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 roundup of weekend news, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that appeared since
Friday, 8 December 2023.
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Gold One Mine sit-in now a hostage situation, says Mantashe SABC News reports that according to Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) Minister Gwede Mantashe, the sit-in at Gold One Mine in Springs, east of Johannesburg, is now a hostage situation. The Minister met with the mine management, labour unions and the police on Sunday. He said they have handed the situation over to the police. Over 400 mineworkers at the mine have not resurfaced following an underground sit-in. Mantashe said: “We came here to deal with an issue of a sit-in that has changed from a sit-in to a hostage drama today (Sunday), because people are held underground by force and a few people came out assaulted badly. A message in writing has been sent from underground, which is purporting to be from Amcu which put a number of demands if they are not answered within two hours they will kill a shift boss underground.” Gold One’s Ziyaad Hassam confirmed that for the majority of the people underground it was definitely a hostage situation. He added: “We have had reports from underground of nine miners that have been assaulted, so the situation is very dire and we heading to day three with minimal food and water available.” Read the original of the report in the above regard at SABC News One hostage released at Gold One Modder East mine, tensions escalating, says NUM EWN writes that reports have emerged that the hostage drama at the Gold One Modder East Mine in Springs has turned violent as workers have allegedly clashed underground. As of Sunday, miners had reportedly been held against their will at the bottom of the mine shaft for a third day now. Food supplies have apparently run low. Supporters of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) have been accused of staging the hostage situation, although the union has distanced itself from the impasse. The situation is apparently a continuation of the October labour dispute over organisational rights. National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) regional organiser Victor Ngwane said one hostage had been released and found bruised and battered underground. "The information we have is that they're assaulting people underground. There's one miner that came to the surface beaten and assaulted," he indicated. Ngwane warned that the captors were preparing to up the ante. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Nokukhanya Mntambo at EWN. Read too, 'Food reserves have run out': Gold One Mine management says staff 'held' underground for third day, at News24
Emotional memorial service held for deceased Implats mineworkers Sunday World reports that emotional family members of the 13 deceased mineworkers who died in a conveyance accident at a Impala Platinum (Implats) mine shaft gathered to remember their loved ones at Simunye grounds in Rustenburg, North West on Wednesday last week. Out of the 13, eight of those killed in the accident come from the Eastern Cape. The names of the miners who died were revealed after the families granted permission (names listed in report). Speaking at the memorial service, the president of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), Joseph Mathunjwa, said the Mine Health and Safety Act had to be amended. He said it was devastating that the mining companies were making trillions of rands at the expense of the workers’ lives. “The workers who perished inside that mine shaft were earning a slave wage. The silence of the state president about the matter is too loud. One would have expected him to ask other mines to stand in solidarity with Impala mine workers, that no mine shaft is open in solidary to what happened here. But the competitors are busy working like nothing happened,” said Mathunjwa. Implats CEO Nico Muller said the passing of the workers was an incredibly difficult time for the company and its employees, as they came to terms with the loss. He said the company would provide support and assistance to the affected families. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Coceka Magubeni at Sunday World Implats miners ‘forced’ into unsafe cage, leading to deadly accident City Press reports that the last moments of the Impala Platinum Holdings (Implats) mine workers in a lift accident were horrifying, as the free-falling steel cage crashed on to a concrete platform and bounced several times. According to a survivor’s version of events, the mine workers had earlier protested about getting into the conveyance cage before it was tested, but were pressured to do so as there was no time. Rock drill operator, Zaphalala Mzo (53), who survived to tell the harrowing tale, blames the mine’s negligence for the tragic accident that claimed the lives of 13 mine workers and injured 75 others, eight of whom are still in a critical condition. “I blame the mine for the accident. The cage was loaded with steel rail bars, which were offloaded at the station we were waiting on for the cage. We asked why the lift was not tested before we got in, but the supervisors urged us to get in as there was no time,” said the father of three, from Qumbu in the Eastern Cape. He explained that they had been waiting for the lift at their loading station for some time, as it kept getting stuck and tripping, which happened at least twice a week, particularly in the afternoon. After they got in, the conveyance cage went up smoothly through the levels, loading and offloading workers. When it was barely at level 16, it got stuck, and they could see the platform but there was no one there and there was no system to call an emergency. Mzo reported: “Moments later, we heard loud noise, like something breaking, then the cage went down. The speed it was falling – I will never forget it. We were screaming and holding on to each other. T hen the cage slammed on the concrete platform at the bottom with so much force that it bounced several times before coming to a halt.” He said the cage was covered in blood, with his colleagues either lying motionless or writhing in pain on the floor, trapped and screaming for help. The accident reportedly happened at about 5pm and, according to Mzo, when they got out of the mine, through shaft 11C, it was 3am; a 10-hour ordeal. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sipho Mabena at City Press (subscriber access only) Implats shaft where 13 miners were killed will be out of action for the foreseeable future Business Times reports that Impala Platinum (Implats) says its Rustenburg 11 shaft – which accounts for 15% of annual production, and where 13 employees lost their lives after a conveyance system failure a week ago – will be out of action for the foreseeable future. Implats spokesperson Johan Theron said the full impact of the closure would depend on how long the shaft remained shut. An internal investigation is under way to establish how a conveyance cage hoisting 86 miners to the surface suddenly plummeted. On Thursday, 45 employees were still in hospital, including six in a critical condition. On Tuesday, Implats held a memorial service for the 13 employees who died in the accident. The first funerals were held this past weekend, while others are planned for the coming week. “Everybody is trying to understand what happened and why – nobody more than [Implats. Everybody understands these conveyance systems are used globally and extensively. They are safe,” Theron said. National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) spokesperson Luphert Chilwane accused Implats of being negligent about maintenance. “There should be a daily assessment to ensure everyday equipment is safe to be used underground. We see there was negligence on the part of Impala [and] the company responsible for maintaining the lifts,” he claimed. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Dineo Faku at Business Times (subscriber access only) NUM, Amcu at odds over mine retrenchments Business Times reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) are at odds over retrenchments in the mining industry. Several mining houses have proposed restructuring shafts in response to the impact of power outages, rail and port weaknesses, and lower metal prices, all of which are compounding economic woes and hurting bottom lines. The NUM wants the government to revoke the licences of mining companies that rush to retrench workers when they are in difficulty, but Amcu disagrees. NUM spokesperson Lupert Chilwane said: “The department of mineral resources & energy [DMRE] must revoke mining licences. It must make the process of retrenching workers a difficult and expensive exercise. They are custodians of South Africa’s mineral wealth; why are they so quiet, why are they not doing something to avert or at least minimise the retrenchments? They should step in as they are the regulator of the industry.” However, Amcu general secretary Jeff Mphahlele said the NUM should focus on serving its members instead of taking short cuts. “NUM is not fighting for its members. They want an easy way out. We were fighting Sibanye in court, they did not want to come to the party because we had to pay lawyers. Amcu does not support retrenchments. [But] even if the DMRE intervenes, they will not call out the mine bosses,” Mphahlele said. Gideon du Plessis, general secretary of Solidarity, pointed out that since the planned retrenchments would compound unemployment, more people would join illegal mining activities to look after their families since there were limited options for out-of-work miners. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Dineo Faku at Business Times (subscriber access only) Nearly 400 more soldiers called in to fight zama zamas and crime in the Free State The Citizen reports that 395 members of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) will be sent to the Free State to help fight the scourge of illegal mining and crime in the province. The Free State has been overrun with illegal miners (known as zama zamas), with authorities and communities battling to stop operations and the crime that often follows. The province also recorded an increase in murders in the last quarter, from July to September. The military has been called in to help fight illegal mining activities across the country, and it was announced on Friday that additional help would be sent to the Free State. Some 395 additional members of the defence force will be deployed, along with ten more vehicles to two police stations around Welkom “to ensure police visibility in the area and strengthen the police capacity to combat crime in the province”. The announcement was made during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Presidential Imbizo in Welkom last week. Ramaphosa last month deployed 3,300 SANDF members nationally for six months to fight crime and illegal mining. It was reported that the deployment would cost the country almost R500m. According to government, there are about 6,100 unused, derelict, or abandoned mines in the country. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kyle Zeeman at The Citizen Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Unions call for jobs to be saved in Post Office turnaround plan BL Premium reports that unions have called on the business rescue practitioners (BRPs) for the beleaguered SA Post Office (Sapo) to consider other avenues instead of retrenching thousands of employees. They say layoffs are not the “right approach”. A majority of creditors voted on Thursday in favour of the business rescue plan, which includes reducing the branch network and retrenching about 6,000 employees. The BRPs, Anoosh Rooplal and Juanito Damons, said the plan would be adopted in two phases over a two- to five-year period. “Phase 1 will involve stabilising the business, reducing the branch network to some 600 branches and rightsizing the headcount to some 5,000 employees,” the BRPs indicated in a statement. Phase 2 of the turnaround plan will implement elements of the ‘Post Office of Tomorrow’ strategy. The Communication Workers Union (CWU), one of the major unions among Sapo’s workforce of roughly 11,000 to 12,000, previously argued that the retrenchments could affect service delivery to rural and poor communities. SA Postal Workers Union general secretary David Mangena commented: “We can’t be happy when 6,000 people are about to lose employment. We will put a strong case for our members for the BRP process to consider other avenues instead of retrenchments.” Democratic Postal and Communications Union general secretary Levy Zwane said: “Our view has always been to say the Post Office is not experiencing a problem of staff, it is its business model that is the problem. We have told the BRPs that we don’t think this (layoffs) is the right approach,” he stated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Dan Marokane appointed as Eskom CEO and will join the power utility by no later than 31 March BusinessLive reports that Dan Marokane, a former executive at Eskom, has been appointed as CEO of the troubled state-owned power company. His appointment was confirmed on Friday afternoon by Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) Minister Pravin Gordhan. Marokane, who is presently serving as interim CEO of Tongaat Hulett, which has been in business rescue since October 2022, will join Eskom no later than 31 March. In a statement issued by Eskom on Friday, Marokane was quoted saying he looked forward to working with the Eskom executive and board to “accelerate implementation of the generation recovery plan, the creation of transmission capacity as well as other critical Eskom priorities”. Eskom has been without a CEO since February, after the early departure of André de Ruyter. Marokane, a chemical engineer with an MBA and more than 20 years senior leadership experience, was chosen for his “experience working in distressed organisations with visible and pressurised turnaround mandates”. During his previous tenure at Eskom he served as a senior manager from 2010 to 2015, holding various positions including head of group capital. Marokane was one of four Eskom senior managers suspended during the state capture period. According to the DPE, he subsequently resigned and went into the private sector. “Mandatory checks, which include criminal and credit checks, verification of identity, qualifications, directorships, and establishment of conflicts of interest were completed,” the DPE indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Denene Erasmus at BusinessLive. Read too, Dan Marokane faces herculean challenges as new CEO of Eskom, at BizNews. And also, New Eskom CEO will ‘hit the ground running’, says electricity minister, at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Safcol boss appointed as new Denel CEO TimesLIVE reports that Tsepo Monaheng has been appointed as the new Group CEO of Denel Group, public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan announced on Friday. He said Monaheng would bring a wealth of experience to his new role, having recently served as CEO of state-owned forestry company Safcol since 2017. Monaheng's corporate experience also includes time as chief engineer, deputy CEO and CEO of Denel Dynamics, a division of Denel. The ministry said Monaheng's appointment would be effective as soon as he had concluded his commitments at Safcol. His educational qualifications include an MBA and a BSc in electronic engineering. The search for the CEO attracted 67 responses, of which 34 candidates met the criteria for the position. The search concluded with a shortlist of the top four candidates, from which the board recommended Monaheng. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Mafube municipal staff face salary non-payments for next three months SABC News reports that Municipal Manager of the troubled Mafube Local Municipality in the Free State, Mothusi Lepheana, says they are hoping for a speedy resolution to the municipality’s financial woes. Last week, the municipality issued a memo to its employees stating that they might not receive their salaries for December, January and February. According to the memo, the situation was brought about by one of its creditors, the Municipal Worker’s Retirement Fund, which approached the High Court to get an order to attach the municipality’s accounts. Lepheana elaborated: “It was the plan of the municipality to pay that creditor in terms of the financial recovery plan that has just been adopted. Now, the discussions are still underway between the municipality and the creditor. We hope to resolve the matter and we are going to be able to pay the salaries of employees.” But, Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union shop steward Tshepo Tsotetsi blamed the municipality’s crisis on an absence of proper management. He said non-payment and late payment of salaries had been an ongoing issue in the municipality for at least seven years. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Palesa Matshane at SABC News
Still no bonus deal between Safa and Bafana players, with about a month to go to Afcon BusinessLive reports that with a little more than a month before the start of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in the Ivory Coast, there is no bonus deal between the SA Football Association (Safa) and Bafana Bafana players. Bafana are expected to go into camp in Stellenbosch on 4 January to start their Afcon preparations and Safa CEO Lydia Monyepao is hoping a deal will be struck before then. Safa has been negotiating bonuses with the players since mid-October. Monyepao indicated: “We tabled an offer and they came back to us with a counter-offer. We went back to them with another counter-offer and we are still in negotiations. I am hoping that through my discussions with senior players, we will have an agreement on the table before they get into camp at the end of the year so they can focus on the task at hand.” Monyepao added: “We want them to be happy but at the same time we can’t run ourselves into bankruptcy by offering amounts we cannot afford. Hence the negotiations are taking long, because they want this and we can only afford that. We have to find a way in which we can meet each other halfway.” Safa will be eager to avoid a repeat of the embarrassing standoff that developed with Banyana Banyana ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup when the women’s national team went as far as boycotting their send-off match against Botswana over several contractual and treatment issues. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mahlatse Mphahlele at BusinessLive
Fifty years in jail for Boksburg accountant Hilda Steenkamp who stole R537m from employer The Citizen reports that Boksburg accountant Hildegard Steenkamp has been sentenced to an effective 50 years in prison for stealing R537m from her former employer. The Johannesburg Commercial Crimes Court on Friday found her guilty of over 330 counts of theft from Medtronic over a 13-year period. She also defrauded the SA Revenue Service of around R311m. Sentencing began in August and was concluded on Friday. Steenkamp had earlier claimed her late husband Mathys Steenkamp had forced her to commit the crimes, and had been abusive, but this was dismissed by the court. Magistrate Phillip Venter highlighted that it had taken Steenkamp five years to plead guilty. Forensic investigator Graeme Dawes had told the court that an analysis of bank statements showed that Steenkamp had spent a significant amount on expensive overseas trip, jewellery, gambling and clothes. It also showed she spent R5m in one night, gambling overseas. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kyle Zeeman at The Citizen
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