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 roundup of weekend news, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that appeared since
Friday, 24 March 2023.
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Millions paid by taxpayers to buy generators and inverters for ministers and deputy ministers Sunday Times reports that as South Africans suffer under loadshedding, minister and their deputies have been shielded from blackouts by the government spending more than R7m to buy generators and inverters for them at their official homes. It emerged in parliament last week that the Department of Public Works has been “procuring and installing alternative power supply systems” at ministerial homes in Pretoria’s affluent suburbs such as Waterkloof at a cost of R7.04m since 2019. These alternative power supply systems include generators, solar systems and inverters that keep the lights burning and appliances on for ministers and their deputies while ordinary taxpayers remain in the dark during loadshedding. This was revealed by the new public works minister Sihle Zikalala in response to written questions by DA MP Leon Schreiber. Zikalala’s revelations are at odds with the stance taken by minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Mtshavheni, who said recently in response to an accusation that ministerial homes were not subjected to loadshedding: “That is a fallacy.” Ministers and their deputies also enjoy taxpayer-sponsored water and electricity at their state-allocated homes in Pretoria, at a cost to taxpayers of R22m since 2019. A further R25m was spent during the same period on water and electricity bills racked up at ministerial homes in Cape Town. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thabo Mokone at Sunday Times (subscriber access only). Read too, Some live in comfort without load shedding, at City Press (subscriber access only). And also, Here’s how much SA’s been forking out on generators, inverters for ‘rock star’ ministers, at The Citizen
Harmony employee dies in incident at Kusasalethu gold mine Harmony Gold on Friday reported a fatality at its Kusasalethu gold mine, 90 km west of Johannesburg. "Harmony Gold regrets to advise that an employee tragically lost his life on Thursday, 23 March 2023 at its Kusasalethu Mine, near Carletonville, in Gauteng province. An investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of this loss of life," the company advised in a statement. The company has reached out to the relevant authorities, as well as the family of the deceased and the affected employees, to provide assistance wherever possible. All work in the affected section has been temporarily halted, pending a comprehensive internal investigation. This is the fifth fatality reported in Harmony's current financial year, which runs to June 2023. The company recorded 13 deaths in the last financial year. - Based on reports at Mining Weekly and Fin24 Hay bailer partially disassembled to free farm employee who had his arm stuck Daily News reports that a bailer had to be partially disassembled after a farmworker got his arm caught in it on Saturday afternoon. Underberg Emergency Medical Services (UEMS) spokesperson Kate Bodmann said that at 4.50pm, UEMS was called out to Himeville, at the foot of the Southern Drakensberg, by a local farmer for an employee who had his arm stuck in a bailer. “On arrival, Underberg EMS crews found a male in his early fifties mechanically entrapped by his arm in a bailer,” Bodmann indicated. She said reports from the scene indicated that the man had been manually feeding hay into the bailer when his arm was caught in between two of the rollers inside the machine. The patient was severely entrapped and the bailer had to be partially disassembled to free the man. “Once freed, the gentleman was found to have sustained serious injuries to his left arm. He was stabilised by UEMS paramedics before being transported to a hospital for further specialised care,” Bodmann said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thobeka Ngema at Daily News KZN school closed after letter enclosing bullet sent to teachers, new security measures to be put in place GroundUp reports that safety measures including day and night police patrols are to be put in place in a school in Nquthu, in rural KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), which was shut down for several days after teachers were threatened. Mangeni Secondary School in KwaHlazakazi was closed on Wednesday, in the middle of first-term matric exams. On Wednesday morning, teachers living in cottages situated on the school premises returned from the long weekend to find a threatening note slipped under the door of one of the cottages. Teachers had reportedly been robbed at gunpoint earlier in the month and cellphones and money had been stolen from them. According to a learner, the principal told them that the school would be shut after teachers received the note, with a bullet, warning of another attack to punish teachers for reporting the previous robbery to the police. After a meeting with teachers, parents, police, traditional leaders and education authorities, KZN Education Department spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said the school would return to normal on Monday with new safety measures in place. A night security guard would be paid for by parents and police would patrol the school day and night. A KZN police spokesperson confirmed that police were investigating a case of intimidation after a “letter threatening with ammunition was found”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lungi Langa at GroundUp Numsa pays tribute to hit victim Cloete Murray, urges remaining liquidators to conclude his work TimesLive reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) says it is deeply disturbed by the murders of Cloete Murray and his son Tom Murray, who were gunned down in a suspected hit on the N1 on 18 March. “Mr Murray was a well-known liquidator who worked on various matters including the Bosasa liquidation, as well as Comair. He was also involved at SAA as a member of the airline's employment committee, representing workers interests, during SAA’s business rescue,” the union pointed out. It went on to report that its officials met with Murray on 15 March to get an update on the liquidation of Comair. “We were expecting that on March 28 Mr Murray was going to apply for an order from the court which would enable them as liquidators to pay workers all their outstanding salaries which were due to them before the company went into liquidation. It was also agreed that negotiations of the packages would commence soon, once the order had been obtained from the court. We urge the remaining liquidators to finish the work which was started by Mr Murray, so that workers can be paid their salaries,” the union indicated. “We call on the SAPS to find those who are responsible for this heinous crime,” Numsa added. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at SowetanLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Saccawu members marched to Parliament on Friday to get government to intervene in Makro wage dispute GroundUp reports that about 100 striking members of the SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers’ Union (Saccawu) marched to Parliament on Friday to hand over a memorandum to the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition calling on it to intervene in a wage dispute with Makro. Regional secretary Crosby Booi indicated: “By marching to Parliament, we are not fighting our government. We just want the minister to intervene and put pressure on Makro to negotiate with us.” Moosa Ebrahim, Chief of Staff of the Department, received the memorandum and promised to take it to Minister Ebrahim Patel. According to Booi, Makro had “imposed” a salary increase of 4.5% in December last year and had refused to negotiate with the union. In its memo, the union demanded an across the board increase of R900 a month or 12%, whichever was greater; a minimum wage of R8,000 a month; the reinstatement of dismissed workers; 20% commission on sales; and a moratorium on retrenchments, among other things. Makro spokesperson Brian Leroni commented: “Our research has revealed little support for the strike action among Saccawu members. Evidence supporting this is that there has been a massive spike in resignations from the union since the strike action was announced.” According to Leroni, more than 1,200 Makro employees have resigned from the union to accept the company’s wage offer. The union demand for a 12% increase and a 20% commission on sales was “quite clearly unrealistic”, he claimed. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Vincent Lali at GroundUp. Read too, Business as usual as Saccawu kicks off 10-day strike at Makro stores, at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Staff of Independent Media slapped with last-minute 25% salary cut TimesLive reports that Independent Media staff woke to the shocking news on Friday that they would only be paid 75% of their salaries, with “the balance of 25%” being “advised during the course of the coming week”. The decision was communicated to employees via an email from company CEO Takudzwa Hove that morning. The decision was apparently made after AYO Technology Solutions, the parent company of African Equity Empowerment Investment (AEEI) – owned by Iqbal Survé, who also owns Independent Media – and other companies under Sekunjalo Investment Holdings had to repay the Public Investment Corporation (PIC). In December 2017 AYO controversially scored R4.3bn from the PIC. The matter has been playing out in the Western Cape High Court, where an out-of-court settlement has been agreed between AYO and the PIC. “It’s concerning for everyone. On Wednesday the editors got an email to say the business is in dire straits and they need to come up with solutions to bring in more money because the shareholders indicated they would not inject more money into the company,” a staff member said. In the email to staff, Hove wrote: “Today we were advised of a very pressing matter which needed immediate action. Consequently, and in consultation with unions, the executive and the senior management team, it is with deep regret that we have had to take an urgent decision regarding the payment of salaries.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Orrin Singh at BusinessLive. Read too, Iqbal Survé's Independent Media unable to pay full salaries as shareholders cut purse strings, at Fin24 (subscriber access only). And also, Iqbal Survé-linked IT group AYO reaches settlement with PIC, at Fin24
Nehawu guns for Limpopo premier over labour relations director’s ‘diploma’ City Press reports that the Hawks in Limpopo have denied dropping an investigation into the qualifications of a labour relations director whom a union claims enjoys protection because he is Premier Stanley Mathabatha’s henchman. When applying for the job in 2013, labour relations director Michael Maseko claimed that he had a diploma accredited by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) that he obtained after passing modules in substantive law, jurisdictional rulings, conciliations, managing dismissals, and arbitration 1 and 2. Although Maseko held a diploma in labour law and had served as an arbitrator for various councils, it is not clear why he embellished his qualifications and referred to the course he had attended for five months in 2005, for which he was issued a certificate and not a ‘diploma’. The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) laid several charges with the Hawks in 2020 against Mathabatha, claiming that he was aware of fraudulent activities in his office but turned a blind eye to them. Nehawu approached the CCMA about Maseko’s ‘diploma’, and the CCMA indicated that the course was an in-house training programme that was not a registered qualification with the SA Qualifications Authority. Nehawu members are reportedly dissatisfied with the Hawks’ snail’s pace in dealing with Maseko’s matter and claim that members of the elite police unit have been “captured”. They indicated: “The Hawks obtained everything in 2020, but the premier has been defensive about this matter.” The relationship between Mathabatha and Nehawu has been frosty, and the union claims that its activists are being targeted for dismissals. Last week, Limpopo Hawks spokesperson Captain Matimba Maluleke said that the Maseko matter was still under investigation. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sizwe Sama Yende at City Press
TLU SA lays hate speech compliant against Cosatu at SA Human Rights Commission Agricultural organisation TLU SA says it has filed a hate speech complaint against labour federation Cosatu with the SA Human Rights Commission. According to the organisation, Cosatu issued a statement on Human Rights Day, claiming that farm workers nationwide were being exploited and mistreated. The statement further claimed that farmers raped, assaulted, and murdered their workers. TLU SA’s Bennie van Zyl said it was unacceptable that any institution could make such a generalisation without any substance. The organisation wants Cosatu to issue an apology and pay damages of R5-million to victims of farm attacks. Read TLU SA’s statement on this matter at South Africa Today. Lees ook, Cosatu se stellings oor boere is ‘laaste strooi’, by Maroela Media
Public servants’ disciplinary process is ‘being abused,’ warns Public Service Commission The Citizen reports that the Public Service Commission (PSC) has expressed concern about the use of precautionary suspension as a punishment, rather than an opportunity to investigate wrongdoing by civil servants. “Ideally, suspensions should be for a period not longer than 60 days. To this end, the PSC recommends that once the 60 days has expired, the affected employee should return to work or must be stationed in other relevant units within the department,” said PSC commissioner Anele Gxoyiya. He was presenting a report contained in the commission’s latest edition of Pulse Quarter Bulletin, which focused on the management of precautionary suspensions in the public service. The total costs of precautionary suspensions at national and provincial departments amounted to R25 million during the 2021-22 financial year. During that period, the longest suspended days of 883 were recorded in the department of correctional services. Often the period for suspension exceeded the mandatory 60 days set in the code of conduct for public servants, but the management of the process was said to be neither efficient, nor effective. In a precautionary suspension, an employee is suspended with full pay, pending the investigation into the allegations against the person, but should the 60 days expire, the official should return to duty. The commission noticed how this kind of disciplinary process was being abused to punish people in the civil service by unnecessarily stretching it out. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Eric Naki at The Citizen (subscriber access only)
Two Western Cape cops in court for allegedly killing two people caught with stolen car IOL reports that almost a year after two civilians were killed when they were caught with a stolen car, arrests have been made. Two Western Cape cops were arrested last week, according to Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID). The policemen, who are attached to the Kleivlei and Mfuleni SAPS, were scheduled to appear in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Friday. IPID spokesperson Lizzy Suping indicated: “It is alleged that in April 2022 two accused officers were pursuing a stolen vehicle and during the chase fatally wounded the two civilians while retaliating to the gunfire from the occupants of the stolen vehicle. The two deceased persons were declared dead at the scene.” Post mortem results confirmed that both deceased died as a result of gunshots wounds. The cops were arrested on Thursday and detained at the Athlone SAPS holding cells. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Jolene Marriah-Maharaj at IOL. Lees ook, Polisiebeamptes in hof vir twee se dood, by Maroela Media Former Free State Home Affairs official sentenced five years for soliciting bribe from asylum seeker News24 reports that a former Free State immigration official has been sentenced to five years in prison for soliciting a bribe for the release of an asylum seeker's documents. Ezekiel Mokhachane, 48, was found guilty and sentenced on a corruption charge when he appeared in the Zastron Regional Court on Thursday. Hawks spokesperson, Captain Christopher Singo, indicated: "On 19 May 2017, the Bloemfontein-based Hawks' Serious Corruption Investigation team received information from the complainant that a Home Affairs immigration official based in Zastron took their travel and asylum documents. He demanded R3,000 for the release of their documents." The Hawks investigated the complaint and arrested Mokhachane after he was found with R3,000. Free State Hawks head, Major General Mokgadi Bokaba, applauded the court for handing down a prison sentence. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tshepiso Motloung at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Popcru shocked by audacious prison escape by Thabo Bester and asks how burnt body got into cell 35 TimesLive reports that the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) on Sunday “noted with shock” revelations about the audacious escape from prison of Facebook rapist and murderer Thabo Bester. He escaped from Mangaung Correctional Centre in the Free State, which is contracted to G4S, a multinational private security company. According to a report in the Sunday Times, Bester has been living it up in a R12m luxury home in Hyde Park in Johannesburg since he supposedly died in a fire at the prison in May last year. “Following this incident, there has since been an internal investigation which had been closed, wherein the security supervisor at the time was dismissed on charges of negligence as opposed to the causal factor behind the fire in the cell, and the CCMA is currently handling his matter,” said Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo. Bester’s escape, he alleged, demonstrated that the management of the correctional centre tried to “brush the matter under the carpet” until media reports surfaced on the whereabouts of Bester. “This further raises questions as to whom the burnt body belongs, and how it found itself in cell 35. This brings to question the level of responsibility the department of correctional services (DCS) takes in monitoring, and the functionality of controllers which it appoints to ensure that contractual obligations with these private prisons are not violated in line with the prescripts of the Correctional Services Act,” Mamabolo said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Phathu Luvhengo at TimesLive. Read too, Popcru lambastes running of private prisons by ‘foreign-owned companies’ in SA, at IOL. En ook, Ondersoek na Thabo Bester se ontsnapping nou prioriteit, sê polisie, by Maroela Media
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