In our Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Sixteen trucks torched in KZN, Mpumalanga and Limpopo just three days BL Premium reports that the government is scrambling to find answers as 10 more trucks were torched across KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Mpumalanga and Limpopo, bringing the tally of confirmed violent attacks to 16 in just three days and putting further pressure on SA’s unstable economy. Since the weekend attack on six trucks on the N3 in KwaZulu-Natal, violence has spread to the vital N4, which is the corridor to Mozambique, the N3 north-south corridor and to the N1 to Limpopo near Sekhukhune. “These attacks aren’t about the corner at your local store, they are on the main routes on the corridors. Lamenting not only the financial effect on the sector, Road Freight Association (RFA) CEO Gavin Kelly warned that as it became more difficult for the trucking industry to guarantee safe delivery of cargo, international traders were seeking other entries to the rest of Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who on Monday described the violent crimes as “economic sabotage”, has set up a team to investigate the truck attacks. So far neither the perpetrators nor the motive for the attacks have been identified. The police ministry is expected to give a briefing on Wednesday. Fluctuating home affairs rules and deadlines and lackadaisical inspections by the labour ministry had also contributed to agitating local drivers over the past six years, Kelly said, noting that violent crimes against the trucking sector over the hiring of foreign drivers were rampantly perpetrated with impunity. He said the labour department needed to act quicker to address anticompetitive behaviour by employers to ensure employees were all legal and paid the minimum while given the minimum rights under the Labour Relations Act. “The fact (is) that there are transporters in our sector who employ foreigners because they are illegal and they can pay far less than the minimum wage,” he noted. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Michelle Gumede & Hajra Omarjee at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, Five more trucks set alight in Limpopo and KZN, raising the truck arson total to 16, at News24 Business worried that ‘absolute nightmare' of truck arson will dent confidence, push up costs Fin24 reports that concern is mounting that recent truck attacks on two of SA's key transport routes could deal another blow to confidence and harm the economy. The timing of the incidents, coming as SA marked the two-year anniversary of the 2021 July riots, has caused worry, while business leaders said it might just add to existing scepticism among investors that law enforcement was capable of clamping down on ongoing criminality. The reasons behind the incidents are not clear, but there have been reports they may have been motivated by anger over foreign nationals working as drivers. Gavin Kelly of the Road Freight Association said on Monday that while "no one has put their hand up" and indicated what exactly the latest attacks were about, if it was about employing foreign drivers, the question was why they were attacking companies that employed locals and paid better than minimum wages. It also raised the question of whether there was a "more nefarious reason" for the attacks, aimed at destroying the industry to make way for other players. Kelly said the incidents were likely to result in increased costs as trucking groups were going to have to ramp up security, which could involve armed escorts for trucks and other measures to protect drivers, trucks and client cargo. He said fortunately no one had been killed in the latest incidents, but that in prior incidents people had been murdered with no "reports of any punitive action against any of the perpetrators". Business Unity SA’s Cas Coovadia commented that the Van Reenen's Pass incident on Saturday night was "obviously worrying" considering its timing. He added he was concerned that the economic fallout would be severe and would affect not only the economy, but also "confidence in our country". Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nick Wilson at Fin24 (subscriber access only). Read too, KZN premier says torching of trucks could cost SA up to R60 million, at The Citizen Mashatile claims state security ‘knows’ who’s behind truck attacks SowetanLive reports that Deputy President Paul Mashatile says the state security agency knows who is behind the recent torching of trucks, adding that the government was “on top of things”. On Wednesday, police minister Bheki Cele will brief the nation on what police are doing to clamp down on what appears to be a coordinated attack on at least 16 trucks so far. In an interview with Sowetan on Tuesday, Mashatile said state security had “gone deeper into who is behind this and have a plan which I can’t discuss”. Asked if they knew who is behind the arson attacks, Mashatile said: “Yes, state security knows.” He added: “Government is on top of things. We met with the security cluster, and they have a plan. What we emphasised is that we want visible policing. Regular roadblocks, searches and guarding of borders. There is a comprehensive plan.” Ephraim Mphahlele of the National Transport Movement, a truck drivers’ trade union, said he expected the police leadership to tell the country they have either arrested or were in the process of arresting the perpetrators. “We are extremely worried about the current attacks on trucks and believe law enforcement should knuckle down and [deal with the perpetrators].” He questioned the effectiveness of police in dealing with the criminals. Meanwhile, fear has gripped thousands of truck drivers who have been forced to continue to crisscross the length and breadth of the country amid the onslaught. Even though no driver has been harmed in the latest incidents, that doesn’t bring any comfort to trucker Mamelani Ncebetha, who said: “I’m scared of getting on the N3 at this time of the day and I had to ask my boss to allow me to sleep over somewhere not far from Durban because once I hit the highway, I’d be very vulnerable.” Mhlangabezi Ntloko, a Cape Town-based truck driver, the current situation was “dreadful”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jeanette Chabalala, Noxolo Sibiya & Mpho Sibanyoni at SowetanLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Solidarity refuses to sign Kumba wage agreement Trade union Solidarity has announced that it will not sign a salary agreement that Kumba Iron Ore wants to impose on its members. This followed after Kumba, as Anglo American's iron ore producer, reached an agreement “on the sly” with the other mining unions involved after the declaration of a dispute by Solidarity. Kumba apparently wants to make this agreement automatically applicable to Solidarity's members. “Our refusal to sign is a matter of principle. Kumba does not negotiate in good faith and forces an unfavourable agreement on our members. The company introduces unfair practices that result in certain categories of workers having to subsidise the increases of other workers,” said Solidarity General Secretary Gideon du Plessis. He added: “In terms of the new agreement, skilled workers will receive a lower percentage increase than predominantly semi-skilled workers. This practice stems from the previous three-year wage agreement when the same unfair principle was applied by Kumba. The new agreement offers workers mostly at higher job levels increases of 6.5%, 5.5% and 5% over the next three years. Workers at lower job levels will receive increases of between 8% and 7.5% for year one, and increases of 6% and 5.5% for the two years thereafter.” Du Plessis also argued that, as with the previous agreement, Kumba had once again used contradictory wording in a clause for the reopening of negotiations should inflation rise above a certain percentage. Read Solidarity’s press statement in the above regard at Solidarity News. Lees ook, Solidariteit weier ondertekening van Kumba-ooreenkoms, by Maroela Media
‘Business rescue will give Post Office time to turn its fortunes around,’ says government The Citizen reports that government is looking to turn the SA Post Office (Sapo) around after the institution was saved from liquidation. On Monday, the Pretoria High Court granted the government’s application to place Sapo in business rescue with immediate effect, thus avoiding liquidation. The appointment of Anoosh Rooplal and Juanito Martins Damons as joint interim rescue practitioners (BRP) was confirmed. Sapo had been placed in provisional liquidation earlier this year due to its failure to pay rent and other liabilities. The embattled state-owned entity has been insolvent for some time, with a reported debt of around R9.4 billion. “The decision of the court in support of the application brought by Minister Mondli Gungubele confirms that indeed Post Office is a strategic government asset that provides vital services throughout the country, especially in remote areas where Post Office is often the main link between residents and the outside world,” the Government Communications Information System (GCIS) said on Tuesday. It highlighted that the business rescue process would assist Sapo with its turnaround plan since government had agreed to inject R2.4 billion in funding, although more bailouts could be provided in the future. “This decision will give the Post Office the much needed time and space to restructure its affairs under supervision and implement the turnaround plan to fundamentally change its business model into a solvent and viable business with broad revenue streams that leads on modern services,” GCIS said. According to Sapo’s 2022 annual report, less than a quarter of its 1,266 branches were profitable. It was previously reported that the entity planned to retrench 6,000 jobs, leaving just under 5,000 employed by Sapo Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Molefe Seeletsa at The Citizen
SABC silent even as finance executive warns broadcaster is ‘on the brink’ and staffers worry about salary payments Fin24 reports that the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has been silent after its chief financial officer (CFO) revealed that the struggling organisation was hampered by absent leadership with "no sense of urgency in the executive team", was running "on autopilot" and was once again barrelling towards "day zero" where it won't be able to pay salaries and might be placed in business rescue. After mounting losses in the past decade, the SABC is set to record a massive financial loss of over R1 billion for its 2022/23 financial year. Rank-and-file SABC staffers as well as production companies doing business with the broadcaster are wondering whether salaries will remain paid and if a new round of retrenchments, or yet another turnaround plan, might be on the cards. After a R3.2 billion government bailout in 2019 in the form of a loan guarantee, the SABC – which had to function without a SABC board for over half a year until a new one was appointed in April – is once again struggling to pay bills, with warning lights flickering over its ongoing ability to pay staff in the coming months. The SABC has also been losing senior staff. It was reported at the weekend that CFO Yolanda van Biljon in a memo to the new SABC board chairperson Khathutshelo Ramukumba warned that the broadcaster was once again teetering on the brink of financial collapse and might end up being placed in business rescue similar to the SA Post Office. Hannes du Buisson of the Bemawu trade union told SABC News that the broadcaster's staff hadn't received any communication from management about the possibility that it might be placed in business rescue. The SABC’s wage bill is by far its biggest single expense. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thinus Ferreira at Fin24
Gordhan shakes up Transnet board as former top Anglo American executive named new chair TimesLIVE reports that Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has announced a shake-up of the Transnet board after constraints on the railways and ports resulted in SA missing out on billions of rand in revenue. “These appointments will put Transnet on a firm strategic path that provides critical expertise, experience and acumen for Transnet to optimally and strategically execute on its road map [and] business plan, and improve governance and optimise performance,” Gordhan said. Popo Molefe has been booted as chair of Transnet but retained as an ordinary board member. On the 11-member board, nine new appointments have been made including a new chair, Andile Sangqu, previously the vice-president of the Minerals Council and a former member of the Anglo American and Tongaat executive boards. Popo Molefe and Sydney Mufamadi, President Cyril Ramaphosa's national security adviser, were the only directors who retained their seats on the board. Poor maintenance, a shortage of locomotives and vandalism have undermined Transnet’s ability to meet its full potential. The Mineral Council has previously raised concerns that SA’s bulk commodity producers missed out R50bn in revenues in 2022 due to problems at Transnet. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Dineo Faku at TimesLIVE See too,
‘Budget constraints’ mean 9‚000 social work graduates nationally remain unemployed BusinessLive reports that about 9‚000 social work graduates in SA are unemployed due to “budget constraints”, but according to social development minister Lindiwe Zulu‚ there are 1‚279 vacant social worker positions in the provinces. She was replying to parliamentary questions by DA MP Bridget Masango‚ who asked about the vacant posts for social workers in each province and how long they had been vacant. Masango also asked why the posts were not filled and about the number of unemployed social workers in the country. According to Zulu‚ the longest period for vacant posts was eight years in the Free State‚ with 101 vacant posts. The Eastern Cape has 151 vacant posts spanning more than five years because of a “moratorium on filling posts (2019-Sept 2022) due to a significant reduction of compensation of employee budget”. Gauteng led with the highest number of vacant posts at 365‚ followed by the North West with 178 and the Northern Cape with 158. KwaZulu-Natal has 107 vacant posts‚ the Western Cape 103‚ Mpumalanga 72 and Limpopo 44. Zulu said the reason for the vacancies was “budget constraints due to a significant reduction in the compensation of employees over the medium-term expenditure framework period”. Masango called on Zulu to implement measures to fill the vacant positions and address shortages. “What is particularly disturbing is 9‚000 social workers remain unemployed and this number has remained unchanged since last year, when a similar question was asked‚” Masango said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Unathi Nkanjeni at BusinessLive Vacant teacher, principal and deputy principal posts ‘too high for comfort’ TimesLIVE Premium reports that education experts are worried at the many vacant teacher, principal and deputy principal posts in the country. Department of Basic Education (DBE) spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga confirmed that 14,564 teacher and 3,555 principal posts were vacant at the end of May. There were also 3,461 vacant deputy principal posts in the Western Cape, Northern Cape, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal, according to figures supplied by the provinces. At least 2,577 of the 3,461 deputy principal vacancies were in KwaZulu-Natal. Mhlanga said the issue of vacancies was discussed at length during a meeting of the council of education ministers comprising DBE Minister Angie Motshekga and the nine provincial MECs of education on Friday. He said teacher vacancies amounted to 5% of all posts in schools and that this number “fluctuates daily due to ongoing attrition”, but it should be expected that a reasonable number of posts would be vacant at schools at any given time. Prof Chika Sehoole, dean of the education faculty at the University of Pretoria, said “the levels of vacancies are too high for comfort”. He indicated that the vacancies might be attributed to teachers and principals taking early retirement at the age of 60 instead of 65 and that this should be “anticipated and planned for”. Sehoole said the vacancies will “definitely compromise” learning and teaching as principals “provide vision, leadership and management for the school”. The DA’s education spokesperson in KZN, Imran Keeka, said the many vacant principal and deputy principal posts “creates potential for irregularities with the filling of these posts”. “The ‘selling’ of posts is unfortunately not an uncommon practice in our province. The involvement of certain teacher unions in creating upheaval is also a reality that needs grappling with as educators vie for these posts,” he claimed. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Prega Govender at TimesLIVE Premium (subscriber access only)
SAPS calls on former members to re-enlist for detective services IOL reports that the SA Police Service (SAPS) is calling on all former police officers to re-enlist for its detective services. It is looking to re-enlist 400 former members who had rankings of Constable, Sergeant, or Warrant Officer. The applicable advertisement reads: “The posts contained in this advertisement are earmarked for the capacitation of the detective environment, and successful candidates will be re-enlisted in the ranks they previously held (Constable, Sergeant, and Warrant Officer only) in the South African Police Service. All successful former members will be placed in Detective Services, irrespective of the environment that he/she served previously in the South African Police Service.” The criteria for former members include not being older than 55 years as at the closing date of 24 July, having a good disciplinary and attendance record, having a Code 8 driver’s license, proficiency in at least two languages (English mandatory), willingness to undergo psychological assessment and a medical examination, as well as being cleared to possess a firearm. Successful candidates will be required to undergo a refresher course or any other training as determined by the National Police Commissioner. Candidates who do not have experience or formal detective training will be subjected to three months training immediately once appointed. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Robin-Lee Francke at IOL
How can Joburg create inner-city jobs when Covid money comes to an end? BusinessLive writes that inner-city Johannesburg was once a commercial hub for large mining companies seeking riches in SA’s biggest city, but decades of neglect and disinvestment have left residents facing high levels of crime and poverty. Joburg’s latest inner-city projects, supported by the presidential post-Covid employment stimulus, range from funding informal street book sellers promoting African literature to agricultural projects run by the homeless. Johannesburg Inner City Partnership (JICP), the body facilitating the funding to the inner-city groups, has helped channel R25m to about 40 organisations such as Boundless City that are creating safe spaces to play and learn. The projects have created an estimated 2,000 part-time jobs since November last year, almost 70% of which have gone to youth in the area and 60% to women, JICP said. Despite the initiative’s success in creating jobs and cleaning up public spaces in the neglected inner city, funding is not guaranteed beyond 2024, forcing charities to rethink the longevity of their projects. The Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) programme was announced in October 2020 when President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged to create much-needed jobs after losses during the pandemic. Funds for all PES programmes terminate in March 2024, with any possibility of continuation now being assessed by the National Treasury. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kim Harrisberg at BusinessLive
SA Tourism board accused of targeting whistleblowers who utilised employee hotline City Press reports that employees at SA Tourism have accused the interim board of using the hotline and whistleblowing platforms created for employees to report wrongdoing and misconduct in the organisation as a witch-hunt tool to intimidate staff members. But, in response to allegations that he had attempted and failed to solicit funds from SA Tourism for his world surfing league, interim board chairperson Tim Harrishe said that once a report had been "escalated to us, the board does not have the option to do nothing". He said: “We are proceeding with the investigation of the reported cases in line with our fiduciary responsibilities. When whistleblowers report incidents in good faith, the board’s obligation is to ensure that they are properly reviewed. At SA Tourism, the policy on escalation of such cases assigns this responsibility to various levels of the entity depending on the contents of the reported incident." Harris added that the board reviewed each case and resolved to investigate several that contained potentially credible allegations, including nepotism, mismanagement and corruption. In a letter addressed to all staff members, Harris advised that management had brought to the board's attention seven outstanding whistleblowing reports submitted through the hotline. Two additional reports had been copied to the government ethics hotline. He indicated: “These reports date as far back as May 2022. All the reports have been handed over to the board through the escalation process. One was already under investigation." In the letter, Harris said data was being sourced from various officials within SA Tourism who would have interacted with pertinent information during their work. But, according to employees, 12 people and some executive committee members were ambushed and had their laptops raided. To this, Harris responded: "SA Tourism Internal Audit communicated the initiation of the investigation and requested cooperation from employees. Data was then preserved on select IT equipment used as tools of trade to ensure that all necessary information is available to the investigators." Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Palesa Dlamini at City Press
One of two new accused in Thabo Bester case granted R10,000 bail, while the other abandoned bail bid TimesLIVE reports that the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court on Tuesday granted one of the two new accused in the Thabo Bester matter R10,000 bail, while the other withdrew his bail application. Former G4S prison officials Joel Makhetha and Moeketsi Ramolula were arrested two weeks ago and were back in court for bail applications after a brief appearance last week. The two face three charges each, namely assisting an inmate to escape, violation of a body and corruption. Proceedings kicked off with Ramolula withdrawing his application for bail while Makhetha spelt out the reasons he should be granted bail. These included that he had no previous convictions or pending cases, he would not evade trial as he had “strong emotional ties” in Bloemfontein, would not interfere with the administration of justice and had co-operated with officials since his arrest. The state confirmed that it did not oppose Makhetha's application. Prosecutor Sello Matlhoko advised that the suspended G4S worker had surrendered his passport and that the bail amount agreed on was R10,000 with certain strict conditions. Twelve people have so far been arrested in connection with convicted rapist and murderer Bester's audacious escape from Mangaung prison in May last year, seven of them either current or former employees of the G4S security company. Five of the accused have successfully applied for bail, while Bester's girlfriend Dr Nandipha Magudumana abandoned her bail bid to challenge her arrest and detention. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khanyisile Ngcobo at TimesLIVE. Read too, Thabo Bester escape: State expects to call at least 18 witnesses, at News24. En ook, Borgtog vir nog ʼn verdagte in Thabo Bester-saak, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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