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 South African
labour-related reports.
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Post Office temporarily halts job cuts as it eyes bailout from UIF relief scheme Fin24 reports that the SA Post Office (SAPO) has temporarily suspended retrenchments after its business rescue practitioners (BRPs) launched an urgent application for assistance from the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s (UIF’s) Temporary Employment Relief Scheme (TERS). If successful, TERS would pay 75% of workers' salaries and assist in upskilling and training workers for up to one year. SAPO, meanwhile, would still be responsible for paying 25% of salaries. On Wednesday, SAPO said an agreement with unions for the application was finalised in March to limit the number of employees who would be impacted by retrenchments. It said the application was a "final attempt to gain access to relief funding". A spokesperson for the BRPs said workers who fell within the bargaining unit, including members of the Communication Workers' Union, Democratic Postal and Communications Union and the SA Postal Workers' Union, would not be retrenched. Instead, the workers will remain employees until an outcome on the application is decided upon in May. On the other hand, those in managerial or higher positions who receive retrenchment letters will not be eligible to benefit from TERS and have been encouraged to apply for alternative employment. BRP Anoosh Rooplal said if the application was unsuccessful, workers could expect to be retrenched. After initially planning 6,000 retrenchments, SAPO reduced retrenchments to 4,875 of its employees, and closing more than 200 loss-making branches by the end of the year. Branch closures are expected to continue. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Na'ilah Ebrahim at Fin24
'Extortionists' shoot dead two Cape Town security guards escorting workers doing sewer pipe repairs TimesLIVE reports that the City of Cape Town has pointed the finger at alleged extortionists after two armed security guards escorting city staff carrying out repairs to a sewer pipe in Philippi, Cape Town, were shot dead on Tuesday. The guards drove to the site in Phola Park while a city vehicle transported five employees. The City reported that while the crew were inspecting the pipe, “two armed men approached the city vehicle and another two headed to the toilet block where multiple shots were fired. While the city staff and residents fled to safety, the private security guards died. A female city staff member was injured in a hard fall.” Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis announced a R100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the suspects. “The alarming number of attacks on staff while on duty, working to maintain a dignified service standard in informal settlements, led to the city spending more than R8.5m for private security escorts in the 2023/2024 financial year. Unfortunately ruthless targeting persists and has now claimed two more innocent lives,” said water and sanitation MMC Zahid Badroodien. City staff were robbed in two separate incidents last Wednesday while attending to a blocked sewer pipe in Elsies River, and a burst water pipe in Blue Downs. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at TimesLIVE. Read too, City of Cape Town offers R100,000 reward for information on who killed guards during sewer repair shift, at News24. En ook, Groot beloning ná moord op twee wat sanitasiewerkers begelei, by Maroela Media Suspect hands himself after on-duty cop shot and severely wounded in Cape Town on Monday News24 reports that Western Cape police have arrested two more suspects following the shooting of a Cape Town police officer on Monday. Police spokesperson Captain Frederick van Wyk said a 30-year-old man, accompanied by his lawyer, handed himself over at the Maitland police station. On Tuesday, the police's anti-gang unit also arrested a man whose firearm was suspected to be linked to the shooting that left the officer with severe injuries. The firearm will undergo ballistic testing to ascertain if it was used in this shooting incident or any other criminal activities. The on-duty Kensington police station constable was wounded after he and his colleague approached three people on the corner of Lugmag Avenue and Drommedaris Road in Factreton, Kensington, for questioning shortly after midnight on Monday. As the suspects fled on foot, they fired shots in the direction of the police officers, wounding the 34-year-old constable. The police detained two suspects for questioning. Voicing his frustration at the attack on officers, Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile said: “My concern on the attack and killing of the police in this province is [that it is] becoming the fashion. Right now, we have a member fighting for his life in hospital after he was shot in Kensington." Kensington Community Policing Forum (CPF) chairperson Jameelah Liedeman said the officer was recovering well in the hospital. "He is recovering from his injuries, although the road to a full recovery will take time," said Liedeman. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisalee Solomons & Cebelihle Bhengu at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Survey reveals that average wage increases are beating inflation, but it's still not enough Fin24 writes that Old Mutual's Remchannel unit reports that average wage increases are beating the consumer price index (CPI), though they are not necessarily keeping pace with a sharp rise in essentials, such as food. Its April 2024 salary and wage survey, which is published biannually, shows average pay increases granted so far this year at local companies averaged 6.09%, while average CPI was 5.45% and anticipated increases 5.85%. The Remchannel survey covered 55 participants employing approximately 417,000 people across the unlisted companies (60%), JSE-listed companies (25.5%), government and quasi-government (7.25%), and dual- or offshore-listed (7.25%) sectors. The report shows that the rise in the cost of necessities has been rapidly outpacing CPI for several years. For example, in 2023, headline CPI averaged about 6% annually, while food inflation averaged 10.9% and electricity and fuel price growth averaged 11.8%. Remchannel’s Lindiwe Sebesho commented that “the economic challenges that result in high indebtedness will persist, even though salary increases are now more aligned with the core CPI." She reported that they were seeing more employers giving employees early access to their salaries, known as earned wage access. This means that employers are now paying workers more frequently than once a month, helping them manage their needs more effectively. Employers are also increasingly offering soft loans to employees, which offer more favourable terms than traditional bank loans. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Garth Theunissen at Fin24. Read too, More bosses give workers early access to their salaries, at Moneyweb Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Surge in share price and profit helps Capitec CEO’s pay increase to R65m for 2024 financial year BL Premium reports that Capitec CEO Gerrie Fourie’s total remuneration for the 2024 financial year rose to R65m, cementing his place as one of the industry’s top paid bosses. Fourie’s pay was largely made up of a long-term incentive (LTI) of R42m. The company said in its annual report published on Tuesday that the LTI figure took into consideration both the delivery on the underlying return on equity (ROE) and headline earnings per share performance measures. The company, which has grown its client base to a third of SA’s population, also said the LTI figure recognised the “significant growth in Capitec’s share price” from date of award up to the end of the 2024 financial year. Remuneration committee chair Vusi Mahlangu said the lender’s leadership team “successfully executed strategic priorities for the year and is to be commended”. He advised that that one of the first matters he had to attend to upon his appointment as chair of the committee was to review the group’s reward structure, to ensure that it represented a market-leading approach, which addressed the key challenges that Capitec faced with respect to the remuneration of key employees. He stated: “During this review, we carefully considered whether the use of full share instruments at an executive level would be appropriate, but ultimately decided that the committee was comfortable that the current instrument mix at this level has resulted in behaviour which is aligned with our culture and execution of strategy, and outcomes which were suitable in terms of our overarching commitment to ‘pay for performance’”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kabelo Khumalo at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Eastern Cape health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo arrested for alleged matric certificate fraud TimesLIVE reports that Eastern Cape health department spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo was arrested by the Hawks on Wednesday for allegedly submitting a falsely certified copy of his matric certificate to secure his appointment as deputy director of communications. Kupelo was granted R30,000 bail and released by the Zwelitsha Magistrate’s Court. The case was postponed to 30 April in the regional court. Kupelo faces charges of fraud, forgery and uttering. In August 2002, he applied to a health department advertisement for a post as deputy director of communications. The requirements for the position were a three-year bachelor’s degree or diploma in communications or an equivalent qualification plus five years of relevant experience. Kupelo allegedly submitted a falsely certified copy of his grade 12 certificate. Kupelo’s lawyer, Asanda Pakade, said: “There is absolutely no case here ... We are confident it will collapse.” Kupelo also claims to have an honorary doctorate from Trinity International Bible University, which made headlines recently after higher education minister Blade Nzimande said its degrees were bogus. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bomikazi Mdiya at TimesLIVE. See too, 'Fraudulent' matric certificate: Eastern Cape Health spokesperson hands himself over, granted R30k bail, at News24
No lectures for nearly two months at Gqeberha TVET college due to protests over unpaid NSFAS allowances GroundUp reports that the situation outside the Port Elizabeth TVET College in Gqeberha remained tense on Wednesday. Lectures and other academic activities at most of its campuses have been suspended since March because of ongoing protests by students over unpaid National Student Financial Aid Scheme’s (NSFAS) allowances, among other issues. Last week, students also protested outside the Russell Road campus. The college has apparently hired a private security company to safeguard its campuses until it is deemed safe for staff to return. According to Deputy Principal Dorian Baartzes, college management and officials from the Department of Higher Education and Training met on 12 April to discuss the forced shut down. He said they had agreed that the NSFAS office at the college was understaffed, but the requests for more staff to deal with an influx of student complaints “fell on deaf ears”. Sangolinye Ngqungwana, a lecturer at the college and Nupsaw shop steward, said: “The situation is bad and affects us as staff, because we have not been teaching for a long time. The pressure will come back to us to finish the syllabus when the shutdown is over. We will be compelled to finish a syllabus in the few months left of the year.” Student representative Siyabulela Stuurman said they initially raised their concerns with management on 16 February, but to no avail. Among the students’ demands are the appointment of a principal, the immediate end to the sick leave of several senior managers, old buildings on campus to be refurbished, and shuttle transport to and from campuses for those living at accredited residences. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Joseph Chirume at GroundUp
Basic education department hiring temps to fill 31,000 teacher vacancies Mail & Guardian reports that Department of Basic Education (DBE) Minister Angie Motshekga says her department has started recruiting people to fill the 31,000 teacher shortage in the country. She announced this last week in response to a parliamentary question. KwaZulu-Natal, at 7,044, has recorded the highest number of unfilled posts, followed by the Eastern Cape and Limpopo at 6,111 and 4 933, respectively. The 31,000 shortage is a 28% increase on the 24,000 vacancies recorded in 2021. “This is a serious disaster and dilemma because a shortage of management and support staff is a recipe for a catastrophe in any education system,” said the National Teachers Union’s (Natu’s) Doctor Ngema. SA’s public education system has 410,000 teachers employed in about 25,000 schools in the country, according to the department. Education advocacy group Equal Education believes that the number of unfilled posts is more than the 31,000 cited by Motshekga. The effect of the teacher shortage has resulted in overcrowded classrooms, overburdened educators, educational disparities and placed financial strain on the schooling system. Many teachers are said to be opting to move abroad for better pay, employment perks and “well-behaved” learners. Mary Metcalfe, a former member of the Gauteng Executive Council for Education, commented: “The lack of opportunities and poor working conditions are the main reasons teachers are choosing to go and teach overseas, and they find better perks there than they could ever find in South Africa.” The Centre for Development and Enterprise has estimated that SA will need 456,000 teachers by 2025 for the country to offer quality education. Equal Education has called on national and provincial treasuries to reverse all cuts made to education budgets, end austerity budgeting and prioritise the allocation of teacher posts to overcrowded schools. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Umamah Bakharia at Mail & Guardian
Two suspects arrested in Roodepoort after Sassa employee blows whistle on attempted corruption TimesLIVE reports that two suspects who allegedly tried to bribe a SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) official to register elderly people for social grants outside the normal procedure were arrested in Roodepoort on Wednesday after the whistle was blown on them. The suspects, aged 45 and 70, will appear in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on Friday to face charges of corruption and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. The suspects allegedly approached the Sassa employee with a proposal of working together in registering elderly social grant employees with the agency. They promised that each application would be accompanied with R1,000 for processing and an initial batch of 15 application was handed to the employee with a R15,000 enticement to process the applications. A second batch of 20 applications and R23,150 was handed over on Thursday and both suspects were arrested at Sassa offices in Roodepoort. When police searched the suspects' vehicle, they found an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at TimesLIVE Fifteen years in jail for former Beitbridge clearing agent and customs official for fraud, forgery and corruption TimesLIVE reports that the Musina Regional Court has sentenced a former clearing agent and a former SA Revenue Services (SARS) customs officer at the Beitbridge border post to 15 years’ imprisonment each after finding them guilty of fraud, forgery and corruption. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said on Wednesday that Nthapeleng Munyai and Tsumbedzo Nemangani Mashito were arrested for permitting a truck loaded with 614 boxes of semi-manufactured tobacco valued at R6m to enter the country from Zimbabwe, using forged consignment clearance documents. The truck was stopped at the Musina weigh bridge by an officer of the Road Traffic Management Co-operation in March 2016 after he noticed that the truck and trailers’ registration number plates did not correspond with the licence disks. The truck was returned to the customs ramp for inspection. Munyai, the former manager of a clearing agent, offered the witness a bribe of R50,000 while the two were still at the weighbridge for him not to cause the truck to be returned to the customs ramp for inspection. Munyai also offered gratification of R200,000 to a customs official for him not to carry out an inspection of the truck when it was on the customs ramp. It was found that Mashito, the former SARS customs official, had been instrumental in the processing of the truck and its consignment outside the normal and ordinary customs clearance process and procedures. Mashito had also misrepresented to her employer how the transaction relating to the truck was dealt with. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at TimesLIVE Three former TMPD officers in court for allegedly extorting a R3,000 bribe from driver in 2022 TimesLIVE reports that AfriForum advised on Wednesday that three former Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) officers appeared in court on Tuesday on charges of corruption and extortion. The organisation’s private prosecution unit was given a watching brief by a complainant who was allegedly ordered by the officers to pay a bribe when she was stopped in Pretoria in 2022. AfriForum said Emmanuel Thovhakale, Michael Soomo and Lerato Molope were recently dismissed by the TMPD. The complainant alleged that on 10 July 2022 she was pulled over by the three accused while driving on Solomon Mahlangu Drive. The officers accused her of driving her vehicle without an officially stamped permit. While the officers were dealing with the woman on the side of the road, Tshwane community safety MMC Grandi Theunissen, who happened to be driving past, stopped to ask if everything was in order. He was assured the metro police officials were performing their duties as expected. After Theunissen left, the officers allegedly demanded R3,000 cash to avoid the motorist's car being impounded. She was unable to withdraw the cash at an ATM and the officers allegedly followed her home. Outside her house she was allegedly given a cellphone number to which she transferred R3,000 using her banking app. The complainant then contacted Theunissen to inform him of what had happened. He encouraged and supported her when she opened a criminal case against the three. The case was postponed until 19 July. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at TimesLIVE. Lees ook, Drie van Tshwane-metropolisie kry trekpas ná ‘uitbuiting’, by Maroela Media Nearly 50 health department graft cases registered since January last year The Citizen reports that since January 2023, nearly 50 cases of corruption have been documented across various departments of health in all provinces, except for the North West. In a parliamentary response, Department of Health (DOH) Minister Joe Phaahla revealed that out of a total of 47 matters, some of the cases were reported to the SA Police Service (Saps). He advised that the Eastern Cape DOH had recorded 15 corruption cases, the highest of all provinces. According to the minister, the amount of money lost as a result of the alleged corrupt practices has not yet been quantified. He added that the provincial department had initiated legal proceedings on a matter that related to the issuing of fraudulent medical certificates. In Free State, at least eight cases of corruption involving R2.8 million had been recorded. So far, four employees had been dismissed, while four people resigned and two others were undergoing disciplinary processes. Limpopo saw eight corruption cases involving R1.2 million. Both Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) recording six corruption cases each. The financial loss suffered by the Gauteng DOH has not yet been quantified. In KZN, the money lost was just above R280,000, with R138,741 having been recovered. Officials involved have been subjected to disciplinary processes. A Northern Cape DOH official was convicted for accepting a R10,000 bribe. There were two cases in Mpumalanga, which were still under investigation. The Western Cape Health DOH recorded one case, although the funds involved could not be calculated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Molefe Seeletsa at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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