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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Thousands gathered on Wednesday in memory of slain Marikana mineworkers Fin24 reports that on the iconic koppie of Wonderkop, Marikana in the North West, thousands gathered on Wednesday to commemorate the massacre of striking mineworkers 11 years ago. By early afternoon, the crowd had swelled to around 10,000. The leadership of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), together with some religious and political leaders, addressed the crowd to commemorate the events in which workers at platinum miner Lonmin, now part of mining company Sibanye-Stillwater, were striking for higher wages. According to some of the workers, the only good change they have since seen in their lives was the better wages since won. "On that aspect we are quite happy, we have seen good wage increases in a short space of time," said Zolani Cenga, who has been employed at Sibanye for 18 years. But, he said, living conditions in the Nkaneng informal settlement were still the same as before the tragedy. The strikes at the time had as much to do with living conditions in the surrounding mining communities as they had with employment conditions in the mines. Seabane Ramatlama, a Sibanye employee based in the gold mines of Carletonville, said employment conditions were now much better than they had been in 2012, thanks to the sacrifices of those who were striking in Marikana at the time. Motlatse Mathiso, from Lesotho, was at the koppie on the day of the massacre. He escaped with his life by lying on the ground once the police guns started ringing out. "Our lives are now much better, they have definitely changed," said Mathiso. But, he added: "If we were now getting the higher wages without the blood having to be spilt, we would be much happier. No amount of money is worth their blood." Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sikonathi Mantshantsha at Fin24 ANC trumpets R170m paid to families of victims of Marikana massacre, but calls for justice rage on News24 reports that even as the ANC celebrated the R170 million paid to victims of the 2012 Marikana Massacre, calls to bring those responsible to justice continued to ring out. On Wednesday in a statement, the party commemorated the 11th anniversary of the massacre when 44 people were killed during an unprotected strike by mineworkers at Lonmin's platinum mine in Marikana, in the North West. But, it dismissed as "opportunistic" the use of the massacre as "a political tool". This was asserted amid calls for the arrest of officers, including those who gave the orders to shoot, for the killing of the mineworkers. EFF leader Julius Malema said the workers were "executed live on television as a result of a toxic coalition between the state and Lonmin mine". Amnesty International SA’s Shenilla Mohamed stated: "The victims and their families cannot be made to wait another year, never mind another 11 years for justice. This will just result in the continued lack of accountability for the unlawful killings by police." But the ANC, in trumpeting what it said was its "progressive laws" that sought to "change [the] face of the mining industry and to guarantee miners' rights", said the government had done well to pay "reparations to the value of R170 million to the widows and families of the tragedy". On Wednesday, the National Prosecuting Authority said it was working with Independent Police Investigating Directorate to "fast-track the finalisation of reaching a [prosecution] decision", adding the delays were due to its North West office being "challenged with unfilled vacancies, with limited prosecutors to study the voluminous docket". The NPA, however, pointed out that six police officers were currently facing trial for the deaths of "three police officers and two miners who died during the confrontation between the police and miners, preceding the incident of 16 August 2012". Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khaya Koko at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Gauteng’s toxic Imbumba House poses severe threats to health and safety of staff The Citizen reports that crumbling concrete, visible mould, rising damp and consistent water leakage reflect the state of Gauteng province’s Imbumba House in Johannesburg. The hazardous building houses staff from the provincial departments of Treasury and e-Government (e-Gov). Treasury has adhered to an order to move out of the building, but e-Gov staff are apparently still there. Shocked by conditions inside the building, the Public Servants Association of SA (PSA) condemned the refusal by e-Gov to close Imbumba House. The trade union said it posed severe threats to the health and safety of employees and the public. According to PSA labour relations officer Henry Hall, in more than five years, the state of the building has worsened. “Lots of people got very ill because of it. One of our shop stewards had to take medical retirement because of it as she was asthmatic. The air conditioners never worked properly and the heat was so high that she couldn’t work there anymore,” he lamented. According to Hall, the building was neglected and dilapidated, with structural damage. “The department of labour was called in a couple of times and there was a provision order issued at some stage. We believe it had been revoked again, but we have continued to plead with them to move the staff members out of the building and close it down as it is extremely dangerous,” Hall said. Gauteng MEC for finance Jacob Mamabolo said he was aware of the situation. He indicated that he had met with trade union Nhawu about it and would also be meeting with the PSA. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lunga Simelane at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Mashatile was in VIP convoy, but not at scene of N1 ‘blue lights’ assault, says Cele Mail & Guardian reports that Police Minister Bheki Cele has indicated that Deputy President (DP) Paul Mashatile was part of the convoy but “not on the crime scene” when members of his security detail allegedly assaulted three military trainees on the side of the N1 highway last month. Eight officers from the police’s protection and security services unit – who were part of Mashatile’s security team – face charges including assault, malicious damage to property, discharging a firearm, reckless driving, intimidation and defeating the ends of justice over the July incident. “The DP was in the convoy but was not [at] the crime scene where I think two of his cars pulled off to deal with that matter,” Cele told parliament’s police portfolio committee on Wednesday. Cele said the DP only became aware that two of his vehicles had pulled off when the convoy arrived at his home. “He did not know until he was told later or saw later that the incident [had] happened,” Cele stated. All eight officers have been suspended with pay and were granted R10,000 bail each after they handed themselves over to police in Randburg at the end of last month. The matter was postponed to 27 September for the finalisation of the investigation into the incident. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Eunice Masson at Mail & Guardian (subscriber access only). Read too, SAPS to finalise investigation into suspended VIP protection cops soon, at City Press Other internet posting(s) in this news category
City of Tshwane fires ‘ring leaders’ behind unprotected and unlawful strike, bringing total to 100 employees The Citizen reports that the City of Tshwane has dismissed seven shop stewards it claims were the ‘ring leaders’ behind the recent unlawful and unprotected strike in the city. This brings the total of employees fired since the strike started on 28 July 2023 to 100. City of Tshwane spokesperson Selby Bokaba advised that six were shop stewards based at the city’s Middestad Building in the CBD. The seventh, based in Region 4, was dismissed for intimidation. “The shop stewards, after receiving letters of intention for their dismissal, embarked on a pushback by trashing the corridors of the Middestad Building with litter. So far, a total of 100 employees have been dismissed since the beginning of the strike action three weeks ago for either participating in the unlawful strike or for intimidating their colleagues,” Bokaba advised. He said more letters of intention to dismiss were being processed. Bokaba added that the city had intensified the identification of the intimidators, who had now resorted to wearing balaclavas, hats, caps, and shades to disguise their identities. Meanwhile, the city’s application to the Labour Court for a contempt of court order was dismissed on Monday on the grounds the matter was not urgent. According to Bokaba, the ruling has no bearing on the interim interdict granted to the city on 28 July. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Faizel Patel at The Citizen. Lees ook, ‘Voorbokke’ in Tshwane-staking kry trekpas, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Thungela, Exxaro and Glencore to be the next coal producers to face class action Fin24 reports that having just launched a class suit against Seriti Power, South32 and BHP, human rights lawyers are preparing to launch further actions against major coal producers Glencore, Exxaro Resources and Thungela Resources on behalf of workers suffering from occupational lung disease. Represented by Richard Spoor Incorporated, current and former workers suffering from coal mine dust lung disease, in the form of pneumoconiosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, launched an application for a class action certification with the South Gauteng High Court on Tuesday. The application states it is "one of several that will be brought against South Africa's largest coal mining companies or company groups, including … Anglo Coal (which has since been de-merged into Thungela Resources), Glencore, and Exxaro". Spoor said the cases would be launched soon and would run in parallel. "We're finalising the others. We've interviewed and medically examined about 1,500 coal mine workers … it is just that this one [the case launched on Tuesday against Seriti, South32 and BHP] happened to be the first one to be ready. The rest will follow in short order," he advised. The applicants are seeking legal remedies for sick miners and the families of workers who died due to coal mine dust lung disease, and hope to hold the companies accountable for actions dating back to 1965. It follows a landmark class suit pursued by Spoor on behalf of workers in SA’s gold mining sector, although that class action was brought against a group of six gold mining companies at once. Spoor explained that the coal mining companies weren't as cohesive a group as those in the gold sector: Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisa Steyn at Fin24 (subscriber access only) Dismissal of miner who entered underground area where he worked with a cellphone confirmed by labour court Pretoria News reports that a cellphone cost a miner his job after he was fired for entering an underground area where he worked despite the fact that cellphones were forbidden past that point as they posed a risk of explosion. Neo Motswadi was fired by Sibanye Platinum Mine as he transgressed the rules regarding cellphones. While he admitted that he had his phone with him, he felt that he was dealt with unfairly by being fired. He took the case on arbitration to the CCMA, but the arbitrator upheld his dismissal on a charge of misconduct for breaching a workplace rule against the possession of contraband in a demarcated non-contraband area. Aggrieved by this, Motswadi turned to the Johannesburg Labour Court to have the arbitration award set aside. Judge Andre van Niekerk found that he could not fault the dismissal, as Motswadi said he appreciated the fact that bringing a cellphone into that area underground could pose a danger to him and his co-workers. “I therefore conclude that under the circumstances, dismissal is an appropriate sanction. The evidence discloses that a contravention of the contraband rule is a serious offence, for which the penalty of dismissal is ordinarily the consequence. The rule exists to satisfy stringent safety requirements at the mine, and is specifically designed to avoid injury and fatality in an industry that is inherently dangerous,” the judge said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Zelda Venter at Pretoria News
Food inflation is likely to stick above 10% for this year BL Premium reports that food price inflation in SA is likely to remain in double digits this year even as global food inflation continues to ease. According to Tracy Davids of the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP), domestic consumers will remain under pressure for some time as they face high food and energy prices while experiencing persistently slow increases in real income. “World food prices have come down, but in SA this decline has been offset by a weaker exchange rate. Going forward food prices will continue to be influenced by a number of uncertainties, including extreme weather events and load-shedding,” she said at the launch of the bureau’s 10-year agriculture market outlook for SA on Wednesday. Though lower global agricultural commodity prices are likely to filter through to local markets in the latter part of the year, SA is likely to experience only a modest easing in food inflation, Davids said. According to the report published by the bureau, the extra expenditure agroprocessors incurred in running generators during load-shedding more than doubled their energy costs. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Denene Erasmus at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Gauteng to hire 800 liquor inspectors to tackle booze abuse The Citizen reports that the liquor industry and the Gauteng Provincial Government have signed a pledge to put safety before profit, with Premier Panyaza Lesufi announcing plans to hire 800 liquor inspectors. Shebeens, taverns and other drinking establishments have seen a series of crime-related incidents, including mass shootings. Lesufi said the province was determined to address the challenges associated with liquor misuse head-on. “Through compliance monitoring, eradicating illegal trade, and reducing corruption, we aim to foster an era where all traders operate responsibly and uphold the law. To ensure this, we are in the process of employing 800 liquor inspectors that will jointly work with law enforcement,” he stated. The Gauteng Government confirmed that it was taking decisive action to prioritise safety, reduce crime, and promote responsible practices and added: “Liquor misuse has adverse effects on families and communities, and contributes to crime, gender-based violence, foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and road accidents. The pledge also acknowledges the substantial economic contribution and job creation facilitated by the industry.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Faizel Patel at The Citizen
Green light to in-sourcing security, cleaning staff in eThekwini Metro The Mercury reports that security personnel and cleaners in the eThekwini Municipality are set to be in-sourced by the metro. ActionSA put forward the motion for the staff to be in-sourced and it was approved during the council meeting on Tuesday. The motion initially only referred to security guards, but was amended to include cleaners. The party said by insourcing the staff, the exploitation they endured at the hands of labour brokers would be ended. It was not immediately clear how many staff members would be affected and the related cost implications. ActionSA’s Zwakele Mncwango thanked the ANC, IFP, EFF and other opposition parties for “doing the right thing” in supporting the motion. DA councillor Mzamo Billy commented that part of the problem leading to the exploitation of these workers was that tenders were manipulated by officials, resulting in unsuitable companies being appointed. “The idea of insourcing security guards to try to eliminate some of these self-created challenges (poor treatment and exploitation of workers because ill-qualified companies are appointed), offer decent salaries to security guards abused by ANC-aligned private companies and improve guards’ working conditions, is welcomed by the DA,” he said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thami Magubane at The Mercury
Salaries of City of Joburg employees docked for unpaid municipal bills News24 reports that the City of Johannesburg has recovered R13.2 million from employees, including councillors, who were behind with their municipal bill payments. Starting on 31 July, the city deducted more than R7 million owed by councillors and permanent employees, while it collected more than R5.2 million in direct payments made by councillors and employees. The City advised that of the 13,323 employees who owed money, 140 were councillors who had R3.1 million in overdue municipality bills. Managers owed a cumulative R9.8 million, while junior staff owed the rest of the R76.3 million debt. The director of customer communications for the City's Group Finance Department, Kgamanyane Maphologela, cited Section 10 of Schedule 2 of the Municipal Structures Act as the legal framework for the deductions. The Act states: “A staff member of a municipality may not be in arrears to the municipality for rates and services for a period longer than three months, and a municipality may deduct any outstanding amounts from a staff member's salary after this period.” Maphologela warned: "The credit control action that the City takes against its own employees is to demonstrate that we are coming after anyone who owes the City in unpaid municipal bills.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Cebelihle Bhengu at News24. Read too, Joburg cracks the whip on councillors, employees in debt to the city, at TimesLIVE
Northern Cape head of health Dion Theys fined R150,000 for contravening PFMA TimesLIVE reports that the head of the department (HOD) of health in the Northern Cape, Dr Dion Theys, was on Wednesday sentenced to a fine of R150,000 or three years’ imprisonment for contravening the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Theys, who was acting HOD and accounting officer during the commission of the offences during 2010 and 2012, concluded three lease agreements for accommodation of nursing students with JP Hugo Trading without following proper PFMA prescripts and procurement processes. The agreements amounted to more than R13m. Theys was arrested by the Hawks in March 2021 and released on R30,000 bail before his trial commenced in March last year. The Kimberley Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday suspended R100,000 of the R150,000 fine, or two years of the three-year jail term, for five years, on condition that Theys was not found guilty of the same offence during the time of suspension. The fine was ordered to be payable as follows to the clerk of the court: R10,000 should be paid before or on 7 September 2023, and after that R2,000 should be paid before or on the seventh of each consecutive month until the fine was fully paid up. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLIVE. Lees ook, Noord-Kaapse gesondheidshoof gevonnis vir tenderbedrog, by Maroela Media
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