In our roundup of weekend news, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that appeared since
Friday, 14 July 2023.
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Two more held over torching of trucks, bringing total to five BusinessLive reports that police are confident they are closing in on the ringleaders behind the torching of trucks on SA roads. This is according to Brig Athlenda Mathe, who said two more suspects have been arrested, bringing the total to five. All five arrests were made in Mpumalanga. Police minister Bheki Cele said last week that 12 people had been identified as suspects/people of interest by officers investigating what has been described as co-ordinated attacks on freight trucks. At least 21 trucks have been torched in KwaZulu-Natal‚ Limpopo and Mpumalanga this month in what has been described as co-ordinated attacks. Cele said evidence pointed to “organised co-ordinated and sophisticated operations that seek to undermine and sabotage the state”. City Press reported over the weekend that a confidential crime intelligence report seen by the publication suggested an organisation of truckers sympathetic to former president Jacob Zuma and the so-called Operation Dudula, were the instigators of the attacks on trucks. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at BusinessLive. Read too, Truck torchings: Police arrest two more in connection with recent attacks, at News24. En ook, Nog twee vas wat glo trokke brand, by Maroela Media Leaked report ‘implicates’ Operation Dudula, ATDF in targeting of ‘foreign drivers’ The Citizen writes that despite Police Minister Bheki Cele rejecting reports that the recent attacks on trucks were not due to the employment of foreign nationals in the trucking industry, a leaked document suggests otherwise. At least 21 trucks were torched in different provinces last week. In a leaked crime intelligence report seen by City Press, All Truck Drivers Forum and Allied SA (ATDF-ASA) and controversial lobby group Operation Dudula are said to have orchestrated the attacks. The two organisations are mentioned in the report, which details how the attacks were carried out in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Mpumalanga and Limpopo. Mostly foreign drivers’ trucks were allegedly targeted and burnt by “IsiZulu-speaking African males”, while South African drivers were let off the hook. The suspects, according to the report, would demand the identity documents of drivers as well as the proof of ownership of the trucks before they were torched. “The movement demands that government remove all foreign national truck drivers from the road freight industry with immediate effect. It also wants a salary increase of 15% for all local truck drivers and [demands that] drivers without valid work permits be removed from [their jobs],” the report reads. While the ATDF-ASA has denied involvement in the attacks, the organisation, however, could not rule out some of its “aggrieved” members being behind the incidents. Meanwhile, according to a Sunday Times report, the police made a breakthrough in nabbing a number of suspected arsonists with the help of dashboard cameras and WhatsApp voice recordings. “We have intelligence on them and also found communication on their phones. These are disgruntled drivers who say they are tired of the hiring of foreign truck drivers and cheap labour. There are more arrests coming; we are breaking them,” a senior police officer indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Molefe Seeletsa at The Citizen. Read too, Burning trucks linked to Zuma and Operation Dudula, at City Press (subscriber access only). And also, ‘He needs to be shot and killed’: chilling voice notes from truck attackers, at Sunday Times Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Numsa calls for intervention over alleged exploitation at SA Steel Mills after worker crushed to death Fin24 reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has called on the government to intervene after the death last week of a worker at the Sedibeng-based plant of SA Steel Mills. The union asked the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) to investigate health and safety standards and the alleged exploitation of workers. In a recent statement, Numsa’s Irvin Jim said the worker, Seomogelo Mkhondwane, died when he was crushed by one of the pressing machines. Mere hours later, workers were forced to continue working, even though they were "traumatised", the union alleged. Numsa accused management of racism and of exploiting workers. "Our demands are SA Steel Mills must allow workers to elect safety reps who can be trained in health and safety protocols, a full-time health and safety shop steward elected by workers, and for SA Steel Mills to stop employing undocumented foreign nationals in violation of labour laws," Jim said. Earlier this year, the union sent a letter to the DEL, Seifsa and the metals and engineering bargaining council, accusing SA Steel Mills of the exploitation of workers at its plant in Meyerton. The union claimed "workers are exposed to a workplace where health and safety standards are undermined and violated with no consequences" and said adequate personal protection equipment (PPE) was not provided. It also accused the company of not paying workers overtime and of underpaying workers according to industry standards. SA Steel Mills has denied the claims. The management of SA Steel Mills and Numsa will meet on Monday to address the union's concerns. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Na’ilah Ebrahim at Fin24 KZN worker injured from eight-metre scaffolding fall after he touched live electrical wire The Mercury reports that a KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) worker who was performing his duties at a nature reserve fell from scaffolding on Saturday and had to be rushed to hospital. Mi7 National Group director Colin David reported that the group's Emergency Medical Services was dispatched after reports that a worker fell from scaffolding at a nature reserve. David said when paramedics arrived at the scene they discovered that a man was working from the top of the scaffolding when his head touched an exposed live electrical wire. “He was shocked and fell about eight metres to the ground,” he advised. David said medics administered Advanced Life Support interventions to treat the man for electrical burns. The man was also treated for injuries sustained from the fall. The patient was then transported to hospital for further treatment. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Karen Singh at The Mercury Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Illegal miners ‘an asset to community’, say zama zamas at Angelo settlement Sunday Times reports that a huge illegal gold mining operation has become the economic pillar of the Angelo informal settlement on Gauteng's East Rand, driving an informal economy that employs residents and pumps cash into local businesses. Production on a grand scale involves multiple “plants” in which people employed by zama zamas sort, grind and extract gold from sand excavated from a nearby abandoned mine shaft. Illegal miners claim they have been embraced by the community of Angelo, the site of tragedy two weeks ago when 17 people died due to a gas leak. “We are an asset to this community. If we were to leave, this place will go down. We pay rent for shacks, we drink in taverns and buy groceries from the shops,” says Tebogo Khotso, a Lesotho national who came to SA in 2016. “We are not criminals. All we want is for the South African government to allow us to work properly,” said Ramenkane Dihoehla, who has been an illegal miner for years. Last week, a group of illegal miners gave the Sunday Times a tour of their 24-hour operation. The tour through the area revealed a rudimentary but efficient production line involving more than 100 illegal miners. They are attached to 12 different operational plants scattered across the settlement. Each plant has about five to 10 workers and hires about 50 women whose job is to grind the soil as it is brought from under the ground. The soil is taken to one of a dozen plants where it is ground into smaller particles. After it has been processed, the soil is moved to another plant where gold particles are extracted from the ground soil. Finally, the gold is taken to “a white man” in Johannesburg, whom no-one is willing to name. The gold mine is one of several operations in the area, with a large illegal coal mining facility a few kilometres away. Shop owner Thabo Mokoena said the zama zamas do not cause problems for the community. Read the full original of the extensive report in the above regard by Penwell Dlamini at Sunday Times (subscriber access only). Read too, Illegal mining can have devastating impact on ecosystems, at IOL Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Numsa Western Cape in new fight with the union’s national leadership GroundUp reports that according to the Western Cape region of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), the union’s national leadership is not allowing regional secretary Vuyo Lufele back into his office despite a ruling by the CCMA lifting his suspension. Lufele was one of more than 55 people suspended by general secretary Irvin Jim after they raised concerns over the running of 3Sixty Life, a funeral insurance company owned by the union. Lufele challenged his suspension at the CCMA, which ruled on 26 June that he must be reinstated and should report for duty on 3 July. CCMA Commissioner Jacques Buitendag found that the suspension had been invalid and unfair. In a 12 July letter to Jim, Nama Mzimasi, on behalf of Numsa Western Cape office bearers, claimed that Numsa was not complying with the CCMA ruling. Mzimasi said the absence of Lufele was “creating a lot of suffering to us as workers in the Western Cape and we would like your office to allow him back to his office”. According to Mzimasi, Jim had “decided to take powers away” from the Western Cape leadership “by placing this region under administration unconstitutionally”. Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola advised that at an extended Central Committee meeting held from 9 to 13 December, it had been resolved to place the Western Cape Region under administration. “As things stand Western Cape is being led by a task team following the decision of that Central Committee meeting. It is false for anyone to claim that this decision was taken solely by the Numsa General Secretary comrade Irvin Jim when it was a decision of the entire Central Committee,” she indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Daniel Steyn at GroundUp
Panyaza Lesufi's jobs drive conundrum of 1.2 million applications received for 8,000 jobs News24 reports that Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi's much-publicised Nasi Ispani job recruitment programme received a record 1.2 million applications for 8,000 job vacancies across Gauteng government departments. Lesufi said the staggering figure symbolised the chronic picture of unemployment facing young people in the country's economic hub. The Nasi Ispani recruitment drive started on 16 June and saw long lines of young people with CVs eager to apply for jobs at community centres. Lesufi branded the initiative as part of solving the unemployment problem in the province and used public platforms, including his Twitter page, to encourage applications. "For the 8,000 posts advertised, 1.2 million applications were received – 44% from males and 55% from females, and the other percentage did not declare their gender," Lesufi reported. The premier advised that there would be no other recruitment drives as promised because of the volume of applications. Lesufi previously indicated that more jobs would be advertised until July 2024. An unemployment database utilising the 1.2 million applicants would be used instead for the new vacancies. The programme has been widely criticised by opposition political parties who said it was just another initiative to give the ANC an electoral boost ahead of the 2024 elections. Lesufi defended the programme on Friday at a press briefing and said the vacancies were genuine jobs available in the province that had yet to be filled. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Zintle Mahlati at News24
Businesses welcome new ‘trusted employer’ work visa scheme Business Times reports that businesses looking to hire talent from outside SA are optimistic about the introduction by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) of a Trusted Employer Scheme to make the process easier, but are frustrated by current backlogs in the work visa system. According to Xpatweb MD Marisa Jacobs, businesses are still suffering from backlogs caused by a decision to centralise work visa applications at the office of the DHA director-general. The decision was reversed last year and the function was returned to SA’s embassies worldwide, but the backlogs have put a strain on businesses hoping to recruit international staff with critical and rare skills. Jacobs said the Trusted Employer Scheme, which should be gazetted by the end of the month, aimed to help big business bring talent to the country more easily. “They want to offer those employers that are part of the scheme a more predictable migration process in the sense of documentation. Currently, depending on where you submit from, there are different documents required. They also propose shortened times of between 10 to 40 days turnaround for visa applications, which would be phenomenal,” she explained. Once the Trusted Employee Scheme is gazetted, companies will have 30 days to apply. Jacobs said hundreds of Xpatweb clients were waiting for their visas and appeals to be processed, causing havoc for businesses. While the DHA granted a concession by extending visas automatically to December 2023, those who changed positions or employers have to travel to their home countries to get a new visa. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at Business Times (subscriber access only)
SA corporates increasingly considering a four-day work week The Citizen reports that South African corporates are increasingly contemplating a four-day work week, signifying a shift towards an innovative working model in the corporate landscape as businesses explore strategies to align with their employees’ needs and enhance productivity. A new Remchannel survey indicates a surge in awareness and positive sentiment among SA corporate companies about implementing a four-day work week model. According to Rene Richter of Remchannel, the survey, conducted among 85 notable corporate companies across various sectors, revealed that despite only a marginal number of firms currently experimenting with the four-day work week, over 80% of the respondents were aware of trials in the SA business community. Various countries, including the UK, New Zealand and Japan, have conducted trials for a four-day work week. The general trend points towards a positive association between a four-day work week and improved employee morale, reduced burnout and maintained or even increased productivity. However, critics argue that it is only feasible for some sectors, particularly service-based industries and could increase pressure and workload during the shortened week. The research also indicated significant challenges in implementing this model. A key barrier identified was the disparity between companies viewing this shift as a cost-reducing measure, potentially involving pay cuts, and employees being unwilling to accept such a reduction. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ina Opperman at The Citizen
Some R67m in salaries paid to staff at Eastern Cape hospital which has been closed for two years News24 reports that the Eastern Cape Department of Health has been accused of paying R67 million in salaries to staff at a hospital which has been effectively closed for two years. According to Eastern Cape MPL Jane Cowley, the Orsmond Tuberculosis Hospital in Kariega has been closed to patients for almost two years. Despite this, dozens of employees are still being paid their salaries. "This shocking revelation was made in response to a parliamentary question from the DA, where the department acknowledged the hospital has had no patients for almost two years. Forty-five medical employees refused to be allocated to other medical facilities in the district, despite this being agreed to by their unions," Cowley stated. Further answers to Cowley's questions revealed the labour dispute was being managed and an agreement had already been reached "with labour in the interim and while the bigger organisation-wide service delivery optimisation and organogram is under review, the remaining staff will be gainfully employed". Cowley was told the redeployment would be finalised in June. "Hospitals and clinics across the province are dealing with dire staff shortages, which has crippled service delivery to patients in critical need of healthcare. Instead of filling these vacant posts, the department pays staff at a defunct institution millions for absolutely no work," Cowley complained. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Alex Mitchley at News24
Chip factory workers challenge dismissal for participation in unprotected strike in Labour Court GroundUp reports that workers, who were fired from the Frimax chip factory in Verulam, Durban, for participating in an unprotected strike last month, are heading to the Labour Court to challenge their dismissal. It was reported in June that 219 Frimax workers had downed tools on 5 June and were dismissed by the chip producing company soon after that. According to workers, they went on strike after the company had refused to negotiate on internal grievances with their new union, the African Meat Industry and Allied Trade Union (AMITU). They had made several allegations against their employer related to discrimination, mistreatment and withholding wages. But, Frimax argued that it had a closed shop agreement with the Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) and that AMITU could not represent them on internal matters. By 29 June, about 93 workers had returned to work and signed an affidavit stating they had been forced to strike by their colleagues. The remaining workers opted to fight their dismissals. But according to the workers, they have been waiting six weeks for the formal dismissal letters from the company, which they need in order to submit a claim with the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF). On Thursday at the CCMA, the company’s lawyer said that the workers’ union representatives would be notified of the status of the dismissal letters once ready. A date for the Labour Court matter is yet to be confirmed. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tsoanelo Sefoloko at GroundUp
Former Cape Town waste water treatment manager gets R10,000 bail in corruption, money laundering case News24 reports that a former City of Cape Town plant manager has been released on R10,000 bail after his arrest in connection with allegations that he received kickbacks to the extent of more than R300,000 from a City service provider in 2014 and 2015. According to the Hawks, Nizaam Henry was employed as a plant manager at the Cape Town Waste Water Treatment Works in 2010. He has been charged with corruption and money laundering. "During his tenure as the manager ... he allegedly instructed the registered service provider of the City of Cape Town to inflate the quotation price and provide him with gratification," Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Siyabulela Vukubi said. It is also alleged that Henry threatened that the service provider would no longer receive work from the City if the scheme failed. The Hawks started the investigation into the allegations in 2018 and found that Henry received payments to the extent of R338 000 into his personal bank account between May 2014 and September 2015. He appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Friday where he was granted R10,000 bail. The case was postponed to August. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Cebelihle Mthethwa at News24
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