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 Tuesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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SA auditing firms struggling with shortage of skills due to low maths literacy and emigration BL Premium reports that the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (Irba) has warned that the auditing profession in SA is battling a shortage of skills, due partly to low maths literacy and emigration. According to Irba CEO Imre Nagy, most of the top auditing firms in SA have flagged the attractiveness of the profession as an emerging challenge. Among the reasons for the industry losing its lustre are high entry requirements to study accounting, high tuition fees, low pay, high work stress and tight deadlines, and negative publicity about the auditing profession. “The contest for talent in SA is exacerbated by low maths literacy significantly reducing the student pool; and a number of push-and-pull factors such as political and socioeconomic instability that on the one hand pushes emigration, and on the other pulls our highly skilled and in-demand professionals to alleviate global shortages,” he explained. The pandemic also enabled remote working to communicate and perform audit work from anywhere in the world. Irba recently accredited the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) as an additional professional accounting body and hopes this will provide another route to the audit specialisation programme for aspiring registered auditors. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kabelo Khumalo at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Mpumalanga police in search of suspects who fatally shot cop during business robbery on Monday IOL reports that a police officer was shot and killed while attending a business burglary at Masoyi outside White River during the early hours of Monday morning. His colleague was rushed to the hospital after sustaining gunshot wounds. Sergeant Vusi Elvis Siwela and his colleague were reportedly attending to a business burglary in progress when they were attacked in the early hours on Monday at around 3am. Reports had been received that a supermarket called Chochocho had been broken into by armed suspects. The two members rushed to the scene, where they were confronted with a hail of bullets from the armed suspects. "It was later established that the suspects gained entry to the supermarket after detonating some explosives on its doors," police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala reported. An undisclosed amount of cash as well as some cigarettes were stolen from the supermarket. Sergeant Siwela was stationed at Masoyi Visible Policing at the time of his passing Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sibuliso Duba at IOL Electronics factory burns down in Ga-Rankuwa on Sunday, no injuries reported The Citizen reports that the City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department has advised that a fire that gutted an electronics factory in Ga-Rankuwa is being investigated. Firefighters responded to the blaze in Zone 14 industrial area on Sunday evening. Tshwane Emergency Services spokesperson Charles Mabaso said multiple units and plants of SVA Electronics were engulfed by flames when firefighters arrived on the scene. He added: “Two fire engines, two water tankers and an aerial ladder truck were dispatched to the incident to help contain and fight the blaze. The two water tankers had to shuttle water for firefighting operations because of the absence of fire hydrants nearby the factory.” The firefighters managed to contain the blaze even though firefighting operations continued throughout the night into Monday morning. No injuries were reported. Last month, a mattress factory was also destroyed by a fire in Tshwane. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Faizel Patel at The Citizen. Lees ook, Elektronika-fabriek in puin ná brand, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
EFF calls for reinstatement of at least 100 Tshwane workers dismissed for taking strike action Pretoria News reports that the EFF in Tshwane has called for the reinstatement of at least 100 municipal workers fired for participating in the unlawful and unprotected strike by SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) members. The workers, who engaged in a three-week strike over salary increases, were dismissed after the City of Tshwane gave them an ultimatum to either return to work or face termination of their contracts. EFF regional leader Obakeng Ramabodu said the party was the vanguard of the working class and “stands in solidarity with both the workers of Tshwane and the residents of Tshwane”. The EFF caucus in council has asked speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana to convene a special council meeting for the purpose of discussing the issues related to striking workers and the collapse of service delivery. “It has been weeks now and almost a month since the residents of Tshwane have seen service delivery being carried out in their respective areas of residence. The city is filthy, the infrastructure has collapsed and there are pockets of protests or strikes in communities due to the non-responsive City and the lack of service delivery,” Ramabodu said. Last week Samwu in Gauteng accused the municipality of having spent at least R3 million in legal fees in a bid to stop the striking workers demanding wage increases. This was after the City took the union to the Labour Court on two occasions alleging that the union was in contempt of a ruling issued by the same court. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Rapula Moatshe at Petoria News. Read too, Samwu accuses Tshwane of wasting money on lawyers after allegedly paying R3m in bid to stop workers demanding increases, at Pretoria News
DMRE to spend R2m to rehabilitate 24 mine shafts in Riverlea EWN reports that the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) is to spend almost R2 million to rehabilitate 24 mine shafts in Riverlea, south of Johannesburg. It said it would spend R75,000 on each of the shafts in the area that require rehabilitation. The community of Riverlea recently protested over a turf war between rival zama zama (illegal mining) gangs in the area. Rapid gunfire between rival gangs is common in the area and has claimed the life of at least one innocent civilian. Central Rand Gold was awarded a mining licence by DMRE in 2008 to open up historically mined shafts in the Riverlea area. The company was liquidated in 2018, but had paid the DMR almost R45 million as financial provisions for mine closures. Department spokesperson Ernest Mulibana said part of that money would be used to rehabilitate certain shafts in Riverlea. He indicated: "DMRE has undertaken to rehabilitate at least 24 shafts in Riverlea and Zamampilo in the current financial year, at an estimated cost of R75,000 per shaft. The funds to rehabilitate the 24 shafts will be drawn from financial provisions made by Central Rand Gold (Pty) Ltd." Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Orrin Singh at EWN Lesufi says Gauteng is under siege and needs the army to solve zama zama problem The Citizen reports that Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has once again called for the deployment of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) and other law enforcement agencies to address the escalating crisis of illegal mining. Lesufi on Monday said the province had been gripped by a wave of violence and lawlessness brought on by unauthorised miners and he stressed the need for a robust response from authorities. “Gauteng is under siege. Under siege from people who are not citizens of this country, people that cannot be accounted for, people that are highly armed. And we expect that the problem can be resolved by police that patrol on a weekly basis?” he commented. According to Lesufi, a concerted effort was needed from all available law enforcement agencies, including the military. “Not only the army, but we need all law enforcement agencies’ firepower. If it is the army, the police, the metro police, or whoever has that mandate to ensure that we protect South Africans, they must do so,” Lesufi told Newzroom Afrika. According to the premier, monitoring illegal mining activities was far beyond the scope of routine police patrols. He said that the military, once deployed, should focus on targeting illegal miners who had taken refuge in abandoned mines. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Devina Haripersad at The Citizen. Read too, SANDF: We’re ready to flush out zama zamas, at The Star Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Nehawu is lying to get MEC Phophi Ramathuba removed, claims Limpopo health department City Press reports that the Limpopo department of health has accused the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) of using non-factual statements in its attempt to get MEC Phophi Ramathuba fired. The union has called for Premier Stan Mathabatha to remove Ramathuba because of her alleged failure to run the department. Nehawu has alleged that, according to the 2021/22 audit finding of the Auditor-General on human resources, 64,343 posts were approved but only 29,965 were filled, which was almost half of the entire workforce. According to the union, every health worker had been turned into a shift worker in an endeavour to cover the vacancies of 34,378 workers. There was already a warning about the mass departure of experienced doctors and nurses if the Limpopo department of health did not attend to their grievances about changes made to their conditions of services, Nehawu said. Moreover, the department received a qualified audit. But Limpopo health spokesperson Neil Shikwambana said that there had been a continuum of events, which testified to the fact that Nehawu had an axe to grind with Ramathuba. “However, it has become disheartening that now the union has resorted to utilising non-factual statements to drive this narrative. For instance, there is no such audit finding that has been directed to the department from the Auditor-General that talks about 64,343 posts and those that are filled are only 29,965, as per their claim,” Shikwambana said. He pointed out that the MEC had written to Treasury this year to request that the department be allowed to advertise and fill all its 1,200 funded posts, but Treasury had declined that request. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sizwe sama Yende at City Press (subscriber access only)
Cumesh Moodliar appointed new CEO of Investec Bank BL Premium reports that Investec Bank has announced that Cumesh Moodliar will take over from current CEO Richard Wainwright, who announced in May that he planned to step down in 2024. All in all, Wainwright has spent about 28 years with the Investec group. Moodliar, who first joined the Investec group in 2012, will start in April, while Wainwright will remain an executive until his planned retirement in 2025. Moodliar was previously the regional head of private banking in the Eastern Cape, the national head of banking, the head of private banking and most recently the head of the private client franchise. He studied law at Rhodes University and Nelson Mandela University before completing later programmes at Wits Business School, Harvard Business School and the Saïd Business School at Oxford University. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nico Gous at BusinessLive. Read too, Investec names next CEO of Investec Bank, at Fin24
Six Eastern Cape emergency medical services officials arrested over alleged fraudulent matric qualifications Cape Times reports that six emergency medical services officials are expected in the Zwelitsha Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday to face charges that include fraud and forgery after they allegedly submitted fraudulent matric certificates. Eastern Cape Hawks spokesperson Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana said the East London-based Serious Corruption Investigation Unit arrested the EMS officials, aged between 42 and 54, for alleged fraud, forgery and uttering on Monday. He indicated: “On December 10, 2014, the Eastern Cape Department of Health advertised 730 positions for Emergency Medical Care Services officers in all eight districts of the Eastern Cape province. The requirements for the positions were inter alia Grade 12 or equivalent certificate. The six officials applied, were shortlisted, interviewed and employed. They started on their positions on April 8, 2015.” However, on 24 March 2022, the officials were requested to submit their original certificates, which they allegedly failed to do. “The department embarked on verification of qualification where their Grade 12 certificates were declared fraudulent and the matter was referred to the Hawks for investigation,” Mhlakuvana said. The investigation further revealed that the Department of Health was prejudiced to the extent of more than R7.9 million. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Cape Times
NCOP extends deadline for public to comment on NHI Bill to mid-September IOL reports that the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) has extended the deadline for submissions on the National Health Insurance Bill (NHI) until the middle of September. The chairperson of the select committee on health and social services in the NCOP, Zoyisile Njadu, said they had received requests from a number of stakeholders in the health sector to extend the deadline. Initially, the committee had set 1 September for the public to make submissions on the NHI Bill, but the new deadline is 15 September. The Bill, which is intended to create universal health coverage for South Africa, was passed by the National Assembly a few months ago. Some political parties have questioned NHI, saying it was not clear how much it would cost. Other parties have already threatened to take the health department to court and have urged President Cyril Ramaphosa not to sign the Bill into law after it has been passed by both houses. But Health Minister Joe Phaahla indicated when the bill was passed in the National Assembly and during his presentation in the NCOP that he was prepared to defend it in court. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Siyabonga Mkhwanazi at IOL
Fired Prasa chair wants his job back... and a R500,000 'stipend' covering the period since his dismissal Fin24 reports that Leonard Ramatlakane, who was fired as Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) following an investigation into his discounted lease of a Prasa house, wants his job back. He has launched legal action against Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, who dismissed him, as well as Prasa, in the Western Cape High Court, insisting his dismissal was "unconstitutional, unlawful and void". He contends that he was fired for allegations that were never made or investigated, and on findings that were never made by any investigation. Not only does Ramatlakane want his dismissal and the investigation report reviewed, but the former ANC MP also wants Prasa to pay him a "stipend" of R100,000 per month for five months. That will cover the period from his dismissal up to October 2023, which will mark the end of the board's term. He was appointed to the board by then transport minister Fikile Mbalula in 2020 and then fired in May this year by Chikunga following an investigation into his lease of a Prasa residential property in Newlands, Cape Town. The lease for the house, which is reserved for travelling Prasa employees, started in December 2022 and ended this March. In her dismissal letter, Chikunga said the lease agreement was a "prohibited conduct between Prasa and yourself; and further the lease agreement was not entered in the best interest of Prasa, as the rental fee was significantly reduced in your favour". Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sikonathi Mantshantsha at Fin24
Msunduzi finds it difficult to discipline employees due to intimidation of staff The Mercury reports that the Msunduzi Municipality has had to call on experts from neighbouring municipalities to assist with disciplining its errant employees because staff are refusing to take part in disciplinary processes against their colleagues due to intimidation. According to municipal manager Lulamile Mapholoba, they have had to call on the eThekwini and Umgungundlovu Municipalities to help Msunduzi with capacity. Mapholoba recently reported on persistent challenges faced by the municipality, among which were the protracted appointments of presiding and prosecuting officials for disciplinary cases and the high rate of recusal by officials due to fear and intimidation. In his monthly report to council, Mapholoba said city officials did not want to take part in disciplinary processes which had led to the stalling of these matters. “There is no appetite for employees to take part in this process … some will say they cannot take part because they know the person being disciplined, some do not want to participate because they colluded and others are being threatened,” he reported. Mapholoba said others went to extremes to frustrate the system. “These cases are supposed to sit within a specific time frame, so people will apply for long sick leave to frustrate the process. “Fortunately, things are now moving, we have asked for more capacity from eThekwini and uMgungundlovu District Municipality,” he stated. ACDP councillor Rienus Niemand said the level of corruption in disciplinary action at the Msunduzi Municipality was shocking. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thami Magubane at The Mercury
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