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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Gold Fields ‘distressed’ after survey uncovers rampant workplace bullying Miningmx reports that Gold Fields said it was “distressed” to learn the scale of bullying, racism and sexual harassment in the organisation following an internal review. About 47% of 1,310 employees who participated in a workplace culture survey at the gold producer conducted by a consultancy said they had experienced bullying. In addition, 23% of women and 7% of men reported experiencing sexual harassment while 15% of participants had experienced racism. The study also found that 29% of respondents who identify as LGBTIQ+ reported having experienced harassment, with many reluctant to openly acknowledge their status in the workplace. “The board is distressed at the EB&Co Review findings and the negative impact of these unacceptable behaviours on so many Gold Fields employees and contractors,” said Gold Fields chairperson Yunus Suleman. Martin Preece, interim Gold Fields CEO, reacted: “Harmful behaviours cannot and will not be tolerated in our workplaces. These findings show not only the prevalence of these behaviours, but the toll they take on the health and wellbeing of our people.” Preece added that Gold Fields was implementing review findings, which included training and awareness programmes and reviewing and updating polices and supporting processes. The mining sector has a track-record of poor workplace culture. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by David McKay at Miningmx. Read too, Gold Fields study reveals rampant workplace bullying, at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). And also, Gold Fields 'distressed' over pervasive bullying, sexual harassment, racism at its operations, at Fin24
How three workers escaped the deadly Pretoria school explosion News24 reports that a survivor of the deadly gas explosion that claimed two lives and injured four others at Zodwa Special School in Pretoria was forced to smash down a bathroom window to free himself and two others from a blaze engulfing the prefabricated structure. The workers were busy gluing carpet on the floor and attaching ceilings to the mobile classroom when the fire, which was allegedly deliberately started by 34-year-old Moloko Ramogwadi, broke out. Ramogwadi is accused of throwing an opened gas cylinder inside the classroom causing the inferno. He might have started the fire because he was disgruntled after not being included in the team of plumbers working on the new block of classrooms. Carpenter John Ngwentyana reported: “We heard a thunderous blast, followed by screams from our colleagues. We went to check and found the classroom engulfed in flames. Everyone was panicking, screaming." They all rushed to get out through the bathroom but were locked in. Ngwentyana indicated: “I had to use my bare hands to break the steel burglar bar and then I broke the window. I jumped out first and my two other colleagues followed.” One of their colleagues who panicked and ran back into the classroom, presumably to try to leave through the classroom door, was trapped and burnt to death. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Malibongwe Dayimani at News24 (subscriber access only) Popcru says better remuneration can curb police killings because officers are ‘backyard dwellers’ IOL reports that the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) believes better remuneration and improved living conditions for police officers could arrest the scourge of murder targeted at the law enforcement agents across SA. It was reported on Tuesday that at least 31 police officers were killed in the last three months, and that police management was deeply concerned about the trend. Adding its voice to the discourse on police killings, Popcru said at least 52 police officers had been killed since the beginning of this year, and that has created anxiety among its police officer members. Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said police officers were killed for different reasons, which included robbery of their service firearms. Officers are also killed while off-duty to silence them regarding ongoing or previous investigations. He said better remuneration would ensure that the police officers were safe when they were off-duty. “As things stand, police officers are backyard dwellers, most of them. They are known by criminals and of course they stay around the very same areas where they make arrests. That makes them vulnerable. That is why we highlighted that we need to ensure that their living standards are improved so that they find themselves in a better position,” Mamabolo argued. He added that in most cases, police officers used public transport when they were not on duty and that added to their vulnerability. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jonisayi Maromo at IOL Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Samwu’s illegal strike a ‘criminal assault’ on cash-strapped Tshwane metro, says mayor BL Premium reports that the illegal and violent wage strike in Tshwane, which has been ongoing for more than a month and is affecting service delivery, is showing no sign of letting up. The strike, which was declared illegal by the Labour Court, began on 26 July with the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) members demanding that the city should implement a 5.4% pay increase reached in the SA Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC) in 2021. The city responded by saying it did not have the R600m needed to implement the pay deal. It subsequently applied to SALGBC for an exemption from implementing it. The industrial action, which has seen nearly 100 city employees fired, has turned violent with at least one employee shot at and city infrastructure vandalised and set on fire. Proving an update on Wednesday, Mayor Cilliers Brink said that in the past 48 hours, “two waste removal trucks have been torched, and as expected this has affected service delivery negatively with some service providers withholding their services for safety reasons”. He added: “Samwu’s unprotected strike has turned into a criminal assault on the democratically elected government of the city and Tshwane residents. What started as a wage dispute has turned into a campaign of criminality.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Lees ook, Samwu-staking ‘aanval op demokrasie’ – Brink, by Maroela Media Tshwane ‘not backing down’ in its stand against Samwu wage increase strike The Citizen reports that the City of Tshwane is adamant it will not be backing down against an illegal strike by SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) members, which has seen service delivery come to a standstill in the capital city. According to Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink, the city has dismissed 122 striking workers, has opened 35 cases against the workers involved and was considering civil action against Samwu. Brink said: “What started as a wage dispute has turned into a campaign of criminality. This group cannot care less about the courts, the bargaining council or the collective agreement. They use violence, criminality and terror as bargaining chips.” He maintained that the city could not afford a salary increase this year as its budget was underfunded by at least R3 billion. Tshwane MMC for community safety, Grandi Theunissen, indicated that 45 security companies were operating voluntarily around the city to safeguard infrastructure. Samwu acting regional secretary Precious Theledi said the union noted the nonpayment of salaries of its members on 25 August. “As Samwu, we are dealing with the matter and filing an urgent application to the bargaining council and court to force the city to pay salaries,” she said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Marizka Coetzer at The Citizen (subscriber access only)
Harmony Gold offers up 'blueprint' to thwart problem of spiralling illegal mining Fin24 reports that Harmony Gold has effectively reduced illegal mining at its operations, which are primarily concentrated in the Free State, and says its blueprint could be applied to mining areas in other parts of the country where the problem is spiralling. CEO Peter Steenkamp said on Wednesday: "I think we have good control at this point in time." The miner's methods including not just blocking shaft entrances with concrete slabs, but filling them with rubble from the ground up. Steenkamp went on to indicate: "It is obviously a massive issue, if we look at what's happening on the West Rand, the East Rand and elsewhere – it's still something that needs a real attention from government, the police and the judicial system. But I think we have a nice blueprint in the Free State of how to handle it. And we need somebody to take that blueprint and try to apply it somewhere else." The group has closed no fewer than 50 holes in the ground, with the only access to operations through its own shaft systems. State-of-the-art control systems are effective in ensuring illegal miners are kept out. Steenkamp noted: “Since we've done that in the Free State, the illegal mining issue kind of moved away from the Free State to other parts of the country.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisa Steyn at Fin24 (subscriber access only)
Department of Public Enterprises plans for its demise after next year’s elections BL Premium reports that the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), which oversees seven key state-owned enterprises (SOEs), will cease to exist after next year’s elections, deputy public enterprises minister Obed Bapela told MPs on Wednesday. He said this was in line with an announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa, which the department was honouring. Replying to questions in parliament in March, Ramaphosa said the position of public enterprises minister and the department would cease to exist once a new holding company for strategic SOEs had been created. Bapela advised that engagements were being held with officials on the issue and on what would happen to them. They could be transferred to other departments or to the envisaged holding company. He said: “It is a process that is still ongoing. When the president announces a cabinet after the elections, there will not be any ministry [of this department]. The political decision has been taken, and the political decision will be fulfilled and implemented.” Acting director-general Nadia Valley said the department would await the formal promulgation of the dissolution of the department and then formally kick-start the process. The SOEs overseen by the department include Eskom, Denel and Transnet. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Linda Ensor at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, Government to shut public enterprises department next year, at Fin24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Listed companies and SOEs to be forced to reveal pay gap between bosses and workers Fin24 reports that according to proposed amendments to the Companies Act, listed and state-owned companies will in the future have to disclose the pay gap between the highest and lowest-paid as well as the average and median pay of all employees. This will be in addition to the disclosure of director pay, which is already a standing requirement of the Act. On Tuesday, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Ebrahim Patel briefed the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition on proposed amendments to the Act. The committee will hold public hearings on the proposed changes in October. It is envisaged that companies will have to compile a remuneration policy – pay policy for directors and prescribed officers – and a remuneration report, which analyses the total remuneration of the firm. Patel said that the new provisions around the pay gap sought to address public concerns over inequality and provide transparency for shareholders on remuneration without disincentivising high-paid talent to work in the country. Parties in Nedlac held extensive discussions on pay equity and disclosure preceding the tabling of the bill in Parliament, with a broad consensus on the general thrust, but with some disagreement on the end product by both business and labour. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Carol Paton at Fin24 (subscriber access only)
Transport MMC Kenny Kunene pops French champagne for JRA staff with his own money, but the DA is not happy IOL reports that the City of Johannesburg's Transport member of the mayoral committee (MMC) Kenny Kunene has raised ire in some quarters after he personally sponsored bucket loads of expensive French champagne for Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) staff during a women’s month function last week. Kunene and his wife, Nonkululeko, sponsored R15,000 out of their own pockets towards the champagne, cognac, whiskey and a booming sound system for the workers to mark the occasion. The City of Johannesburg paid for the food at the event which honoured pothole repairers, women bus drivers and other low-paid workers in the transport sector of the City. Kunene is the deputy president of the Patriotic Alliance (PA). His party is in a rocky coalition with the ANC, EFF and other parties. The DA’s Joburg caucus leader, Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku, condemned Kunene’s behaviour as a “vulgar display of excess by the PA”. She added: “While roads are literally exploding in the Joburg CBD, the PA has turned the JRA into a feeding trough for excess and political vulgarity. The DA will further urgently submit a request in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act to determine how much taxpayer money was wasted on the PA’s champagne party.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sihle Mlambo at IOL
HPCSA defends itself against accusations that it is ‘dysfunctional’ Cape Times reports that the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) has responded to a raft of accusations levelled against it, including that it was implementing “unlawful” regulations with exorbitant fees being levied on registered practitioners. The statutory organisation also responded to accusations that it ignored the recommendations contained in a report compiled by a ministerial task team – also known as the Mayosi Report – that concluded the HPCSA was dysfunctional and lacked an efficient organisational structure. The HPCSA said allegations that it intentionally enforced regulations declared illegal by the Competition Commission were untrue. “These regulations are lawful as they are promulgated by the minister in line with the Health Professions Act. It is therefore inaccurate for anyone to say that the HPCSA is issuing fines in contravention of the Competition Commission’s findings or any other law,” the HPCSA said. In response to the Mayosi Report, the HPCSA said it undertook a review process which concluded that the regulator was indeed in “a state of multi-system organisational dysfunction which was resulting in the failure of the organisation to deliver effectively and efficiently on its primary objects and functions.” The HPCSA said it had instituted interventions, which included appointing an interim executive management team. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Cape Times
Organised business warns that huge tax increases needed to fund NHI are unaffordable BusinessLive reports that organised business has sounded a warning about the feasibility of National Health Insurance (NHI), saying the huge tax increases required by the government’s plan are unaffordable. Business Unity SA (Busa) and Business for SA (B4SA) pointed out in a joint statement that the government’s estimate that it would need to raise an extra R200bn in tax revenue to finance NHI would require increasing personal income tax by almost one-third, VAT from 15% to 21% or applying a payroll tax that was 10 times higher than the current UIF contribution, or a combination of these three increases. “This is obviously unworkable as SA taxpayers are already under extreme financial pressure and any increases are bound to impact them materially,” the organisations said. NHI is the government’s controversial plan for reforming SA’s healthcare system to achieve universal coverage. It aims to create a single health service for all citizens that is free at the point of delivery. The first piece of enabling legislation for the plan, the NHI Bill, was passed by the National Assembly in June and is now under consideration by the National Council of Provinces. Organised business said it supported the concept of universal health coverage, as healthy populations were more productive and could participate more meaningfully in the economy, but it did not support the single purchaser model set out in the bill. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive
Dismissal of St Andrew's College employee for stealing two slices of bread reversed on appeal News24 reports that St Andrew’s College (SAC), an Anglican private school in Makhanda, fired a worker with 11 years of experience because she stole two slices of bread from a school dining room. The decision was reversed on Tuesday after sport administrative officer Yolanda Teyisi appealed against the dismissal, arguing that the sanction was out of proportion to the offence. Instead, Teyisi was issued with a final written warning and must write an apology to the school for the theft and for breaching the school's communication protocols by emailing parents details of her dismissal. When the chairperson of the hearing imposed a sanction of dismissal on Teyisi, headmaster Tom Hamilton greenlighted the decision, saying later that dismissal was "an appropriate sanction". But, commenting about the disconnect between the offence and the sentence, the headmaster admitted "a degree of discomfit" that the "relatively small value" of the stolen goods "should lead to such a serious outcome". On Tuesday, Teyisi successfully appealed against the dismissal. In submissions to the original hearing, Teyisi’s representative, SAC teacher Simon Kroon, said the offence bordered on being trivial. He argued that the school could not "in good conscience" contend that the theft of "items of such small value" constituted gross misconduct warranting "the draconian sanction of dismissal". Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ray Hartle at News24 (subscriber access only)
Duo bust stealing diesel from Eskom’s Matimba power station’ TimesLIVE reports that police acting on information that an employee of a company subcontracted to Eskom at Matimba power station was stealing diesel from the power utility pounced and caught him red-handed. The 32-year-old was found driving a grader machine out of the power station into a nearby bushveld where he drained the diesel into 25-litre containers and loaded them into a Toyota Hilux bakkie. This vehicle was found parked in the veld with one occupant, a 57-year-old male, said Limpopo police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba. Police recovered the diesel and confiscated drums full of diesel which were found hidden in the bush. The two suspects arrested during Monday's operation were scheduled to appear before Lephalale Magistrate's Court on Wednesday on charges of theft and possession of suspected stolen diesel. Read the original of the short report in the above regard at SowetanLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Prasa promises full service on Cape Town’s Northern Line by December GroundUp reports that the full train service on Cape Town’s Northern Line would be restored by the end of the year, the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) promised on Wednesday. CEO Hishaam Emeran took public servants, union representatives and media on a visit from Cape Town to Eerste River where the line branches to Muldersvlei and Strand. Trains on the Northern Line to Strand, Stellenbosch and Muldersvlei were last operational in 2019. Emeran indicated: “We want this line to be operational by the end of the year.” In March 2022 Metrorail resumed train services on the Northern Line from Bellville to Cape Town and a partial service was introduced between Eerste River and Bellville in January 2023. Metrorail said then that there had been significant damage to the Northern Line due to vandalism during Covid. Emeran reported that since January, passenger numbers on Cape Town lines had risen by 200%, though from a low base. SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union representative Phumeza Yata remarked: “I am here to hear from Prasa management themselves if this line is really going to open in November. Our people have suffered enough since trains have stopped working. Going to Cape Town from Strand by taxi is R35, R70 return. A train ticket is R26 return.” He went on to point out: “Many people lost their jobs because they didn’t have money to travel to Cape Town. Spending R500 per week is too much for our people who have low-paying jobs.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tariro Washinyira at GroundUp. Read too, Prasa CEO says revival of ailing rail network is on track, at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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