In our Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Summers’s return to PnP shows there was simply no Plan B and the board was desperate Moneyweb asks why any company board would hire back a former CEO who is now 70 years old to lead the business. The recent announcement that Sean Summers would take over as Pick n Pay (PnP) CEO “with immediate effect” was staggering. Summers is no stranger to the business, having been with the group for 33 years, including 11 as MD and CEO in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but he is 70 and has been out of the country for the best part of two decades. The Ackerman family, which remains the largest shareholder in PnP (and also retains control of the business), had decided to fire CEO Pieter Boone, who only started in the job in April 2021, because his position had become increasingly untenable and the retailer expects to report a loss later this month. The problem is that PnP has been almost perpetually stuck in turnaround after turnaround since Summers left. To replace Boone, the family settled on its trusted general Summers, someone they have a long, deep relationship with and whom they trust implicitly (the messiness of his departure after being caught speeding in his Ferrari in Gauteng aside). Summers must fix PnP – plain and simple. Thing is, many of his relationships with partners and suppliers simply don’t exist anymore because a decade or two is a long time. Whether the family/board has a clear plan beyond Summers is a mystery. Where is the pipeline of talented senior managers in the business? The group has – and, critically, had – practically no clear succession plan in place. That’s why they’ve hired a 70-year-old as CEO. Read the full original of the opinion piece in the above regard at Moneyweb
Eskom won’t shut down more coal power stations, says electricity minister TimesLIVE reports that Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa on Tuesday moved to clarify that there were no plans for Eskom to shut down any more coal-powered stations with the aim of replacing them with renewables. The government has made international commitments to decrease carbon and sulphur-dioxide emissions and other air pollutants, and was set to switch off some units in coal stations this year and next to reduce pollution. This, however, was delayed because of the energy crisis. Answering questions in parliament this week, Ramokgopa said: “Eskom does, however, intend to install renewable capacity at current sites while they are still operational. Now, only Komati has been shut down for repurposing and repowering.” He said: “Coal will continue to be a feature of South Africa’s energy mix, which will include gas, nuclear and renewable technologies. Notwithstanding the conditions attached to climate change funding, SA has not formally entered into any agreement.” Last October, Eskom announced the closure of the Komati coal-fired station because of its age and said there were plans to repurpose it into an alternative renewable energy plant. A year later, Ramokgopa said the entity was still working on the plan for Komati. Residents and small businesspeople near the station lost their jobs and incomes when the station closed. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sinesipho Schrieber at BusinessLive Numsa and NUM challenge SA’s just transition partnership with rich nations BL Premium reports that the two largest unions representing workers at Eskom and in the coal value chain are not happy with the partnership agreements the SA government has concluded with developed countries to finance just transition projects. On Monday and Tuesday, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) each expressed their reservations about the $8.5bn Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) between SA and industrialised countries, which will see investment flow from these countries to finance clean energy and other just transition initiatives in SA. During a dialogue session hosted by the Presidential Climate Commission on Tuesday, Mbulaheni Mboni, Numsa secretary of the national shop stewards council of Eskom, said SA must not “overcommit and be pushed into a corner by the global north”. Developed countries, he claimed, were not extending support to SA for the just transition “because they had a very strong desire to help us”, but rather because they saw the financial upside of doing so. NUM called for “a lengthy delay in the implementation of the just transition”. The union criticised what it perceived to be a lack of consultation with organised labour on the drafting of SA’s just energy transition investment plan, which provides direction on how the $8.5bn JETP money, and other funding for the just transition, should be spent. “The rapid pace of the energy transition and accelerated decommissioning of power stations will exacerbate SA developmental challenges such as unemployment, poverty and inequality,” the union argued. 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
Delivery biker dies in crash on his first day on the job in Durban IOL News reports that a 28-year-old Burundian who worked as a motorcycle delivery guy died in an accident on Tuesday afternoon in Durban. It had been his first day on the job. The 28-year-old was hit by a black Mini Cooper while he was making a sharp U-turn on North Coast Road in Woodview, Reaction Unit SA (Rusa) reported. Just after lunch on Tuesday, a passer-by who saw the scene called Rusa for assistance. “Rusa members were immediately dispatched, and on arrival, they discovered the fatally injured biker lying several metres away from his Big Boy 125cc motorcycle. His work colleagues arrived on scene and informed reaction officers that the deceased was conducting grocery deliveries for a supermarket,” Rusa said. The driver of the Mini Cooper said he was travelling behind the motorcycle from Phoenix to Ottawa, north of the CBD, when the 28-year-old made a sudden U-turn. The car’s driver was unable to stop in time and hit the motorbike. The Mini Cooper driver did not sustain injuries, but the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jehran Naidoo at IOL News Security officer gunned down at a substation in the Free State by unknown armed men IOL News reports that a security officer and an unknown man were gunned down at a substation in Sebokeng village in the Free State last Friday night. Police spokesperson in the Free State, Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring, indicated: “The double murder occurred on the premises of an electric substation based near Mota Road at Sebokeng Village, where a security (guard) and an unknown person were found dead.” He said two security officers were on duty at the substation when they were accosted by unknown armed men. One of the gunmen started to search one security officer, while another went to the second security officer. “It is reported that gunshots were fired. The security guard, who was allegedly robbed of his cellphone, went rushing to his friend and found that he was on the ground together with an unknown man. Both have sustained fatal gunshot wounds,” Mophiring advised. The security officer went to a nearby road to seek help, and police and an ambulance were called to the scene. A double murder case has been opened and is under investigation. The motive behind this murder is not yet known. Read the original of the report in the above regard by Molaole Montsho at IOL News
SAPS asked to beef up security after violent attacks related to Tshwane strike Pretoria News reports that the City of Tshwane MMC for Roads and Transport Katlego Mathebe has called on the SA Police Service (SAPS) to beef up efforts to protect the municipality following violent attacks on two Tshwane Bus Services buses. The buses were on their way back to the depot, travelling on Kgosi Mampuru Street, when they came under attack. The buses’ windows, windscreens and doors were damaged after being pelted with stones and objects. Fortunately, there were no commuters on those buses. City spokesperson Selby Bokaba on Friday indicated: “The City has now taken a decision to withdraw all the buses, so bus operations will be suspended until further notice.” She strongly condemned the stoning of the municipality’s buses, adding that the City would not be deterred and would work to ensure that buses were back on the road. The City’s vehicles and properties have been under attack since workers affiliated to the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) went on an unprotected strike in July. Ten windows at Tshwane House were broken during an EFF-led march last week to demand the reinstatement of dismissed workers who were fired for participating in the unlawful strike. Five people have been arrested in connection with the attack and are facing charges of malicious damage to property. In another incident, two of the City’s electricians based at Fortsig depot in Pretoria West were attacked by a group of people at Bosman Street after refuelling the municipality’s vehicle. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Rapula Moatshe at Pretoria News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Actom rolls out R100m plant expansion in Pretoria Engineering News reports that electrical equipment supplier Actom has started rolling out a R100-million investment in expansions at its plant in Pretoria. The announcement was initially made as a pledge at the fifth SA Investment Conference in April this year. The expansion of the Pretoria plant will see 30 more people being employed, in addition to the company’s 7 000-strong staff complement across 34 operating units, 53 production and repair facilities and 33 distribution outlets throughout Southern Africa. Actom offers energy solutions through its businesses and partners, from large-scale infrastructure installations to smaller projects and support services. It has been expanding its plant in Pretoria to build local capacity in manufacturing of electro-mechanical equipment, particularly as the renewable energy market grows. The Investment Conference garnered a total investment pledge value of R1.5-trillion over the next five years, exceeding President Cyril Ramaphosa’s target of R1.2-trillion. Read the original of the short report in the above regard at Engineering News
No end in sight for spiralling youth unemployment City Press reports that SA saw a slight reduction in the official unemployment rate in the first half of 2023 after employment increased by 784,000 jobs or 5% year-on-year in the second quarter. However, most of those jobs did not go to young people, who were the group worst affected by the country’s unemployment crisis. Nearly 61% of young people aged between 15-24 years don’t work and most have not been working for prolonged periods. This number rises to 70% if close to a million young people who have given up looking for work are included. Of the 784,000 jobs created in the second quarter, only 45,000 went to this group, according to a PWC report. With the current levels of economic growth that have been forecast for 2023, PWC expects only about 169,000 of this group to realise jobs this year. This will be more than the 151,000 young people expected to enter the labour force. This, in turn, will result in the youth unemployment rate declining from 46.3% in 2022 to 45.4% by the close of this year. However, the report found that over the medium-to-long term, modelling for youth employment and the labour force indicated that the number of jobs created for young people would fall short of the rate at which new youths entered the labour market. Four scenarios were created in the report and in all those scenarios, youth unemployment would continue to climb over the next seven years unless something different was done. The alternative to job creation is encouraging entrepreneurship, but this is currently a struggle in the country, as around 80% of small-and-medium enterprises die within five years of being created. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Dimakatso Leshoro at City Press (subscriber access only)
Massive petrol and diesel increases from Wednesday The Citizen reports that according to a Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) announcement, the price of both 93 and 95 octane petrol would increase from Wednesday, 4 October 2023. The department’s spokesperson Robert Maake advised that 93 octane would increase by R1.08 per litre to R25.22 and 95 octane petrol wouldill increase by R1.14 per litre to R25.68. The price of diesel (0.05% sulphur) increased by R1.96 per litre to R25.01, while diesel with 0.005% sulphur increased by R1.93 per litre to R25.22. Meanwhile, illuminating paraffin now costs cost R1.51 per litre more, while the price of LPGas increased by R2.50 per kilogramme. The DMRE explained that the main reasons behind the increase were crude oil prices, which jumped from $87.78 to $91.86 in the period, refinery shutdowns in the US, global diesel shortages, and the rand's depreciation against the dollar, from R18.67 to R19. A slate levy of 30c was also implemented on Wednesday. The Automobile Association (AA) recently expressed concern over the escalating prices and said: "These increases are going to hit all consumers hard, and they come at a time when most South Africans are feeling extreme financial pressure." Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Faizel Patel at The Citizen. See too, More painful petrol, diesel hikes confirmed for Wednesday, at Fin24. En ook, Styging in brandstofprys swaar slag vir verbruikers, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Labour Court rules human settlements deputy director-general unlawfully appointed nine employees TimesLIVE reports that the Labour Court has declared irregular and unlawful the decision by human settlements deputy director-general responsible for corporate services, Nelly Letsholonyane, to permanently employ nine public liaison officers (PLOs) in 2019. The court set aside the permanent employment of the nine. The court passed this judgment on Monday after a review application launched by the human settlements minister in 2020 against a decision taken by Letsholonyane to permanently employ the PLOs. The minister had contended Letsholonyane did not have the authority to appoint employees in terms of the Public Service Act, public service regulations and the department’s recruitment and selection policy. The application was opposed by the PLOs, who stated that their appointments were as a result of repetitive extension of their fixed-term contracts and this created legitimate expectation that they would be permanently employed. Acting judge Smanga Sethene indicated: “The appointments of the PLOs by [Letsholonyane] constitute illegality and cannot stand. There is no evidence of any legal expectation ever created that the PLOs would be permanently employed within the department.” The ministry said the judgment confirmed human settlements minister Mmamoloko Kubayi’s assertion that there had been wrongdoing in the department, which had exposed the department to litigation. The department said it would start the process to implement this judgment. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLIVE. Read too, Kubayi welcomes Labour Court decision to set aside irregular appointment of nine officials, at IOL News
Department of Health in last-minute bid to avoid stand-off with nurses over uniforms GroundUp reports that the Department of Health (DOH) is scrambling to avoid a stand-off with nurses who have threatened to work in their own clothes if a dispute over the provision of uniforms is not resolved. Since 2005, nurses had received an annual allowance to buy their uniforms. But this ended on 31 March this year, after a new agreement was signed in the Public Health and Social Development Sectoral Bargaining Council in terms of which they would get uniforms instead. As a result, nurses did not get the usual annual allowance of R2,600 in April, according to Sibongiseni Delihlazo of the Democratic Nursing Association of SA (Denosa). Instead, they were supposed to be provided with uniforms by 1 October 2023. In June 2023, the DOH said it would be difficult to provide the uniforms on time. Then on 12 July, Sandile Buthelezi, director-general for the DOH, issued a circular to all provincial health departments notifying them that the uniforms would be provided from January 2024 to January 2025. Denosa responded that the department’s circular went against the bargaining council agreement and proposed that, if the department was unable to supply the uniform by 1 October, it must pay nurses an allowance as previously. If the department failed to provide uniforms or pay an allowance, Denosa said its 84,000 members would embark on an indefinite protest action by wearing their own clothes to work from 1 October. Then, at a bargaining council meeting last Thursday, the DOH reportedly proposed to put on hold the supply of uniforms until 2024 and pay nurses an allowance of R3,153 by 30 November. Denosa said the agreement should be signed by the end of the week, but, if not, nurses would work in their own clothes. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Marecia Damons at GroundUp
Almost twice as many SA teachers struck off the roll for serious offences than in previous year TimesLIVE Premium reports that thirty-six teachers were removed from the roll by the SA Council for Educators (Sace) between April last year and March this year after they were found guilty of serious offences. This was almost double compared with 19 in the 2021/22 financial year. At least 31 of the 36 teachers were removed indefinitely, including 18 for raping pupils as well as having sexual relationships with them. A further four of the 31 teachers were involved in sexually assaulting colleagues. A teacher’s name was removed from the register for 10 years for absenteeism and another for five years for verbally abusing and humiliating a colleague. A further 77 teachers had the removal of their names from the register suspended for a certain period after they were found guilty of a range of offences. They were fined and/or issued with a reprimand. In its recent annual report, Sace indicated that while the number of cases of corporal punishment and cases of teachers assaulting colleagues dropped to 212 from 248 previously, hitting pupils remained on the rise. “Educators still resist calls from Sace to refrain from administering corporal punishment. It is our submission that there should be more interventions and advocacy aimed at conscientising educators on the dangers associated with corporal punishment,” Sace said. Between April last year and March, Sace received a total of 734 cases of misconduct compared with 764 between April 2021 and March 2022. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Prega Govender at TimesLIVE Premium (subscriber access only)
Three Fort Hare council members suspended after ‘violent threats’ against senior officials and stakeholders DespatchLive reports that the University of Fort Hare (UFH) has suspended three council members after allegations surfaced of them being linked to “serious violent threats” directed at senior university officials and stakeholders in a series of intimidating text messages. The messages appear to threaten staff and investigators while discrediting the work being done to fight corruption at the institution. The three were suspended after a council meeting in East London on Thursday. They were named as “our comrades in that council” by the writers of the threatening messages. The authors of the text messages are unknown but authorities are taking them seriously. In the messages, the university’s vice-chancellor Prof Sakhela Buhlungu is referred to as a “dog” who is an “instigator of the cases” seeking to uncover wrongdoing at the university. Some messages appeared to be directed at law enforcement, including the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) which is investigating wrongdoing. The names of 12 of the university’s senior staff are listed and referred to as “dogs that are a problem inside” the institution. On Monday, the university said in a statement the council’s decision to suspend the trio “was made after a security advisory from law enforcement agencies related to the emergence of alarming, elevated and serious violent threats directed at senior officials of the university and external people”. The suspensions are a precautionary measure and will be reviewed based on the outcome of investigations into the matter. The university advised that it had opened a criminal case against the three council members at East London’s Fleet Street police station. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sithandiwe Velaphi at TimesLIVE
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