EFF SHUTDOWN

EFF protest saw sporadic incidents, orderly marches, and a cordial handshake to end the day

BusinessLive reports that the EFF's protest on Monday ended in handshakes outside the Mahlamba Ndlopfu presidential residence in Pretoria as EFF leader Julius Malema and EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi thanked police officers who marched with them peacefully. Later the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints) expressed satisfaction that law enforcement had ensured law and order during the day. Natjoints said in a statement their enforcement measures enabled businesses and services to operate with minimum incidents of criminality reported throughout the country. The EFF protest on Monday had the intention of disrupting the country through demonstrations against the electricity crisis, and went together with a call for President Cyril Ramaphosa to step down and the high level of unemployment to be addressed. As the day progressed there were isolated incidents, pockets of quiet, reports of rising tensions and a fair bit of waiting as protesters took to waiting for colleagues to join them before marching together. Soweto was relatively calm, with a few fires on roads that were extinguished. Some arrests were made in Braamfontein when students began protesting late on Sunday night but apart from this, no major incidents were reported in the Johannesburg area. In KwaZulu-Natal, it was business as usual in the morning, with the N3 highway between Pietermaritzburg and Durban being clear and both cities unaffected. In Cape Town there were a few incidents and, apart from some traffic delays, no other major incidents were reported.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard at BusinessLive

Monday’s EFF-led protests, whether a flop or not, were bad for SA, says Business Unity SA

BL Premium reports that according to Business Unity SA (Busa) CEO Cas Coovadia, national protests by the EFF and a host of smaller political parties and civic organisations on Monday were bad for the economy. But the issue should not be about turnout or whether it was a flop or a success, Coovadia said on Tuesday. He pointed out: “It goes contrary to creating a conducive environment to growing our economy.   Actions like this [protest] reduce confidence in the country and affect the economy by making it hard to attract investment. These are the issues we should be talking about.” One of the main demands of the EFF, together with a host of smaller opposition parties and the SA Federation of Trade Unions, was the removal of President Cyril Ramaphosa from office. They were also protesting against rampant load-shedding, economic hardship and growing unemployment in SA. Econometric chief economist Azar Jammine said there were two key takeaways from the national shutdown, namely that the police were reasonably prepared for it and “it’s the first time we have seen, in a long while, the police performing appropriately and effectively”. Jammine did not believe the EFF protest had a “very detrimental impact on the overall economy” as a lot of business activity continued during the march on Monday. Support for the protest was viewed by analysts as a litmus test for the kind of support the EFF might get in the provincial and national elections in 2024.   The governing ANC described the protest as a flop, and thanked those who did not join the “extremist and regressive” shutdown. EFF leader Julius Malema, meanwhile, said it had been a success: “Our day is made. We have registered a huge success in SA. All over SA the fighters have come under one umbrella saying enough is enough.”

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, 'EFF tried to blame government for its own flop': Presidency says shutdown failed because EFF 'not popular', at News24 (subscriber access only)

More than 550 people arrested during EFF national shutdown on Monday

News24 reports that more than 550 people were arrested during the EFF national shutdown protest on Monday. Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said those arrested faced charges such as public violence, intimidation, damage to critical infrastructure, theft and attempted looting. Gauteng recorded the highest number of arrests, with 149 people taken into custody. The Northern Cape recorded the second highest number with 95 arrests, followed by the Eastern Cape, where 80 protesters were arrested, and the Free State with 64 arrests. Police seized 24,300 tyres that had been "strategically placed for acts of criminality", said Mathe. The protest action was focused on Pretoria, where 2,000 to 2,500 protesters gathered at Church Square before marching to Ramaphosa's official residence, Mahlamba Ndlopfu. Smaller protests were scattered across the country. The government described the EFF protest – a bid to force the resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa – as a failure.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Nicole McCain at News24

Thirty-three arrested at Woolies in Sandton during EFF shutdown

News24 reports that more than 30 protesters linked to the national EFF shutdown were arrested on Monday after they tried to disrupt the operations of a Woolworths store in Sandton. National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe indicated that the arrests were for "contravention of a court order, public violence and intimidation". She was referring to a South Gauteng High Court order at the weekend, which prohibited the EFF, its members, employees, and officials from shutting down shops or interfering with trading at retail stores and other businesses. The Consumer Goods Council of SA (CGCSA), which represents some of the country's biggest retailers, said the Woolworths action was only one of a few sporadic incidents reported across the country by its members in the wake of the rolling mass action launched by the political party on Monday. The CGCS’s Abraham Nelson reported that the incident took place at a Woolworths Food store in Grayston Drive when a group of EFF-affiliated protesters entered the store and sat down at the entrances so they could block entry into the store. The police were called, who then dispersed the group and made arrests. Nelson added that apart from this incident and a few others in the south of Johannesburg, the city centre, and Limpopo, the CGCSA's members had all reported that it was mostly "business as usual" for them. Nelson said the incidents that had taken place had involved "small groups" with the police having been able to easily disperse them.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nick Wilson at News24

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• Difficult day for business on day of national shutdown, says Informal Traders Alliance, at IOL
• Western Cape sees minor incidents during shutdown protests, at Cape Times
• EFF shutdown: Police and private security find an ally in taxi associations, at News24 (subscriber access only)

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY

Insolvency association says 'example must be set' after shocking murder of Cloete Murray

News24 reports that following the murder of well-known insolvency practitioner Cloete Murray and his son Thomas, the SA Restructuring and Insolvency Practitioners Association (SARIPA) has called on the government to leave no stone unturned in finding the perpetrators and to ensure its members can discharge their duties without fear. Fatal shots were fired at Murray's vehicle on Saturday afternoon just after the New Road offramp on the N1 north in Gauteng.   SARIPA strongly condemned what it called a "shocking, senseless, and brutal attack" and said it wanted to see those responsible found and convicted. "An example must be set such that this never occurs again, to enable our members to act and discharge their duties in a professional manner. The Master of the High Court appoints liquidators to carry out their roles independently and professionally, and they should be able to do so without fear or favour," SARIPA said in a statement on Monday. The organisation described Murray, a long-standing member of SARIPA, as an acclaimed leader in the field of insolvency and restructuring.   He reportedly worked on such high-profile cases as state-capture linked Bosasa and Trillian. Murray was also the provisional liquidator of airline Comair.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Carin Smith at News24

ELECTRICITY CRISIS / LOADSHEDDING

Electricity minister won’t end load-shedding, ‘happy’ Eskom employees will, says Ramokgopa

BL Premium reports that Eskom’s 42,000-strong workforce will be the driving force leading to the end of blackouts, not government ministers, newly appointed minister of electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa told the utility’s employees at Kriel power station on Monday. Kriel station recorded an energy availability factor of 54% in January, making it one of Eskom’s best-performing plants.   On the first day of his weeklong tour of Eskom’s power stations, Ramokgopa said: “The answers to our problems do not lie at Megawatt Park [Eskom headquarters in Johannesburg] … the problem [of load-shedding] will not be resolved by [public enterprises minister Pravin] Gordhan or Ramokgopa.   If I don’t work with you closely ... if I don’t resolve your grievances, then we will not end load-shedding. It is only when we are able to keep the employees of Eskom happy that we can be able to resolve load-shedding.” The relationship between Eskom and its employees has been under strain in recent times with management previously conceding that the utility’s workforce was bloated. Labour has rejected job cuts aimed at reducing Eskom’s high operational costs.   The strained relationship between Eskom and the demands of the workers last year led to employees embarking on a weeklong strike demanding inflation-beating wages. On Tuesday, Ramokgopa was scheduled to assess the Kusile and Kendal power plants, followed by Tutuka and Camden on Wednesday, Lethabo on Thursday and Koeberg on Friday.

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

Winter of discontent looms as Eskom races against time

Moneyweb writes that in January, Eskom chair Mpho Makwana warned that Stage 2 and Stage 3 load shedding would become a near-permanent fixture over the next two years. So far this year, it’s been more a case of Stage 3 and Stage 4 … with sprinklings of Stage 5 and 6 thrown in. Recently, Eskom confirmed to Bloomberg that it will not meet its own target of increasing generation from its six priority power stations by 1,862MW by the end of this month. This is equal to nearly two stages of load shedding. At risk is the 6,274MW of total capacity that it wants to recover from Tutuka, Kendal, Duvha, Majuba and Matla over the next two years. On Friday, breakdowns across its generating units finally dropped below the 17,000MW level they had been at practically all month (16,469MW). The return to service of a number of units that had been out of service for maintenance has ensured a reprieve from load shedding this weekend. However, any planned maintenance would’ve been scheduled months ago. Breakdowns are looking significantly better (at 15,500MW) and keeping this number under 16,000MW would go some distance to limiting the severity of load shedding in winter months. The problem staring Eskom in the face is that peak demand in winter will be at least 3,000MW higher than the ±30,000MW it is currently generating. What is curious though is the fact that Eskom’s demand forecast has been adjusted downwards in those June and July weeks.   But, it is worth noting that its demand forecasts are generally fairly accurate (within a 1% margin, mostly around 0.5%).

Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Moneyweb

MINING

Load-shedding sees mining output decline for 12th consecutive month, with PGM sector hardest hit

Business Times reports that the platinum group metals (PGM) industry bore the brunt of load-shedding as January production fell 15.2% compared with a month earlier. Smelters and concentrators in the PGM industry rely heavily on Eskom's coal-fired power stations and have been unable to produce at full capacity because of blackouts, resulting in such miners recording reduced production in the second half of 2022. Statistics SA indicated last week that overall mining output declined by 1.9% year-on-year in January, marking the 12th consecutive monthly contraction.   Christiaan Bothma of Sanlam Private Wealth, said the PGM production decline was concerning. “It contributes around 23% to total mining output and may be indicative of the impact of load-shedding on specifically the processing of mined ore, which is particularly electricity intensive,” he said, adding that bulk commodities such as iron ore and coal were less dependent on Eskom, but were exposed to Transnet’s continued rail underperformance.   Intensive energy users such as mining companies are requested by Eskom to reduce power consumption when the grid is under strain. According to the Minerals Council SA (previously called the Chamber of Mines), anecdotal evidence indicates the country's mining operations are running 20% to 30% under capacity due to electricity constraints, either through load-shedding or load curtailment. Despite load-shedding woes in the PGM industry, sales were the largest contributor to the sector in 2022.

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

Other general posting(s) relating to mining

• Coal miner Exxaro to build 68 MW solar power plant in Limpopo, at Engineering News
• The battle for RBPlat: Where things stand in this contest of winner takes all, at Miningmx

RECRUITMENT

SA police constables wanted for work in Australia

Saturday Star reports that South African police constables are being sought abroad in Australia in a recruitment programme.   The Queensland Police Service in Australia is inviting South African police members to apply for jobs. In a Facebook post, the Queensland Police Service calls on SAPS members to “bring your policing skills to Queensland Australia. We’re now recruiting experienced constables from South Africa.” Queensland police recruitment officer Timira Josiffe said police officers who had five years’ experience could make an application, and added that officers would have to meet the Department of Immigration’s visa eligibility requirements.   Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said they had yet to be informed of the recruitment drive. “I am not aware of our SAPS members being sought abroad, and I’ve consulted with our structures. Nobody seems to be aware,” he advised.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Saturday Star

MTN seeks visa dispensation to import skills from elsewhere in Africa to manage blackouts

Business Times reports that the MTN Group is seeking a visa dispensation to recruit electrical engineers from other African countries to help manage its towers and network as it transitions some infrastructure off the grid in the face of intensive load-shedding. The skills needed are largely unavailable in South Africa, group CEO Ralph Mupita said during the company's financial results presentation last week. “We have to bring in people from Egypt and Nigeria but the challenge is the visa process. So under the national state of disaster we will seek special dispensation around the visa regime to enable us to bring skill sets to manage sites that are largely off-grid,” he advised. MTN – whose areas of operation include Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia – and its competitors are in discussions with regulators to approve roaming agreements in the event of a grid collapse and the sharing of alternative power sources for their network infrastructure. “We don't think stage 8 and total grid collapse is highly probable; it's a low probability event. But obviously we need to plan for that low probability event,” said Mupita.   Vodacom spokesperson Byron Kennedy said: “We believe that since the solution to the current electricity crisis is not imminent, it is crucial that the industry be afforded the ability to work together through a special dispensation approved by relevant authorities, including the Competition Commission, so that competitors can collaborate where necessary.”

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

RETIREMENT FUND BENEFITS

Estranged wife gets nothing from late husband’s pension fund, while girlfriend gets a share

IOL reports that an estranged wife who was separated from her husband for eight years failed to convince the court that she was the rightful beneficiary to half of an over R1 million pension fund that was to be paid out after her husband died. The two were married in community of property but were estranged since 2002. In 2008, the husband went on to cohabit with another woman until his death in 2010. He had two children with his wife and later nominated them to be his beneficiaries. He explicitly excluded his wife from his pension fund. He had three other children who were traced and were also found to be his deserving beneficiaries. The trustees of the fund distributed the money between his girlfriend and his five children. The girlfriend stood to receive 28% of the money.   The wife then approached a court to set aside the trustees’ decision. She wanted the 28% to be paid to her and also get 50% from the pension fund as she was married in community of property. The presiding judge ruled in the wife's favour and referred the case to the trustees with instructions to reassess the benefits distribution and give the wife the money which had been granted to the girlfriend. The girlfriend, the gratuity fund and the pension fund adjudicator appealed the decision in the North Gauteng High Court. Judge Mandla Mbongwe found that the previous court erred in its judgment by ruling in favour of the wife. This was because death benefits are not included in the joint estate and the surviving spouse was not automatically entitled to half of the benefits by virtue of a marriage in community of property. Judge Mbongwe said the wife’s application should have been rejected from the beginning as absence of financial dependency weighed heavy against her application.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Brenda Masilela at IOL

SEXUAL ASSAULT / HARASSMENT

Gauteng teacher accused of brutal sexual attack on a learner is fired

News24 reports that a Gauteng teacher arrested in 2021 in connection with allegations that he raped a pupil has been axed from his position. The Umqhele Secondary School teacher was accused of raping the 17-year-old pupil on the school premises in Ivory Park, Midrand. In a recent ruling, the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) indicated: "This was a brutal sexual attack on a learner by an educator who is supposed to be the protector of the learner in the school environment." After the arrest, then Gauteng MEC Panyaza Lesufi attended court proceedings and said teachers and officials of the department "have a sacrosanct duty of ensuring that learners placed in our care are safe and protected". The pupil, who was in Grade 10 at the time, told the council that she was raped on two occasions. The teacher denied the allegations and even produced an alibi that didn't place him at the scene of the alleged incident. However, the ELRC's Mathabo Makwela, who wrote the ruling, found "fabrications" in the alibi. The criminal case against the teacher is ongoing.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jeanette Chabalala at News24 (subscriber access only)

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• Eastern Cape judges deny interfering in sexual harassment case against judge president, at Sunday Times (subscriber access only)

ARTICLES OF INTEREST

• Analysis: Nehawu illustrates death of political consciousness in unions, at EWN
• Just energy transition to be job-positive, but youth skills and businesses crucial, at Mining Weekly
• Gauteng agriculture department fails to meet green job targets, says DA, at Mail & Guardian
• Eastern Cape paid through the nose for public servants to take apparently bogus Fort Hare public administration course, at Sunday Times (subscriber access only)
• Thandi Modise suspends DG, reinstates officials under investigation, at Sunday Times (subscriber access only)
• Managers red flagged in Mbombela skills audit, at Mail & Guardian (subscriber access only)