following Phakeng's 'early retirement’, at EWN
Top Mpumalanga cop accused of graft, intimidation and abuse of power placed on suspension City Press reports that Mpumalanga provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Daphney Manamela enjoyed an effusive reception when she was appointed as police chief in July 2021, receiving almost R1.7 million worth of gifts in the form of vouchers, furniture and cash at her welcome parties. However, now – two years later – the gifts have come back to haunt her, as she has been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing into allegations of misconduct. The provincial top cop is also accused of having abused her position by promoting her family members within the police service and victimising those she disliked. Last week, police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe confirmed that national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola had placed Manamela on suspension, following allegations of misconduct. The news of Manamela’s impending suspension emerged two weeks ago. The police opted not to confirm whether it was linked to several irregularities highlighted in a forensic report compiled by her predecessor, who had asked forensic investigator Advocate Thulani Ntobela to look into the matter. The report by Ntobela’s forensic company, The iFirm, found evidence suggesting that Manamela might be guilty of abuse of power, nepotism and maladministration. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Abram Mashego at City Press (subscriber access only). Read too, Police union is concerned an officer on commissioner level is being probed, at EWN Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Committee under Judge Maya drawing up anti-sexual harassment policy for judiciary Mail & Guardian reports that a committee has been set up under deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya to draft an anti-sexual harassment policy for the judiciary. Chief Justice Raymond Zondo said on Friday: “There is a committee that has just been put together, [Maya] is the chairperson of that committee. There is a document that I think that committee, which was recently appointed, will probably want to let me see.” At a media briefing after he delivered the 2021-22 annual report of the judiciary, he went on to concede: “So there is some work that is going to be done. It did not happen as quickly as it should have.” There have been repeated calls for the judiciary to adopt a formal policy on dealing with sexual harassment. Questions were raised about the issue last week after news broke that Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge has been accused by a law clerk of sexual harassment. The Judicial Conduct Committee is investigating a complaint to that effect filed in early December. On Tuesday, civil society monitoring group, Judges Matter, said it would be appropriate for Mbenenge to step down from his duties pending the finalisation of the matter. Judges Matter co-ordinator Alison Tilley also reiterated that there was a pressing need for the judiciary to adopt a policy on sexual harassment. “Sexual harassment is an ongoing problem in our country and in the legal profession. It is well past time that the judiciary adopts an anti-sexual harassment policy which will regulate the conduct of judges and magistrates, protect victims and combat this scourge,” she indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Emsie Ferreira at Mail & Guardian (subscriber access only). Read too, Judges in the spotlight for alleged serious wrongdoing, at Mail & Guardian Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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