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 Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Nxesi calls for big push to deal with Labour Court and CCMA backlogs BL Premium reports that Department of Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has called for a stakeholder workshop with his justice counterpart, Ronald Lamola, and the CCMA to address challenges at labour courts and the dispute resolution body. “There must be a massive workshop where all stakeholders will be there [and] identify all the problems,” Nxesi said, during a webinar on Labour Court and CCMA backlogs organised by the Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa). It was reported in 2021 that the CCMA, which processes about 200,000 cases a year involving unfair dismissals, wage disputes and retrenchments, had been hurt by crippling budget cuts imposed by the Treasury. The budget cuts allegedly forced the CCMA to outsource its dispute referral system to corner stores and internet cafes, with security guards and touts exploiting workers by charging up to R900 to make copies of and complete dispute referral forms. Fedusa’s Riefdah Ajam spoke out against backlogs at the CCMA, and the “ugliness” of cutting budgets at a time when cases were going up. During the webinar, Nxesi advised that over the past three financial years (2020/21 to 2022/23) the CCMA’s caseload increased from 154,142 referrals to 184,075. “The CCMA tells me that the biggest challenge is sitting with the Department of Justice. No matter how effective and efficient the CCMA can be, but outcomes of the CCMA often have to go to the Labour Court. That is where they get stuck. Resources are the biggest factor in employing more judges, court rooms, etc.,” Nxesi said. Judge President of the Labour Court, Basheer Waglay, said backlogs in the court were a result of increasing jurisdictions, “with more work being allocated but with no change in infrastructure”. Labour unions needed to be trained to resolve matters on the shop floor instead of running to the CCMA and courts to settle a dispute, he argued. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
New Cape Town force launched to protect frontline staff, stop theft and extortion TimesLIVE reports that City of Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis launched the new facility protection officers (FPO) law enforcement unit on Tuesday. The mayor and his team introduced 280 officers who will be protecting the city's facilities from extortion, theft and vandalism. “The officers are going to be helping to protect our city infrastructure, our facilities, and to protect our front line service delivery teams when they deliver services in a dangerous communities. They often, inexplicably and outrageously, come under attack from a tiny minority of bad people who want to rob ambulance drivers and paramedics, firefighters, teams that are fixing water pipes and so on,” Hill-Lewis indicated. He went on to state: “So instead of taking up police and law enforcement resources to escort those teams, this team will now be able to provide a permanent escort service for our frontline service teams and also to protect our facilities from vandalism and theft.” Among the areas of deployment are Beacon Valley, Bonteheuwel, Brown’s Farm, Delft, Delft South, Eersteriver, Hanover Park, Harare, Imizamo Yethu, Kuyasa, Langa, Lavender Hill, Leonsdale, Manenberg, Masiphumelele, Netreg, Nyanga, Philippi East, Retreat, Seawinds, Sir Lowry’s Pass Village, Site C, Tafelsig, Uitsig and Wesban. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Zukile Daniel at TimesLIVE Senior dental hygienist shot dead in her car outside Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in apparent hit The Citizen reports that a senior oral hygienist was shot dead outside the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital on Tuesday morning in what is believed to be an apparent hit. Motalatale Modiba, head of communication for the Gauteng Department of Health, said: “We have learnt with shock the news of the shooting and killing of a chief oral hygienist near the Chris Hani Baragwaneth Academic Hospital. She was on her way to work at the Lillian Ngoyi Community Health Centre at the time of the incident.” Modiba said the employee’s colleagues were devastated by her death. The woman, whose identity has not yet been revealed, was killed as she sat inside a grey VW Polo. She was apparently heading to work when two gunmen shot her. The killers are believed to have walked straight up to her window and opened fire. One of the bullets exited through the left front door. The employee lost control and her car hit a pole. The gunmen then fled. Some eyewitnesses said it appeared to have been a hit, as the gunmen would have taken the car if it were a hijacking Based on reports at The Citizen and News24. Read too, Gauteng MEC calls for swift arrests after oral hygienist killed outside Bara, at EWN
Gordhan seeks to appeal 'impossible and vague' order to curb load shedding impact on hospitals, schools and police stations News24 reports that Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan on Tuesday applied for leave to appeal a court order that all hospitals, clinics, schools and police stations should be spared from electricity load-shedding. On 5 May, Judge Norman Davis ordered the Minister to "take all reasonable steps" within 60 days to ensure that public health establishments, state schools and the SA Police Service were not affected by load-shedding. This came after the United Democratic Movement (UDM), Inkatha Freedom Party, Action SA, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA and others launched a legal bid to spare hospitals and clinics, 23,000 public schools and police stations from load-shedding. Gordhan was the second respondent, alongside Eskom, President Cyril Ramaphosa, the National Energy Regulator of SA and others. The notice of application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal lists four grounds on which the minister wishes to appeal. These are that the order is vague; that it is impossible to implement; that the order "violates the rule of law"; and that it infringes on the principle of separation of powers. Moreover, Gordhan’s application claims the order "wrongly assumes that the minister has the power and ability" to ensure a sufficient supply of electricity to the listed facilities. In practical terms, Gordhan takes issue with the judgment's criticism of generators as a solution, arguing that preferred alternatives such as solar PV panels would take longer than 60 days to install. Gordhan’s application relates to part A of the case. The applicants also wanted the court to issue an order holding President Cyril Ramaphosa legally responsible for the human cost of load shedding. Part B is set to be heard in September. Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Marelise van der Merwe at Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Angry job seekers in Mdantsane accuse their councillor of only giving jobs to relatives and fellow ANC members GroundUp reports that over a hundred job seekers and community members from Mdantsante marched to their ward councillor’s office on Tuesday, seeking to be employed in a local road project which is already in its fourth phase. The group vowed to continue protesting until Buffalo City Metro Mayor Princess Faku agreed to halt the project until more unemployed people from the community were given jobs at the site. The marchers handed over a memorandum to Speaker Humphrey Maxegwana in which they accused Ward 30 Councillor, Notyilelo Whittington (ANC), of nepotism in that she only gave job opportunities to relatives and fellow ANC members. Whittington has denied this, but the protesters wanted her to resign with immediate effect. Accepting the memorandum, Maxegwana told the crowd that the municipality could not fire the ward councillor and that the matter had to be taken to the ANC. He promised to get back to residents within seven days. Whittington claimed the march was orchestrated by opposition parties which were campaigning for 2024 and that she was not involved in the project’s employment process. Outside Whittington’s office, the protesters were met by a group of ANC supporters who were singing. The two groups exchanged verbal insults and profanities before being dispersed. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik at GroundUp
Two foreign nationals sentenced to jail time for stealing precious metals at Minpro Impala Mine IOL reports that two foreign nationals who were caught on camera stealing platinum-bearing metals at Minpro Impala Mine in Rustenburg have been sentenced to prison time. Trynos Masotsha and Hungwe Tapiwa were arrested by members of the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit in February 2022 after they were found by officials from Minpro Impala Mine in possession of bags containing stolen platinum-bearing material. "The pair was reportedly spotted on the CCTV cameras whilst stealing the platinum material from the mine," police spokesperson Captain Tlangelani Rikhotso reported. Rikhotso said that both accused were remanded in custody after their first appearance, owing to their illegal status in the country. "They made a series of court appearances until they were each sentenced to five years direct imprisonment for possession of unwrought precious metals and 12 months imprisonment for being illegal immigrants. The sentences will run concurrently. In addition, they were declared unfit to possess firearms," Rikhotso added. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sibuliso Duba at IOL
North West Health, unions decide to drop blame game over babies in cardboard boxes The Citizen reports that the North West Department of Health says progress is being made with the investigation into why babies born at the Mahikeng Provincial Hospital were placed in cardboard boxes instead of incubators. Images of newborn babies in boxes circulated on social media last week, sparking an outcry. The Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) criticised the provincial department on Monday, saying the matter did not need to be investigated because it was “a daily reality faced by healthcare workers in hospitals and clinics due to the shortage of equipment and resources”. The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) also slammed the department for using workers as “sacrificial lambs” for its own failures. Meantime, two employees at the hospital were placed on precautionary suspension. Following the outcry, North West Health MEC Madoda Sambatha met with Denosa as well as the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu). According to the department, it was acknowledged during the meeting that the challenges that contributed to the current situation at the hospital was “systemic and structural”. “The meeting emphasised the need to find solutions and to stop pointing fingers at individuals. In that spirit, both the union leaders and the MEC agreed that the suspension of the employees directly involved was not meant as a punitive measure, but a precautionary suspension,” North West Health spokesperson Tebogo Lekgethwane indicated. The meeting further resolved that the hospital’s management should draw up an improvement plan, which was underway. Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Molefe Seeletsa at The Citizen
Commission for Gender Equality suspends its CEO Phelisa Nkomo after just four months in the job City Press reports that the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has suspended its CEO Phelisa Nkomo with immediate effect. The CGE’s chairperson, Advocate Olave Nthabiseng Sepanya-Mogale, apparently placed Nkomo on precautionary suspension on Monday. Dr Dennis Matotoka has been appointed to act in Nkomo’s place. The CGE announced Nkomo’s appointment on 17 January, with much fanfare, indicating that it was a milestone and boost in performing its constitutional mandate of working towards a society free of gender inequality. In a communication with staff on Monday, Sepanya-Mogale stated that Nkomo’s suspension was effective while investigations were under way. She said staff might be aware of the challenges that CGE had encountered in the past weeks and indicated that staff would be kept abreast of developments. Provincial managers apparently lodged a grievance with Sepanya-Mogale, claiming that there was poor planning and a lack of consideration emanating from Nkomo’s office. They said Nkomo had failed to meet provincial managers since her arrival in January to understand the ins and outs of provincial operations. This, they claimed, led to Nkomo continuing to undermine their provincial work. The managers stated that there were two provinces without office space, while information technology and infrastructural frustrations have been ongoing for several months. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Msindisi Fengu at City Press
There's been a significant drop in sabotage, corruption at Eskom, claims Ramokgopa EWN reports that according to Electricity Minister Kgosietso Ramokgopa, there's been a significant decrease in cases of sabotage and corruption at Eskom since the implementation of the energy crisis plan, which was first announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July last year. In December last year, Ramaphosa announced that as part of efforts to increase security at Eskom power plants, soldiers would be deployed to Eskom power plants, at an estimated cost of over R150 million. Ramokgopa said this collaboration led by the state security department and other law enforcement agencies had yielded some positive results. "The number of incidents since we have put this together has decreased from 65 to about 20. A number of arrests have been made. Crime and corruption continue to be the focal point in addressing the scourge of load shedding," he indicated. Ramokgopa also said that Eskom had put internal governance systems in place to reduce acts of sabotage and criminal syndicates at its power plans. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ndaedzo Nethonzhe at EWN. Read too, Over 50 Eskom vandalism, theft-related arrests made since January, Mashatile reports, at News24 Former Northern Cape MEC John Block in the dock for alleged R51m mental health facility tender fraud The Citizen reports that former Northern Cape MEC for transport, roads and public works, John Block, appeared in the Upington Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday in connection with R51 million tender fraud. The tender in question relates to the construction of a new mental health facility in Kimberley, which initially carried a budget of R290 million. However, the costs escalated to R420 million during Block’s tenure as MEC. “It is alleged that in 2023, Babereki Consulting Engineers CC was fraudulently awarded a tender as a structural civil engineer as well as project manager, within the mental health hospital construction project,” said Hawks spokesperson Nomthandazo Mnisi on Tuesday. He went on to indicate: “During his tenure as a political head the accused and the former HOD Ms. Patience Mercia Mokhali appointed Babereki Consulting Engineers CC whose director is Mr Tshegolekae Motaung though the company did not meet the necessary requirements. The actual amount involved is approximately R51 million.” The Hawks said in a statement last week: “The mental health hospital, while under construction, experienced issues of maladministration for the years that the project was in progress. There was no value for money.” Block, who is accused number 4 in the matter, will be joining his co-accused in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on 11 July 2023. Block was remanded in custody as he is currently serving a 15-year jail term at the Upington Correctional Services. He was convicted of fraud, corruption and money laundering in 2015. Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde at The Citizen. Lees ook, John Block terug in beskuldigdebank oor tenderbedrog, by Maroela Media Hawks arrest IPID officer and accomplice for 'demanding' R5m bribe from suspected Ponzi scheme boss News24 reports that an Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) officer and his accomplice have been arrested for allegedly demanding a R5 million bribe from a businessman suspected of running an illegal Ponzi scheme. The two suspects, aged 48 and 41, were expected to appear in court on Tuesday in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on corruption and extortion charges. Gauteng Hawks spokesperson Colonel Philani Nkwalase said the two men were arrested on Monday after handing themselves over at the Midrand police station. According to Nkwalase, the IPID officer allegedly conspired with two accomplices to demand money from the businessman and his employees. "The IPID guy was threatening to arrest them for running an illegal Ponzi scheme, but it came down to them saying they should pay if they didn't want to be arrested. The businessman and his employees reportedly paid R219,000 to the IPID employee and his two accomplices. When the trio demanded more money, the matter was reported to the Hawks," Nkwalase reported. The third accomplice is still at large. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tshepiso Motloung at News24. Read too, Ipid officer arrested after allegedly demanding R5 million from man operating Ponzi scheme, at IOL
Only one of five former G4S employees accused of involvement in Bester prison escape granted bail The Star reports that Magistrate Mohlolo Khabisi has released Nastassja Jansen on R10,000 bail following weeks of bail application hearings involving five former G4S employees who allegedly assisted Thabo Bester to escape from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2022. The four other applicants were denied bail, with Khabisi saying they had, in their statements, failed to convince the court of their innocence. In the proceedings, the investigating officer acknowledged that one of the former G4S employees (Jansen) accused of assisting in Bester’s escape had not been a cent for involvement in the saga. “We are happy the judgment was fair and right; it was our version from the start that no evidence linked my client to the matter. I would advise my client not to be in contact with any of the accused or employees of G4S,” Jansen’s lawyer, Gary Botha, commented. The four other applicants, namely Senohe Matsoara, Buti Masukela, Tieho Makhotsa and CCTV technician Teboho Lipholo, were remanded in custody, and will be appearing before the same court on 20 June. Jansen is also expected to appear on the same day. Khabisi said there was a potential for community outrage, which in turn could undermine the country’s justice system in the eyes of the community, which was why he strongly opposed bail for the four other accused. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Siyabonga Sithole at The Star
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