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 Thursday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Two Gauteng detectives among five police officers killed on duty in past seven days TimesLive reports that the police are mourning the death of two detectives gunned down in Roodepoort on Wednesday. This as police confirmed the deaths of three other police officers in the line of duty in the past seven days. Two were killed in Eastern Cape and another in Gauteng, said national police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe. Sharing details of Wednesday’s murders, Mathe said: “Two on-duty detectives attached to the Honeydew police station have been shot and killed in Roodepoort. The constable and sergeant were found metres away from a state vehicle. Gauteng police have mobilised resources to find those responsible for this crime.” On Sunday, a constable and his colleagues were shot while attending to a complaint at a house in Saulsville, Atteridgeville. Last Wednesday, a 42-year-old sergeant who was serving as a court orderly at the Motherwell magistrate's court in Gqeberha was gunned down while on duty. On the same day, another officer attached to the public order police unit was gunned down while he was responding to an armed robbery in East London. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khanyisile Ngcobo at TimesLive Eskom subcontractor gunned down in parking lot at Lethabo power station TimesLive reports that Free State police have appealed for help in catching suspects linked to the murder of an Eskom subcontractor who was gunned down in the parking lot at Lethabo power station. The incident occurred on Sunday evening as Siyabulela Nkwelo, 48, was heading to his car after finishing work. Free State police spokesperson Sgt Josephine Rani said Nkwelo’s co-workers heard several gunshots, and immediately after the shooting saw a man climbing into a white VW Polo with Mpumalanga number plates and driving off with four male occupants. “The police received a complaint of the shooting incident and on arrival found Nkwelo lying on the ground face down. Emergency services personnel declared him dead. He was a subcontractor at the power station,” Rani said. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Khanyisile Ngcobo at SowetanLive. Lees ook, Subkontrakteur by Lethabo-kragsentrale doodgeskiet, by Maroela Media Fort Hare killings: Court hears of R5m hit on vice-chancellor’s head as bail hearing resumes The Citizen reports that the bail application of the five men accused of the murder of two University of Fort Hare (UFH) employees resumed in the Dimbaza Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. During the court proceedings it came to light that a R5 million reward had allegedly been offered for the killing of UFH vice-chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu. State prosecutor Nceba Ntelwa shared revelations about an alleged hit list containing the names, photos and “price tags” of 13 people with the court last week. The alleged hitmen, namely Bongani Peter, Sicelo Mbulawa, Wanini Khiwa, Mthobisi Khanyile and Mthobisi Zando Dlamini, are facing charges of murder, attempted murder and the illegal possession of a firearm. All of the accused are linked to the murders of the university’s fleet manager Petrus Roets and Mboneli Vesele, who had been the vice-chancellor’s bodyguard. Buhlungu’s attempts to root out widespread corruption and maladministration at the institution has necessitated 24-hour protection by bodyguards. Roets was shot dead near his home in Gonubie on 19 May last year on his way home from the university’s Alice campus. At the time, his murder was thought to be linked to the clampdown on corruption within the university’s fleet network. Roets reportedly uncovered unauthorised payments totalling almost R1 million. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Cornelia Le Roux at The Citizen Cost of security: 'Dysfunctional' KZN municipality splurged R10m on bodyguards in 14 months News24 reports that the IFP-led uThukela District Municipality forked out almost R10 million in 14 months for bodyguard protection for councillors, despite the municipality operating on an unfunded budget. At different points, the mayor, Inkosi Ntandoyenkosi Shabalala of the IFP, was assigned up to 12 bodyguards, while the Speaker, Lihle Nqubuka also of the IFP, had four. This was even though, according to guidelines gazetted in June 2022, a mayor and a speaker are only entitled to two bodyguards – and any deviations from this standard may only be based on the recommendation of the police. A provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) report indicated as follows: "uThukela district municipality is not complying with the provisions of the councillors' upper limits notice. uThukela district municipality is not complying with the threat and risk analysis requirements as per the SAPS guidelines provided to the municipality." The report advised that the municipality had paid R4.5 million in 2020/21, R5 million in 2021/22, and R5 million in 2022/23 for the personal security of councillors. The report concluded: "It must be noted that the security arrangement is not sustainable due to financial constraints (unfunded budget) the municipality is faced with.” No consequence management was reported. The closing balance of wasteful expenditure at the municipality amounted to R509.9 million. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Soyiso Maliti at News24
Eskom to appoint legal review team to ‘connect dots’ on claims by De Ruyter BL Premium reports that the Eskom board is working on appointing an independent legal panel to review the work done by its internal state capture and corruption task team. This was indicated on Wednesday by the chair of the power utility’s board, Mpho Makwana, in response to questions from members of parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) about what the board had done in response to corruption claims made by former CEO André de Ruyter in a television interview and in his submission to the committee. Makwana said that although they thought there was nothing new in the examples raised by De Ruyter, the board decided to have an independent investigation done “so that dots can be connected to make sure nothing has been missed”. Makwana indicated: “Following the assertions made by De Ruyter, we asked [the internal state capture task team] to look further into whether there were any other matters that the board may not be aware. The board also resolved that, in keeping with its fiduciary duty and responsibilities, that an independent legal panel must be appointed ... to revisit everything that has been done to date by both the internal task team and any other investigations that Eskom would have done internally.” He said a process was under way to appoint this independent panel, which would report to the audit and risk committee of the board. Makwana also disputed previous claims by De Ruyter that he had informed the new Eskom board, which was appointed in October, about a private intelligence operation that had been initiated by De Ruyter. “The new board had no knowledge of this intelligence report. We learnt about it from the media. We don’t have anything in writing that gives details of what is contained in these reports, other than what we have read about in the media,” he claimed. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Denene Erasmus at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, Eskom to appoint independent panel to investigate crime, corruption, at The Citizen Numsa joins outcry against government’s decision to appeal court ruling on load-shedding TimesLive reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has joined the outcry against public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan’s decision to appeal last week’s high court decision on load-shedding, saying it was a “reckless decision”. On Monday, Gordhan said his department would file an urgent appeal against a Pretoria high court order for government to ensure public hospitals, clinics, schools and police stations were shielded from load-shedding. The interim order, handed down on Friday, and which must be implemented within 60 days, states the minister “shall take all reasonable steps ... to ensure there shall be sufficient supply or generation of electricity to prevent any interruption of supply as a result of load-shedding”. The judgment came after an application was brought by 19 organisations, including Numsa, opposition parties, NGOs and individuals. In a statement released on Wednesday, the union said it rejected “the immoral appeal by the government”. According to Numsa, the judgment did no more than require the state to meet its constitutional duty to ensure access to health care, security and education. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khanyisile Ngcobo at TimesLive. Lees ook, Beurtkrag-uitspraak: Vakbond vies vir Gordhan oor appèlaansoek, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Ipsos survey shows unemployment is the top worry for South Africans TimesLive reports that as SA grapples with joblessness and slow economic growth, the Ipsos ‘What Worries the World’ survey shows almost 70% of South Africans cited unemployment as their top concern. Forty-two percent of the rest of the world chose inflation instead. “While other nations are showing signs of employment recovery after Covid-19, the growing unease about unemployment in South Africa serves as a stark reminder of the challenges facing the country,” the study found. SA’s official unemployment rate stands at more than 30%, while joblessness for those aged between 15 and 24 is at more than 60%. The impact of unemployment is particularly pronounced for women, with a staggering 35.5% of them unemployed compared with 30.4% of men. “Unemployment in South Africa has deep-rooted causes that date back several decades. The Covid-19 pandemic has further compounded these problems, resulting in a loss of 3 to 4-million jobs that have yet to be regained. With the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, people are increasingly desperate to secure employment opportunities,” commented Kelly Arnold, manager for Ipsos in SA. The pervasive worry about unemployment in SA is not limited to concerns about the present, but also reflects a broader sense of unease about the country's future. Nearly nine in 10 South Africans believe SA is headed in the wrong direction. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kgaugelo Masweneng at SowetanLive
Renewed calls to cut VAT on chicken as food is becoming unaffordable BL Premium reports that non-profit organisation the FairPlay Movement, which is funded by the local chicken industry, has again called for chicken bone-in pieces and chicken feet to be sold without VAT. It first made such a call five years ago. This time FairPlay argues that a VAT exemption is essential as food is becoming unaffordable. At the same time the organisation called for a national summit to address the issue of rising prices. FairPlay founder Francois Baird said: “We need a food security emergency summit to bring together everyone involved in the value chain.” Food inflation was 14% in March, according to Stats SA. Baird said rising prices and household food insecurity were a threat to social stability, echoing sentiments by Pick n Pay chair Gareth Ackerman, who pointed out last week that blackouts added to the risk of produce shortages. Speaking at a FairPlay press conference, the CEO of the SA Poultry Association, Izaak Breitenbach, called for a VAT exemption on some chicken items and for food manufacturers and chicken producers to be exempt from stage 10 load-shedding should it occur in winter. Mervyn Abrahams from the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group said the poor could no longer afford chicken and were switching to polony and soya instead. Foods exempt from VAT includes brown bread, lentils, maize meal, samp, dried beans and canned pilchards. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Katharine Child at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Solidarity takes court action against Employment Equity Amendment Act Business Report writes that Solidarity announced on Wednesday that it had served a summons on President Cyril Ramaphosa, Department of Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi, the Director-General of Employment and Labour, and the Employment Equity Commission over the Employment Equity Amendment Bill of 2020. The trade union said it had taken these steps after the President signed the bill into law last month. The Act amends the Employment Equity Act of 1998. In its court papers, Solidarity has disputed the constitutionality of the legislation and has further contended that it is contrary to international labour conventions and that the government is guilty of being in contempt of such conventions. Solidarity chief executive Dirk Hermann indicated: “The level at which the government wants to normalise discrimination in the workplace is shocking. The government wants to impose race targets that all employers in the country will have to meet. Through this law, the Minister of Labour acquires unprecedented powers that will intensify the stranglehold race has on South Africa". He went on to assert: “It is unacceptable that the government wants to usurp even more power, and then use it to exercise central control in workplaces, sector by sector. Solidarity was involved in the process throughout by participating in parliamentary processes over the proposed legislation, but these contributions and letters addressed to the Presidency fell on deaf ears. Clearly the government had every intention to implement the law in its current format, and of allocating more power to itself.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Dieketseng Maleke at Business Report. Read too, Ramaphosa taken to court over ‘apartheid-style’ transformation laws, at BusinessTech. En ook, Ramaphosa hof toe gesleep oor ‘raswet’, by Maroela Media Standard Bank, FNB and Absa in labour department’s crosshairs for lack affirmative action at executive level Moneyweb reports that the three South African big-league banks cited for non-compliance with employment equity laws were found to be lacking mostly in terms of affirmative action at executive level. That’s according to the Department of Employment and Labour’s chief director of statutory and advocacy services, Fikisawa Mncanca-Bede, who commented after the department recently issued verdicts of non-compliance against the three banks. The trio of banks were found wanting in relation to hiring people from ‘designated groups’. SA laws define designated groups as including black people, women, and people with disabilities. “The most important thing is the issue of affirmative action measures,” commented Mncanca-Bede. She indicated that the banks had not appointed African females at top management in accordance with their stated intentions “even though there were opportunities”. “They decided to give those opportunities to those groups that were already over-represented,” Mncanca-Bede claimed. She confirmed that the implicated banks had approached the department and requested roundtable discussions to address the areas of non-compliance. The cited banks could be slapped with penalties of R1.5 million each or 2% of turnover for failing to comply with the SA’s employment equity laws. Mncanca-Bede said the department had already engaged with Standard Bank and FNB, with the discussions ending in the two lenders expressing their intentions to settle out of court. The department is due to meet with Absa soon. Absa however insists it is fully compliant in terms of employment equity. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ntando Thukwana at Moneyweb
Suspended Human Rights Commission acting CEO resigns after alleged racial utterances City Press reports that the suspended acting CEO of the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), Chantal Kisoon, has resigned. This amidst allegations of racist utterances levelled against her by senior managers for calling them “black babies” during a planning session in February. The commission confirmed that Kisoon handed in her resignation letter early this month after an investigation. SAHRC spokesperson Wisani Baloyi said: The commission can confirm that the former acting CEO, Kisoon, has resigned effective from May 5 2023. The commission did not ask for the reasons for the resignation.” Baloyi added that the investigation was handled by an independent investigator, Advocate Colin Kahanovitz, who recommended that a charge of misconduct be preferred against Kisoon. The fact that she has resigned has rendered it unnecessary to continue with the investigation. “The commission has already appointed the new CEO, Vusumuzi Mkhize. He assumed his duties on March 27 2023. The former acting CEO was in an acting capacity. Her position was chief operations officer,” Baloyi reported. Asked whether the investigation has been detrimental to the image of the commission, Baloyi responded: “The commission believes that it has caused some damage, but the exact assessment has not yet been done.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Noxolo Majavu at City Press (subscriber access only)
Gauteng teacher fired for alleged sexual misconduct, rape and having a baby with a pupil News24 reports that the Education Labour Relations Council has sided with the Gauteng Department of Education's decision to dismiss a teacher who allegedly had sexual relations with pupils at Katlehong High School in Ekurhuleni. The teacher, charged with misconduct, took the matter to the council, claiming that his dismissal was unfair. He pleaded not guilty to all allegations. However, council arbitrator Themba Manganyi found the teacher guilty on all the charges and declared him unsuitable to work with children. According to the council, the teacher was guilty of sexual misconduct allegations dating back to 2019. The teacher did not testify or call witnesses because he was not after a certain point willing to participate in the proceedings. Giyani Sydwell Mabasa, the principal of Katlehong High School, said he became aware of the allegations against the teacher on 18 November 2021 when one of the deputy principals reported an incident. The arbitrator noted: "[Mabasa] called the two deputy principals and PM (one of the pupils) and SL (another pupil) into his office. PM stated that he [the teacher] raped her in his apartment on 23 August 2023. ... SL stated she has a baby boy with him [the teacher], born on 9 August 2021. [Mabasa] stated that he saw the teacher's WhatsApp status with a baby boy picture and a message that read, "Welcome, [baby's name]". Mabasa reported the allegations to the district on 18 November 2021 which led to disciplinary proceedings. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tshepiso Motloung at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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