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 Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Newly appointed Limpopo nurse assaulted, robbed and raped while on way to work at Tzaneen clinic TimesLive reports that a newly appointed Limpopo nurse was kidnapped, robbed and raped on Tuesday while on her way to work at Madumane Clinic in Tzaneen. Limpopo health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba and the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) in Limpopo strongly condemned the incident. According to the MEC's spokesperson, Thilivhali Muavha, the nurse was on her way from home travelling in a taxi to the clinic just after dusk. “As it was dark, she allegedly requested the taxi driver to drop her at the clinic but the driver refused. A few moments after disembarking, an unknown man accosted her, dragged her into the bush where he assaulted and raped her before making off with her belongings. The victim managed to crawl to nearby households for help,” he said. The victim was admitted to hospital with a broken leg and underwent an operation. Ramathuba said such incidents were a serious setback for the department’s efforts to open clinics for 24 hours. “At this rate, we will struggle to get skilled personnel to work in some of our facilities, because it will be seen as a big risk,” he noted. Denosa Limpopo secretary Jacob Molepo called on police to expedite the investigation to ensure the perpetrator was apprehended. Attacks on nurses deprive the community of healthcare services they should have access to at all times, Molepo noted. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Shonisani Tshikalange at TimesLive. Lees ook, Verpleegster op pad werk toe aangeval, verkrag, by Maroela Media
NUM demands 15% wage hike at Eskom as load shedding worsens Bloomberg News reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), which is the largest trade union at Eskom, wants a 15% wage increase even as the utility fails to generate adequate electricity to meet the country’s needs, resulting in nationwide power cuts. It has demanded the same raise for all workers, along with increases in allowances for housing and other benefits. Labour settled on a one-year deal with Eskom in 2022 following violent protests that intimidated some workers from reporting for duty and increased power shortages. Eskom employees are not allowed to strike legally, because the provision of electricity is considered an essential service. Solidarity, another labour union at the power utility, has submitted a demand for a pay increase of 3 percentage points above the average inflation rate. SA’s average inflation rate was 6.9% last year and the central bank projects that will slow to 6% for 2023. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Fin24 Group of disgruntled truckers threaten ‘national shutdown’ from 30 April BusinessLive reports that a disgruntled group of local truck drivers, who have been fighting the employment of foreigners in the road freight and logistics sector, is set to embark on a “national shutdown” on 30 April in support of wide-ranging demands including higher wages. In a note circulated on social media, the little-known “SA truck drivers” group called, among other demands, for the scrapping of labour brokers; a basic salary of R25,000 per month; that there be no cabin cameras; and no employment of foreigners in the industry. Truck drivers earn an estimated R17,000 a month, with wages and other conditions of employment negotiated by parties at the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry. The group said its demands and the strike were supported by the All Truck Drivers Forum and Allied SA (ATDF-ASA), which has been behind a number of protests in the sector. During such actions drivers blocked freeways with their trucks. The disgruntled group said the planned national protest would start on 30 April and would continue until their demands were met. Truckers Association of SA president Mary Phadi indicated that the ATDF-ASA was behind the planned national shutdown. “They confirmed there will be a strike,” she advised. Tension between foreign and SA truck drivers has been brewing since 2019, with the latter accusing the former of “stealing” their jobs. This has led to scores of foreign truck drivers being attacked and their trucks torched on the N3 and N2 highways. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive
Four killed, two injured after conveyor belt collapsed at Mpumalanga mine IOL reports that four people were killed after a conveyor belt collapsed at a mine in Mpumalanga on Thursday. Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said the incident occurred at about 11.45am and that police and rescue teams in Balfour attended at the scene. “It is suspected that a mine conveyor belt fell resulting in the death of the four male persons. Two others are said to have sustained some injuries. The injured were taken to hospital for medical treatment,” Mohlala said. He added that circumstances surrounding the incident had yet to be established, including the identities of the victims who had died. “An inquest with regard to the death of the victims will be investigated. More information will be provided as details come forth,” Mohlala indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Brenda Masilela at IOL. Lees ook, Vier dood ná mynvervoerband-ongeluk, by Maroela Media Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Home Affairs Minister acted outside his powers in terminating Zimbabwean Exemption Permit system, court told GroundUp reports that the lawyers for the Zimbabwe Immigrants Forum told the North Gauteng High Court on Thursday that the Minister of Home Affairs had acted outside his powers by scrapping the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) system. The Zimbabwe Immigrants Forum (ZIF), which represents about 1,000 ZEP holders, argued that the termination decision was arbitrary and lacking in rationality. “We are sleepwalking into a catastrophe of monumental proportions,” Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, representing the ZIF, told a full bench of the court. The decision to discontinue the ZEP system, which has allowed Zimbabweans to live, work and study in SA, means 178,000 ZEP holders and their families will be declared illegal foreigners on 1 July 2023, the day after the ZEP system will be deemed to have come to an end. The ZIF has asked the court for an interim interdict to prevent the ZEP system ending on 30 June 2023, so that ZEP holders will not be at risk of being declared illegal foreigners. There was a chance of the ZIF case being settled with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), but this awaited confirmation from the director-general and minister, said Ngcukaitobi. ZEP holders have been advised by the DHA to apply for alternative visas or waivers by 30 June 2023, though Ngcukaitobi pointed out that few would qualify for visas in terms of the government’s Critical Skills List. If the government wanted to terminate the programme, it had to demonstrate that this decision was linked to a positive change in the economic and political situation in Zimbabwe that gave birth to the exemption programme in the first place, argued Ngcukaitobi. But, contrary to the assurances of the minister, conditions were not getting better in Zimbabwe but were getting worse, said Ngcukaitobi. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ciaran Ryan at GroundUp. Read too, Zimbabweans seek interdict to prevent them being deported this year, at BusinessLive
With Solidarity preparing for ‘huge’ battle over Employment Equity Amendment Act, DA also heads to court News24 reports that a day after the Presidency announced that President Cyril Ramaphosa had signed the Employment Equity Amendment Act into law, the Democratic Alliance (DA) revealed that it would be heading to court. According to the DA's Michael Cardo, the Act will entrench racial divisions. He commented: "The Employment Equity Act will not bring about the transformation of the workplace it purports to seek. Instead, it will further impoverish the vast majority of South Africans while enriching a thin sliver of politically connected people as has been experienced under the policy of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE)." Cardo added that the DA supported the principle of non-racialism, as underpinned by the Constitution, and rejected the Employment Equity Amendment Act because it would categorise South Africans along race-based lines. As a result, the party said it would be joining trade union Solidarity in challenging the matter in court. Solidarity, in a media statement, said it was preparing for a huge legal battle. According to the union, the legislation grants draconian racial powers to the minister. "The minister can now do central racial planning at his own discretion. This would be the most drastic race-manipulating legislation in the world. It is anticipated that the private sector will have to follow the state's example. Private enterprises will become state-run racial enterprises," said Solidarity's chief executive, Dirk Herman. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Juniour Khumalo at News24. Lees ook, DA ook deel van regstappe oor rasteikens, by Maroela Media Sections of business and labour welcome Employment Equity Amendment Act BusinessLive reports that sections of business and labour have welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing into law on Wednesday of the Employment Equity Amendment Act. The legislation is aimed at accelerating transformation in the workplace by putting clear targets in place, and empowers employment & labour minister Thulas Nxesi, in consultation with sector stakeholders, to introduce sector-specific employment equity targets. The government previously had no real targets as the Employment Equity Act required only “reasonable progress” in terms of workplace transformation. Business Unity SA (Busa) CEO Cas Coovadia said the amendment act ended a “long period of uncertainty on the proposed changes and impact of our transformation laws”. He said Busa was pleased that the minister would set employment equity targets for sectors “only after consultation with the relevant business and employer bodies”. But, Coovadia added that Busa was concerned about “treating targets as quotas, which would be against the spirit and letter of the law anyway”. Cosatu’s Matthew Parks welcomed the signing of the act into law. He said the law provided “badly needed interventions to strengthen government’s ability to hold employers accountable for their role and failures to adhere to the Employment Equity Act”. Meanwhile, Solidarity said it would challenge the “unconstitutional” law which granted “draconian” racial powers to Nxesi. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive. Read as well Neasa’s comments on ‘ill-conceived’ Employment Equity Bill as signed into law, at BizNews. And also, Ramaphosa signs new employment equity act into law, which Solidarity gears up to fight, at Fin24
Latest salary trends across five industries revealed in new report News24 reports on job portal Pnet’s recently published Job Market Trends Report for the first quarter of 2023, which revealed the average salaries for a wide range of jobs in SA. In addition to insights into recruitment and employment trends, the report looked in-depth into the salary ranges in five sectors. It showed that salary offers for admin, office and support professionals increased by 38% over the last five years, with the highest-paid roles being human resource and personal assistant roles. Sales professionals saw even higher increases in salary offers over the last five years, reaching up to 42%. The highest-paid roles in this field were account management and sales consulting. Salaries in the finance industry reportedly went up by 25% over the last five years with the top-paid roles being financial analysis and internal auditing roles. Salary offers in the business and management sector saw increases of up to 17%, with the top-paid roles being executive management/director roles, strategy consulting roles and senior management roles. The report revealed that not only was the information technology sector one of the highest-paying sectors in the country, it also saw the highest growth in salary offers, which increased by up to 72%. The highest-paying roles in this sector were technical/business architecture roles and IT project administration roles. Gauteng continued to offer the most employment opportunities in the country. The report stated: "In the first quarter of 2023, the province represented 53% of the overall labour demand in the country. During the same period, 22% of SA's recruitment activity was in the Western Cape, while 10% of job vacancies were based in KwaZulu-Natal". Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Yamkela Mdaka at News24
Temporary manager takes over Mangaung prison in wake of revelation about Bester escape BL Premium reports that former Constitutional Court judge Edwin Cameron told MPs on Thursday that the escape of murderer and serial rapist Thabo Bester from the Mangaung maximum security prison in May 2022 was not an isolated event but the culmination of institutional degradation and dysfunction at the facility. The prison, under management of a private company G4S in terms of a public-private partnership contract, is now under a temporary manager appointed by the Department of Correctional Services. MPs were told the department has established there were several breaches of the contract in relation to the Bester escape compromising the security of the prison. The temporary manager replaced the G4S director of the prison on the grounds that G4S had lost control of the facility, but G4S management and staff remain in place. Costs for this will be claimed from G4S. The contract has been referred for legal advice to determine whether it can be terminated. Cameron, the inspecting judge of the Judicial Inspectorate of Correctional Services (JICS), appeared before parliament’s justice & correctional services committee, which is conducting an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Bester’s escape, which was covered up as an alleged suicide by fire. Cameron said Mangaung was a model prison from a structural point of view “but beneath that there is functionality that is rotten”. He advised: “Thabo Bester was not a rare event. It is symptomatic of the degradation of institutional authority, organisational cohesion and management control. That could not have occurred without a significant degradation of almost every organisational and control function that you should have in a prison.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Linda Ensor at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Former Southern Cape TVET College CEO and others in court over R24m tender fraud IOL reports that former Southern Cape TVET College CEO and principal, his deputy, and business owners, who face charges of fraud, were granted bail at the George Magistrate's Court. They were arrested on Wednesday and charged with corruption, 16 counts of fraud, alternatively theft. The NPA said former CEO and principal Luvuyo Ngubelanga, his deputy Alisile Dyabaza and others defrauded the college of R24.1m. Ngubelanga was released on R10,000 bail and Dyabaza on R3,000. The State alleges that between 2010 and 2014, the construction company of ellow accused Andreas Ngubeni, Inyameko Building Construction, was requested to submit 25 quotations for construction and related alterations across all South Cape College TVET campuses. The State charges that the accused, acting in common purpose, approved quotations submitted by the construction company, although there was no valid tax number, no construction industrial development board certificate, and no declarations form as supporting documents. The State further alleges that the accused colluded using various forms of fraud and manipulation to ensure that the 25 construction contracts were guaranteed for Inyameko. Methods used included a cover quote, which was the manipulation of the “three quote system” whereby other companies owned by other accused deliberately under-quoted to ensure that the contracts were awarded to Inyameko. The case was postponed to 11 May for the first appearance of the accused in the George Regional Court. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Molaole Montsho at IOL Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Joy reigns as commuter trains run in Nyanga once again City Vision reports that the Gugulethu Development Forum (GDF) has welcomed the reinstatement of trains to Nyanga railway station. On 4 April, the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) reintroduced trains on the central line as far as Nyanga. This after years of no service and vandalism of rail infrastructure. The relaunch was spearheaded by Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, who boarded a train from Nyanga to Cape Town Train Station. The opening of the central line is the latest in a series of moves to reintroduce trains in the Cape Town metro. GDF chair Vincent Domingo said the reinstatement of trains to Nyanga was long overdue. He noted that it was beneficial not only for commuters but also for the vendors who relied on the Metrorail infrastructure to earn a living. “Trains are way cheaper than other modes of transport,” he observed. However, Domingo urged Prasa to ensure there were limited delays for commuters and proper communication. Ricardo Mackenzie, Western Cape Minister for Mobility, said: “Although there is still a long way to go to restore full rail services to all communities, seeing commuters travelling to work again on this line is an excellent first step. One of our top mobility priorities is the restoration of rail as the backbone of public transport in Cape Town and other rail links in our province for both the movement of people and goods.” She added that one of the key issues was to ensure that adequate security was in place to prevent any vandalism or attacks on commuters. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Unathi Obose at City Vision
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