In our Thursday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related reports.
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Post Office sends out 4,700 retrenchment letters BL Premium reports that he SA Post Office’s (Sapo’s) business rescue practitioners (BRPs) have begun sending out 4,700 retrenchment letters to staff who will lose their jobs. The job cuts are less than the 6,000 initially planned after consultation with unions at the CCMA that started in January and was completed on 22 March. Sapo will be left with 6,383 staff, down from 11,083. Staff will be paid a total retrenchment package worth R600m in four tranches over eight months. Most of this is from the R2.4bn in funding that the Treasury gave the BRPs in 2023. However, the practitioners are short of some of the money for the last tranches of the payments. They requested an additional R3.8bn in funding last November to revitalise the Post Office and modernise its equipment, vehicles and software, but this was not provided for in the February budget. Talks with the Treasury are continuing. BRP Anoosh Rooplal said the conclusion of the retrenchment payments was dependent on receiving a part of the R3.8bn in funding from the Treasury. Without it, he indicated, the plan to rescue the business would be at risk. Deputy communication minister Mohlopi Mapulane told the parliamentary portfolio committee on communications last week that talks between his department and the Treasury were continuing. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Katharine Child at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Cop killers must be charged with treason, say unions after killing of off-duty officer in Cape Town on Friday News24 reports that the Hawks are investigating the murder of yet another off-duty police officer who was shot dead in Delft, Cape Town, on Friday night. The officer, 43-year-old Sergeant Andile Yelania, was stationed at the Delft police station. No arrests have yet been made. Police unions have called for harsh action to be taken against cop killers. Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union spokesperson Pat Raolane said the "continuous" killings of police officers, both on and off duty, were "extremely concerning". He stated: “We are not happy about these killings. We are yet again calling on the state to ensure that they pass laws that anyone who kills a police officer must be charged with high treason. It must be regarded as an attack on the state.” According to Raolane, any person found guilty of killing a police officer must be sentenced to life behind bars. SA Policing Union spokesperson Lesiba Thobakgale condemned the attacks, saying the number of murders across the country showed criminals have no fear of killing police officers. "We will maintain that police killings must be declared an act of treason," said Thobakgale. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisalee Solomons at News24 SANDF rejects claims soldiers surrendered to M23 rebels in DRC and are being held hostage TimesLIVE reports that the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has dismissed claims that two of its soldiers deployed as part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) surrendered to the M23 rebels. A media report on National Security News posted on social media platforms claimed that several SA soldiers had surrendered. The report, written by a Washington DC correspondent, claimed: “Several South African soldiers deployed by the ANC government in Democratic Republic of Congo as part of an ill-equipped and ill-prepared force reportedly surrendered to the M23 rebels this past week. The soldiers are now reportedly being held as hostages by M23.” SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini rejected the report, saying that all SANDF members deployed in DRC were accounted for. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Shonisani Tshikalange at BusinessLive
Tshiamiso Trust has so far paid R1.5bn to 16,417 TB and silicosis claimants TimesLIVE reports that the Tshiamiso Trust has disbursed R1.5bn to eligible silicosis and TB claimants since it began processing claims in 2021. Describing this as a significant milestone, the trust said it represented payments for 16,417 eligible claims, and an additional R500m over the R1bn the trust announced it had paid in February 2023. The trust was established to give effect to the settlement agreement reached between six mining companies and claimant attorneys in an historic silicosis and TB class action. The companies are African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American SA, AngloGold Ashanti, Harmony Gold, Sibanye-Stillwater and Gold Fields. The trust is responsible for compensating all eligible current and former mineworkers across Southern Africa with permanent impairment due to silicosis or work-related TB, or their dependents where the mineworker has died. The highest concentration of payments has been 44% in Lesotho, followed by the Eastern Cape at 28%. The trust said it expanded its services to help claimants by setting up benefit medical examinations (BMEs) across Eswatini and Mozambique, with Botswana scheduled as the next focus area. Discussions are under way to enable expansion of services to Zimbabwe and Malawi. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLIVE
Lower inflation target range will make SA more competitive, says Reserve Bank’s Kganyago Reuters reports that SA Reserve Bank (SARB) policymakers are in discussions on lowering the inflation target, governor Lesetja Kganyago advised on Wednesday. He commented that a lower target would make the country more competitive and bring the central bank into line with peers. Kganyago said he preferred a decision that would lower the target from its current 3%-6% range “before we get to 2025”, but teams from the Bank and National Treasury were still identifying the appropriate range and risks associated with it. “The teams will advise the governor and the [finance] minister and say, ‘OK, this is the appropriate target and this is the appropriate timeline within which we have got to achieve the target’,” Kganyago indicated in an interview. SA introduced its inflation-targeting framework in 2000, and had planned to lower the target to 3%-5% and then 2%-4%. But the target was never lowered, something Kganyago views as a big mistake. He said the current band was too wide and served to anchor inflation expectations higher than the bank would like. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kopano Gumbi & Alexander Winning at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Please be patient,’ KZN’s health MEC tells unemployed doctors TimesLIVE reports that the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Health (DOH) says funding is one of the key challenges to hiring unemployed doctors in the province. Provincial health MEC Nomagugu Simelane urged about 50 doctors who staged a sit-in at the DOH’s head office on Tuesday until they received appointment letters, to be patient as their concerns were being addressed. On Wednesday, Simelane advised that the head of the DOH had held a three-hour meeting with some of the doctors, at which some agreements were reached. She appealed to the doctors to return home and “be patient as the matter is receiving attention”. Simelane added that the issue of the unemployed doctors was being dealt with at the highest level, with the KZN premier engaged in talks with the president as well as the national health and finance ministers. Meanwhile, the Public Servants Association (PSA) called for an urgent plan for the appointment of doctors. The union's Mlungisi Ndlovu said despite efforts by the PSA, the health department and the KZN premier's office remained unresponsive and failed to provide clarity or a tangible plan. “The PSA is compelled to escalate these demands and implores the public protector and other progressive forces to exert pressure on the government to prioritise the employment of doctors,” Ndlovu indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mfundo Mkhize at TimesLIVE Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Gauteng EMS welcomes 1,120 emergency care interns News24 reports that Gauteng's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) welcomed 1,120 emergency care interns into the esteemed Green Angels programme on Tuesday. The Green Angels Emergency Care Internship Programme is a 12-month initiative that seeks to equip aspiring healthcare professionals with essential training to help them become employable in emergency care and to expand the pool of qualified personnel in the emergency services sector. Speaking at the launch of the programme, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said: "We live in a world where the environment has changed, the climate has changed ... We believe in the future, we want to defend the future ... to be ready for the future." Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said the programme would address complaints from community members. "By doing this internship, we are trying to beef up teams so that we are able to have stronger teams; teams that are able to assist our patients in need," he explained. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thahasello Mphatsoe at News24
Rise Mzansi shines light on age discrimination against over-35s in job opportunities The Star reports that as SA navigates its socio-economic landscape, a stark reality emerges that 2.9 million individuals, in the prime of their working lives, are systematically excluded from vital opportunities for employment and advancement. In a passionate call for equality and opportunity, Rise Mzansi emerged as a champion on 2 March for South Africans over the age of 35 who face discrimination in job opportunities and skills training. According to Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi, South Africans over the age of 35 are people who are generally in the middle of building lives for themselves and who carry the burden of caring for their own children, the children of their relatives, and their elderly parents. Many of these people are single mothers. The party is demanding for inclusivity to extend to government programmes such as the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and Skills Training and Learnership Programmes administered by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and the Department of Higher Education and Training. Ziba pointed out that the neglected and “legacy youth”, those over 35 years old, who were barred from participating in the EPWP programme, reached a pensionable age without having any form of pension fund or productive assets and wealth to transfer to their children. Rise Mzansi has insisted on the removal of age restrictions, arguing that such policies perpetuated cycles of poverty and exacerbated the challenges faced by older job seekers. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nobukhosi Tshabalala at The Star
Higher Education Department confirms validity of qualifications of Educor colleges TimesLIVE reports that academic qualifications awarded or gained during the registration and phase-out periods of Educor colleges are valid and recognised, according to the Department of Higher Education, Science & Innovation (DHES&I). This assurance was also communicated by the SA Qualifications Authority (Saqa). DHES&I director-general Nkosinathi Sishi cancelled the registrations of Educor institutions, namely Damelin, City Varsity, Lyceum and Icesa City Campus, on Friday, saying they had not submitted annual financial statements in 2021 or 2022 or complied with the law. The four institutions were required to lodge an appeal on or before 26 September 2023 but requested an extension to 28 February. They are now requesting a further extension. The colleges are under obligation to award students their qualifications during the period of registration and the phase-out. “The four Educor colleges are also required to ensure that they conclude the remaining examinations or assessments for the remainder of the academic year,” department spokesperson Veli Mbele advised. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Shonisani Tshikalange at BusinessLive
Magistrate recuses herself in Fort Hare corruption case The Citizen reports that the magistrate overseeing the University of Fort Hare (UFH) fraud and corruption case has chosen to recuse herself from the proceedings. The Dimbaza Magistrate’s Court was expected to hear the bail applications of 12 suspects on Wednesday, but the matter was derailed by unexpected events. The accuseds’ lawyers made an application requesting the recusal of Magistrate Nontuthuzelo Sontlaba from the bail hearing, citing conflict of interest. Sontlaba agreed to recuse herself since the state did not object to the defence’s request. However, before she could appoint another presiding officer, the defence made another application seeking to have their case thrown out of court. According to the provincial National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the defence contended that the Dimbaza Magistrate’s Court did not have jurisdiction over the case. They argued that the warrants of arrest for all the accused had to be brought before the East London Magistrate’s Court instead. NPA spokesperson Luxulo Tyali on Wednesday advised that the state was opposing such an application. The magistrate is expected to deliver a ruling on the matter on Thursday. The police arrested 15 people in various provinces over the Easter weekend and are facing a string of charges ranging from fraud to corruption to racketeering. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Molefe Seeletsa at The Citizen
Get the trains on Cape Town’s Central Line running immediately, protesters demand GroundUp reports that about 100 people marched through Gugulethu on Wednesday, demanding that the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) fully restore Metrorail’s Central Line in Cape Town. The Central Line has not been fully functional for years due to vandalism, theft of infrastructure, and the occupation of the tracks and rail reserve owned by Prasa. While part of the Central Line has since been restored, several train stations and part of the route along the Cape Flats have yet to be recovered. Currently, the Central Line only runs from Cape Town to Nyanga. So many commuters who previously used trains have had to find alternative and more costly public transport. The march on Wednesday, organised by #UniteBehind, started at the Heideveld train station and ended in Nyanga. Marchers, some in wheelchairs, came from different areas like Gugulethu, Nyanga and Crossroads. The protesters brought a memorandum of demands addressed to Prasa. Their demands included that Prasa should publicise a detailed plan to fully restore the Central Line immediately, have transparent tenders, and should sign a service-level agreement with the City of Cape Town outlining the responsibilities of each party in the restoration and future maintenance of the Central Line. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mary-Anne Gontsana at GroundUp Prasa restores five more passenger train routes in three provinces Fin24 reports that the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) has restored five more train routes in three provinces to take the total to 31 operating train lines. Three of the routes are in Gauteng, and one each in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, so resuming passenger services after almost four years of no service. The three Gauteng lines restored at the end of March link Johannesburg's Park Station to Florida and Nancefield stations in Soweto in the south and Germiston to Kwesine in the east of Johannesburg. Extensions to Midway and Katlehong stations will be implemented at a later stage. In the Western Cape, Prasa has resumed services between Cape Town and Stellenbosch and said it would later extend this service to Muldersvlei. It has also restored the Merebank to Chatsglen line, which will later be extended to Crossmore. Presently, Prasa is only able to offer limited services on the lines and hopes to increase this as it repairs vandalised signalling equipment. "We have successfully brought 31 of our 40 lines back into partial operation and are focused on achieving full operational status for these corridors, with work to extend the ... lines continuing," said Makanda. Prasa said the milestone demonstrated the railway operator's commitment to "revitalising passenger rail services, providing an efficient and cost-effective public transport option for South Africans". Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sikonathi Mantshantsha at Fin24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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