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 Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Gordhan rejected Eskom Board’s CEO recommendation – months after it was put forward to him Fin24 reports that the appointment of a new CEO of Eskom has gone back to the drawing board after the recommendation made by the Board was not accepted by Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan. It has been nine months since previous CEO André de Ruyter announced his resignation. The appointment of a new CEO was regarded as "urgent", with chief financial officer Calib Cassim appointed at the end of February to act in the position for six months. It is now clear Cassim will be acting in the position for much longer. After De Ruyter's departure, the Eskom board advertised the post and embarked on an executive search. Following interviews, in May it forwarded one name to Gordhan. The recommendation was one of the four frontrunners for the job. After several months' pause, during which Gordhan questioned the board on the process, he told Eskom chair Mpho Makwana that he required him to submit three names for deliberation. In reply to questions on Monday, Gordhan’s spokesperson, Ellis Mnyandu, said it was a requirement of Eskom’s memorandum of incorporation (MOI) "that the board evaluate potential candidates for appointment as the GCEO and submit to the shareholder a shortlist of 3 (three) candidates". Mnyandu declined to provide a copy of the MOI. However, the MOI on Eskom’s website requires only that the board provide "a shortlist" but does not specify how short the list can be. It is now not clear what the Eskom board’s next steps must be, and whether it is required to add two of the other frontrunners to the list or whether it must start the process afresh, having not come up with three recommendable candidates in the first round. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Carol Paton at Fin24 (subscriber access only)
City of Tshwane rebuffs Gauteng MEC’s mediation offer in Samwu strike BL Premium reports that the City of Tshwane has rejected attempts by the Gauteng government to mediate in the unlawful industrial action by the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) that has dragged on for nearly two months. In a letter to Gauteng co-operative & traditional affairs MEC Mzi Khumalo dated 15 September, Tshwane executive mayor Cilliers Brink wrote: “In your letter you propose to act as an independent mediator between Samwu and the City of Tshwane to try to facilitate the resolution of the dispute. … While we welcome your offer of mediation, we do not regard it as an alternative to the decision to take the bargaining council decision on review. The City of Tshwane simply does not have money for salary increases, and no manner of mediation will change that fact in the present financial year.” Samwu members have been on an illegal and violent wage strike since 26 July, demanding that the metro implement a 5.4% wage increase – the last leg of a three-year wage agreement signed in the SA Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC) in 2021. In an arbitration award dated 10 September, SALGBC senior commissioner Eleanor Hambidge dismissed the municipality’s application for an exemption and directed it to comply with the wage deal with “immediate effect”. Meantime according to Samwu’s Mpho Tladinyane, the CCMA sent three commissioners to Tshwane last week to try to broker an agreement to end the industrial action. “We are hoping that through this CCMA intervention there would be a resolution to the current impasse,” Tladinyane said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Eskom raises concerns over acts of intimidation, harassment and violence against its technicians The Star reports that Eskom has raised concerns over acts of intimidation, harassment and violence meted out against its technicians who are attempting to rid communities of dangerous illegal connections. The latest incident came after the power utility, with the assistance of the police, arrested four people during a door-to-door audit in the community of Kagisanong View in Ga-Rankuwa, north of Pretoria. The group was arrested by the police after it was found that they had illegally connected to an Eskom transformer at the Ga-rankuwa industrial area. As technicians attempted to remove the connections, the community mobilised, forcing the teams to leave the area for their safety, as residents became violent and attempted to prevent the employees from leaving. As a result of the tensions, Eskom said its employees had to be escorted to safety by the police, while members of a private security company went to the industrial area where they removed the illegal connections. "Eskom condemns the harassment and intimidation often experienced by its employees while driving and operating across Gauteng. The safety of Eskom employees remains a major concern, and as such the Ga-rankuwa offices will remain closed until Eskom deems it safe for operations," Eskom advised in a statement. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Goitsemang Matlhabe at The Star Only R1,000 for Somerset East farmworker in near death dog attack Cape Times reports that a Somerset East farmworker in the Eastern Cape had a narrow escape when she was attacked by the farm owner’s bull terriers while watering grass in the garden at the weekend. But, Willem Nel’s R1,000 offer to farmworker Maybel ‘Miesie’ Tiervlei to seek medical attention following the attack has left farmworker rights groups fuming and calling on the employer to take responsibility for the incident. This was the second time the 56 year old was bitten by the dogs. Tiervlei sustained open wounds on her leg and bruises on her body from the incident at the weekend. Speaking on Monday, Farmworkers Dialogue Movement chairperson Vuyisile Sikani accused Nel of saying to workers that they “should not open the gate if they did not want to be bitten by his dogs". He added: “We have asked the question about how the farmer would instruct her to go into the garden when he knew she may be in danger. We are angry because the owner is aware of the dangers as she was bitten before.” Nel said he sent Tiervlei R1,000 after he was informed about the incident so she would be able to get medical assistance.” He added: “I am in Cape Town and I am going to do anything I possibly can for her.” Nosey Pieterse of the Black Association of the Wine and Spirit Industry (Bawsi) said the incident should be treated seriously: “This is not the first time a farm worker has been bitten by a farmer’s dogs. It is in the news everyday. The dog owners should be held accountable for these attacks and they should face criminal charges. These incidents should also be treated seriously by the courts.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Siphokazi Vuso at Cape Times TymeBank rolls out medical insurance aimed at domestic workers Fin24 reports that TymeBank has partnered with National HealthCare Group to offer an affordable primary healthcare insurance solution for third-party beneficiaries, such as domestic workers, for as little as R139 per month. National HealthCare is a fully accredited healthcare administrator and managed care organisation focused on providing South Africans with access to affordable healthcare services via a network of more than 12,000 doctors, pharmacies and other providers. Its shareholders include ARC Health, which is owned by African Rainbow Capital Investments, an investment vehicle founded by Patrice Motsepe. "Given these stark economic realities, it is easy to understand why domestic workers, like millions of other South Africans, struggle to afford private healthcare," said Nuno da Silva, managing executive for insurance at TymeBank. "While this facility is available to anyone wishing to purchase healthcare insurance for someone else, it represents an ideal opportunity for employers to provide their domestic workers with access to quality private primary healthcare nationwide. Historically, employers have found it costly and, therefore, nearly impossible to provide these essential benefits for their workers," she pointed out. Home cleaning platform SweepSouth’s 2023 domestic worker report shows that the average monthly income for domestic workers in SA is approximately R2,989. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Garth Theunissen at Fin24 National Assembly passes Bill to expunge criminal records for Covid-19 breaches IOL reports that the National Assembly has passed a bill that will expunge criminal records of people who were convicted of breaching Covid-19 regulations during the implementation of lockdown regulations. The police had arrested over 400,000 people for violating lockdown regulations by 2021. The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Ronald Lamola, tabled the Judicial Matters Amendment Bill in Parliament a few months ago to expunge criminal records of people who had violated the Covid-19 lockdown regulations. Almost all political parties with the exception of the EFF and Al-Jama-ah voted in support of the Judicial Matters Amendment Bill. House chairperson Grace Borotho said the bill would now be sent to the National Council of Provinces for concurrence. Chairperson of the National Assembly’s portfolio committee on justice and correctional services Bulelani Magwanishe confirmed on Tuesday that the adoption of the bill by the assembly would clear thousands of people who had been convicted of violating the Covid-19 regulations. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Siyabonga Mkhwanazi at IOL Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Eskom coal supplier Seriti Power starts retrenchment talks at Klipspruit colliery Fin24 reports that Eskom’s largest black-controlled coal supplier Seriti Power has launched a retrenchment process at its Klipspruit Colliery that could affect about 800 workers. The mine is strained from operational challenges, lower prices and rail woes, and the group says if no action is taken it could lose close to R1 billion this year alone, putting the whole group at risk. Seriti Power – which consists of collieries acquired from South32 in 2021 – employs 3,554 permanent employees in SA, 826 of which work at Klipspruit in Mpumalanga. The company has invited unions to participate in a consultation process, in terms of section 189 of the Labour Relations Act, in a bid to mitigate job losses. Seriti said 775 employees might be impacted, 605 of which could be made redundant. Organised labour is deeply concerned that this section 189 process foreshadows many others in SA’s coal heartlands. According to Thapelo Malekutu of the National Union of Mineworkers, the issue of job losses in the sector has been growing. "At most of the [coal] mines, we are busy doing wage negotiations. But we have reached a deadlock; we can't get anything. And all of them, they're promising a Section 189," he indicated. While layoffs in the coal mining sector had begun trickling in a few months back, the Seriti process was particularly alarming because of the number of employees affected and the quality of the jobs, Malekutu said: Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisa Steyn at Fin24 (subscriber access only) Mine bus deaths a blow to country's 'socio-economic well-being', transport minister Chikunga laments News24 reports that Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga has said that the bus crash in Limpopo that claimed the lives of 22 mineworkers on Sunday was a "blow [to] the socio-economic well-being of the country". She confirmed the 22 deaths and added that another four people were hospitalised. "We don't have words enough to express our shock and sadness at this horrific incident. The loss of so many lives and injuries among the working class leaves a permanent telling blow on the socio-economic well-being of the country, and families and loved ones lose breadwinners and are torn apart when such tragedy strikes," she said. The minister said the collision, which occurred on the D2692 Venetia Road between Musina and the De Beers mine in the Vhembe area, resulted in "tragic and unnecessary deaths". Chikunga indicated: "It is alleged that the bus and the truck collided head-on, resulting in both vehicles catching alight. The exact cause of the crash is still under investigation at this point with crash reconstruction and investigation teams and law enforcement officers from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), the South African Police Service and provincial investigation teams dispatched to the scene." In a statement on social media, Murray and Roberts said it was "devastated" by the accident involving its employees. Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Nicole McCain at News24. Read too, NUM devastated as 22 mine workers die in a collision, at The Star Drivers warned about truck involved in deadly Musina crash that claimed mineworkers’ lives TimesLIVE Premium reports that while the details around the Musina truck and bus crash that claimed 20 lives (other reports indicate 22 deaths) have yet to be determined, other drivers who were travelling on the same route raised concerns about the way the truck was being driven before the crash. Pfuluwani Tshilande, GM of Hope Diamond bus company, said a report from other drivers who were following the bus that was involved in the fatal crash indicated that the truck was questionable. “Some who worked with [our late driver James Arifhani Muleya] had already reported over a two-way radio to be careful as a truck is coming and it seems like it’s not in order. Where this incident happened, you can see that even if he swerved out of the road, he couldn’t have managed [to escape the truck] because it is on a bridge,” Tshilande stated. Hope Diamond said it has never doubted the skills and expertise of Muleya. Muleya, a group of mineworkers, the truck driver and his passenger were all killed in the accident which happened between 5pm and 6pm in the Niani area on the Musina road. Muleya was transporting mineworkers to Venetia Mine, a diamond mine owned by De Beers. According to Tshilande, the company has never experienced an incident of the magnitude of the Musina crash. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Shonisani Tshikalange at TimesLIVE Premium (subscriber access only) Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Eastern Cape teacher arrested for attempted murder of learner by forcing him to jump into a veld fire Cape Times reports that an Eastern Cape teacher has been arrested for the attempted murder of a teenager after allegedly forcing the boy to jump into a veld fire. According to the provincial education department, initial reports indicate that the teacher and learner had a dispute about stolen chickens. The educator allegedly made the fire and instructed the teen to jump into it as “punishment”. The victim suffered severe burns. Eastern Cape police spokesperson Majola Nkohli confirmed the arrest and said: “Police can confirm the arrest of a 59-year-old man for his alleged involvement in the attempted murder of a 17 year old in Glen Grey. It is alleged that on Saturday, September 9, at about 8pm, a teenager was walking on his way home in Nkonkobe Locality Zingqutu A/A, when the suspect doused him with petrol. It is further said that the suspect took out a firearm and forced a teenager to jump into a veld fire. The teenager eventually jumped into the fire, and he sustained serious injuries and was rushed to hospital.” Eastern Cape Education MEC Fundile Gade said they had also launched an investigation utilising the provisions of the Code of Conduct of Educators as enshrined in the Employment of Educators Act, and the SACE Code of Professional of Ethics. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Siphokazi Vuso at Cape Times Eastern Cape appoints jobless teachers as assistants, but DA and Naptosa not happy about the initiative TimesLIVE Premium reports that in a desperate bid to fill vacant teaching posts, the Eastern Cape education department is hiring 1,500 qualified educators as education assistants. They will earn a monthly stipend of R4,083, despite having qualified with a four-year teaching degree. In comparison, a first-year teacher with the same qualification earns R317,139 a year. The project targets those aged 18 to 40 and is part of phase 4 of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) implemented by the Department of Basic Education. Through this scheme, which was introduced in December 2020, the department has deployed education assistants and general assistants to schools across SA to support learning and teaching. Reacting to the department’s move, the DA’s Horatio Hendricks said it was not fair to expect education assistants, who were fully qualified teachers, to carry a full teaching load and get only R4,000. “It’s almost like giving them a social grant and not a salary. They will become demotivated because the teacher next door is getting a full salary while they are not,” he pointed out. Loyiso Mbinda of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of SA (Naptosa) said they were not consulted by the department on the matter. He commented further: “We feel very bad about the situation where qualified teachers can be treated as casual labour. If the young ones are given a stipend, obviously they will be discouraged to look forward to being teachers. They will look for jobs elsewhere.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Prega Govender at TimesLIVE Premium (subscriber access only)
SIU condemns droves of government employees jumping ship to avoid accountability TimesLIVE Premium reports that the SIU has come out in support for establishing a central register to flag officials who leave government employment as soon as they are charged with any form of wrongdoing to avoid accountability for possible misdeeds. Briefing parliament’s justice portfolio committee on progress in implementing the Zondo commission’s recommendations, SIU head Andy Mothibi decried the prevalence of officials who resigned in the face of investigations and before outcomes. This made it difficult for the state to hold them accountable. An SIU presentation to the committee showed that while the unit has referred a number of cases to the NPA for prosecution and to the special tribunal to freeze assets and recoup some of the looted monies, in many cases employees and directors of companies jumped ship. Mothibi indicated: “The best we do – not to let them get off, because they would have terminated the employer-employee relationship – is pursue them based on the civil litigation process and of course based on whether there is criminal evidence pointing to them.” The Zondo commission recommended that SOE employees and officials alleged to have committed transgressions during state capture be investigated and where necessary be subjected to disciplinary processes within the SOEs. In the government’s response, published last October, President Ramaphosa acknowledged there was no legal recourse to address the matter of officials who resigned to avoid disciplinary action. He announced that affected departments and the National Treasury had been directed to collaborate to design and implement appropriate solutions to address this challenge. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Andisiwe Makinana at TimesLIVE Premium (subscriber access only)
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