Today's Labour News

newsThis 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.

news shutterstockIn our roundup of weekend and recent reports,
see summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that recently appeared.


TOP STORY – JUSTICE SUSPENSIONS

In anti-corruption sweep, Justice Department suspends 13 senior officials in offices of masters of high court

City Press reports that in a massive crackdown on corruption and incompetence, the Department of Justice last week placed 13 senior managers and other officials on precautionary suspensions, pending the outcome of investigations into allegations of financial irregularities and maladministration in the affairs of the Masters of the High Court and Family Law Services. The suspensions included the masters of the high courts in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Bloemfontein. The suspensions have raised serious concerns that service delivery could be affected, but the department assured the public that the move was to “clean” the offices so that things could run smoothly. It said it had appointed other officials to act in those positions to ensure continuity of service delivery. Following several complaints from whistleblowers and members of the public, the department instituted an internal investigation and also asked the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe the allegations in 2020. After concluding its investigation last month, the SIU submitted its report to President Cyril Ramaphosa. The final report, which was also given to the department, made several recommendations and referrals of consequence management.   Master of the Johannesburg High Court, Leonard Pule, his deputy Reuben Maphaha and their assistant Andrew Masumbuka were suspended after allegations of maladministration, corruption, fraud and irregularities in their offices. The department also placed the Master of the Pretoria High Court, Penelope Roberts, on suspension after she was implicated in the irregular appointment of liquidator Enver Motala, who was struck off the roll more than 20 years ago.   The Master of the Bloemfontein High Court, Jan du Plessis, was also served with a suspension letter. Apparently, the Master of the Mahikeng High Court resigned after he had been interviewed by the investigator regarding certain allegations late last year.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Norman Masungwini at City Press (subscriber access only). Read too, Master of the High Court offices suspend senior officials amid probe into maladministration, at News24


OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY

Twenty-two fishermen rescued from capsizing trawler in Cape Town's Table Bay on Saturday

News24 reports that the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) rescued 22 fishermen from a capsizing vessel in Table Bay on Saturday morning. Spokesperson Craig Lambinon said they had received an alert about the 35-metre long-line fishing trawler, which was 30 nautical miles south-west of the Port of Cape Town on Friday. There had been no sign of danger until 10:00 on Saturday due to changing sea conditions. "At around 10:00, it was reported that the situation had deteriorated as sea conditions changed, wind speeds and sea swells increased in intensity, and NSRI decided to launch an assist," Lambinon said. The NSRI Hout Bay rescue craft Nadine Gordimer and the NSRI Table Bay rescue craft DHL Deliverer were launched, accompanied by water pumps. By the time the rescue team got to the scene, the vessel was already underwater, and the crew had vacated it for a life raft. The vessel completely capsized shortly after the rescue.     NSRI medics treated one man for minor injuries who was hospitalised in a stable condition.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Cebelihle Bhengu at News24

Man who kidnapped and assaulted Pretoria paramedics gets 15 years

The Citizen reports that a 25-year-old man was sentenced on Wednesday by the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court to 15 years direct imprisonment for kidnapping and assaulting a crew of paramedics in Pretoria last year. The Gauteng Emergency Medical Services (EMS) crew was hijacked, kidnapped, assaulted and robbed of their personal cell phones and other working tools while responding to what appeared to be a distress call in the Nellmapius area, east of Pretoria last July. The occupants of the address used to log the call later on reported that they never called for an ambulance. Two men waved to stop the crew in the vicinity of the address, but when they stopped the men pulled out firearms and forced them to drive to an unknown location. Both crew members were taken to a shack between bushes where they were tied up while the assailants drove away with the ambulance. The crew managed to escape to the nearby Mavuso squatter camp where they called for help. The three other suspects in the matter are still on the run and a police investigation is still underway. Meanwhile, the Gauteng EMS suffered two other attacks this week. Two suspects robbed paramedics and fled with a push-to-talk radio used for dispatching calls, in Rieger Park, Ekurhuleni, at about 10pm on Wednesday. The second incident happened at Eersterust in Mamelodi, at about 1.30am on Thursday morning when a suspect, who was later apprehended, stole a cell phone belonging to one of the paramedics.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nicholas Zaal at The Citizen. Lees ook, Ambulans-aanvaller gevonnis midde nóg aanvalle op nooddienste, by Maroela Media

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

  • Fingerprints lead to arrests of two suspected North West cop killers, at News24


MAGISTRATES’ INDUSTRIAL ACTION

Magistrates could strike over pay

Sunday Times reports that an organisation representing about 800 of SA’s magistrates is mulling whether to challenge their conditions of service and strike if their long-standing grievance over their salaries is not resolved before the end of the parliamentary term next month. The Judicial Officers Association of SA (Joasa) has written to parliament’s presiding officers expressing frustration over the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers dragging its feet on a review for magistrates. In addition, the Association of Regional Magistrates of Southern Africa is suing the remuneration commission, President Cyril Ramaphosa and parliament for the failure to take into account the changing role, status and duties of magistrates when making annual recommendations over their salaries, allowances and benefits. Both organisations accuse the commission, which has to report to the President, of delaying this “major review” despite the changes in their functions and jurisdictions. The last review in respect of magistrates was in 2004, and its recommendations were implemented in 2008. In his letter dated 15 April 2024, Joasa’s Neelan Karikan wrote:   “Our members are seriously concerned about the commission’s confused state of mind, and their ability to resolve their own findings in the 2007/08 review reports where they conceded the salary gap between the lowest level judge and highest level magistrate is too wide and that pay lines are to be developed on a sliding scale, with a uniform remuneration structure including benefits and conditions for the entire judiciary.” He said that there were senior prosecutors in regional and district courts who were earning about R1.8m a year while magistrates earned just over R1m.   Karikan indicated that while magistrates were not allowed to strike as they provided an essential service, Joasa members have been calling for industrial action as a last resort, even though to do that “means there is immense risk.”

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Andisiwe Makinana at Sunday Times (subscriber access only)


‘SLEEP-IN’ PROTEST

Axed security guards vow to continue sleep-in outside Gauteng health department offices until they get jobs back

News24 reports that angry security guards who have been protesting outside the offices of the Gauteng Department of Health in Johannesburg following the termination of their month-to-month contracts, say they will continue the fight to get their jobs back. The group of protesters raised eyebrows last week when female private security guards stripped naked while gathering in front of the building.   Meantime, the health department has obtained a court interdict to remove the protesting guards from camping outside its premises. It’s been two weeks since the security guards left their homes to camp outside the department, hoping their demands would be met, but to no avail. The disgruntled group said on Thursday that they would continue to sleep outside the offices. Speaking on behalf of the guards, the SA Cleaners, Security and Allied Workers Union’s (Sacsaawu’s) Diphapang Potsane said that even with the court interdict in place, they intended to stay until their demands were met. He added:   "We want our provident funds, UIF, and medical aid back because they were being deducted from our salaries but were not paid into the fund." Department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said the Joburg Metropolitan Police Department needed to enforce the City's by-laws against the group camping outside the department's premises. One of the protestors, Nomsa Mosehle, said that participating in the naked protest had not been easy, but that it had been a desperate measure.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Aphelele Mbokotho at News24


MINING LABOUR

Nearly 4,000 jobs on the line at Impala Platinum

BL Premium reports that nearly 4,000 jobs are on the line at Impala Platinum (Implats), as the platinum sector continues to labour under subdued prices that have seen widespread job cuts across the sector.   Implats said it had begun consulting with labour in a process that could see it let go of 3,900 workers, or 9% of workers at its Rustenburg, Impala Bafokeng and Marula operations. The mining house said the process would also result in a 30% reduction in head office costs. Nico Muller, Implats CEO said the plunge in platinum group metal (PGM) prices since the start of last year, and cost increases have forced the group to revise its business planning parameters. “Cost-saving, capital-deferment and voluntary labour-reduction initiatives to date have not sufficiently offset the impact of persistently lower prices.   This has significantly undermined Implats’ financial position, which in turn threatens future job security for the entire workforce,” Muller indicated. He emphasised that no final decision had been taken regarding the proposed restructuring and that Implats was committed to a fair and transparent consultation process in terms of which all viable alternatives suggested to mitigate job losses would be considered.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kabelo Khumalo at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, Implats warns it could cut nearly 4,000 jobs, eyes 30% reduction in head office costs, at Fin24

Sibanye-Stillwater reduced CEO Neal Froneman's pay by two-thirds to R55 million in last financial year

Fin24 reports that following considerable opposition from shareholders holding almost half of its shares last year and biting commodity prices that are causing the company to retrench employees, diversified miner Sibanye-Stillwater reduced the remuneration of its CEO by two-thirds during the past financial year. The total executive remuneration bill has also dropped by R353 million as the company heeded the protests of its investors and endeavoured to balance the interests of all stakeholders. The total R55.6 million pay of CEO Neal Froneman was a third of the R190 million he was paid last year. Charl Keyter, the chief financial officer, received R25.6 million, down from the R86.4 million he received the previous year. Sibanye spokesperson James Wellstead said the figures included total guaranteed pay, short- and long-term share incentives, which were linked to the price of the company's shares and paid in cash. The group said it had taken "extensive steps" to engage shareholders, and not only the 47% who had voted against the implementation of its remuneration policy last year. Another 17% of investors had voted against the remuneration policy itself. Writing in the annual report that was published on Friday, Tim Cumming, chairman of Sibanye-Stillwater's remuneration committee, advised that, following the shareholder dissent, the committee undertook a further review of its pay structures and made several changes to address the concerns. Depressed commodity prices have forced the group to cut more than 4,000 jobs, with another 3,000 on the line.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sikonathi Mantshantsha at Fin24

Other general posting(s) relating to mining

  • Anglo rejects BHP’s takeover bid as being too low and too complex, at Miningmx
  • BHP is looking at upping Anglo American offer, say insiders, at Fin24
  • Investment is on strike and SA desperately needs business-friendly policies, says Sibanye-Stillwater CEO Neal Froneman, at Business Times (subscriber access only)
  • Cops hunt for mine theft syndicate after R15million mineral bust at Gauteng warehouse, at IOL News
  • Nóg miljoene se gesteelde minerale teruggevind, by Maroela Media


APPOINTMENTS / VACANCIES

Absa names insider Deon Raju as financial director in the place of Jason Quinn, who takes over at Nebank

Fin24 reports that Absa has named Deon Raju as its new group financial director, in place of the outgoing Jason Quinn, as part of a shake-up to its executive committee. Quinn takes over as Nedbank CEO on 31 May when Mike Brown retires after 30 years of service. Absa announced the appointment on Friday, saying Raju had further been appointed as an executive director of Absa Group and Absa Bank with immediate effect.   He also becomes a member of the board group risk and capital management committee, group credit risk committee and its information technology committee.   Raju holds a BCom Honours degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and is a chartered accountant, as well as a chartered financial analyst (CFA). He first joined Absa in 1999 and has held numerous roles. The appointment of Raju was made along with a series of other changes to Absa’s executive committee, which the bank said was part of a strategic plan to boost its market competitiveness and advance its transformation, diversity and inclusion agenda. Christine Wu replaces Cowyk Fox as chief executive for everyday banking. Rajal Vaidya, currently chief risk officer at Absa's corporate and investment banking (CIB) unit, has been named as interim group chief risk officer. "It is pleasing to note that the appointments announced today are internal colleagues who have proven track records of delivering results in their respective fields and will contribute further to driving growth and empowering Africa's tomorrow," Absa group CEO Arrie Rautenbach said in a statement.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Garth Theunissen at Fin24. See too, Absa gets new finance chief, at BusinessLive

Amplats names Sayurie Naidoo as its new CFO in the place of Craig Miller, who is now CEO

Fin24 reports that Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) said on Friday it had named Sayurie Naidoo as its CFO and executive director with effect from 1 May, replacing Craig Miller, who has taken up the position of CEO. Naidoo has been in the acting CFO position at the world's largest platinum producer since October and has been with the Anglo group for over 15 years. Her roles have included financial controller at Amplats and principal accountant for corporate development at Kumba Iron Ore.   She has been instrumental in steering finance teams through various strategic finance programmes.   "After an extensive search, both internally and externally, I am pleased to extend a warm welcome to Sayurie in her new role. We are confident that she will fulfil her new responsibilities skilfully as she continues to add value to the Anglo American Platinum leadership team," chair Norman Mbazima indicated in a statement.

Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Karl Gernetzky at Fin24

No economic adviser, no problem, says Presidency

Business Times reports that the Presidency has defended the year-long vacancy in the role of economic adviser to President Cyril Ramaphosa, saying it hasn’t paralysed decision making on the economy. The position has been vacant since Trudi Makhaya resigned last May. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the management of the economy, especially the drive to stabilise and grow the economy, was not solely dependent on the President having a full-time special economic adviser. He indicated: “Various elements of the economic recovery plan remain on track with respect to their implementation. Key economic enablers, namely, energy, transport, and logistics are in the process of being turned around.”   Magwenya went on to say the absence of a special economic adviser did not mean the Presidency was unable to manage the economy as it was already seeing “green shoots” from the work done to respond to the energy crisis and the logistics backlogs at the ports.   “All of this work is being done with the leadership of the government in collaboration with other social partners, in particular business and labour,” he said. However, some observers believe the lack of an economic adviser in the Presidency has hobbled that office, allowing for economic policy matters to be dictated by other arms of government. With elections looming, the position looks likely to be filled only by the new administration. Efficient Group economist Dawie Roodt said while the position of economic adviser to the president was important, the markets were not losing sleep over the vacancy at this time as the country was entering elections.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at Business Times (subscriber access only)


BEE REQUIREMENTS

Real estate agents in government's crosshairs with new level 8 BEE requirements

City Press reports that more than 40% of the country’s real estate agencies and nearly half of SA’s 40,000 registered real estate agents’ operations could be disrupted due to the government’s latest black economic empowerment (BEE) requirements that it is enforcing on the private sector. Real estate agents and agencies will henceforth have to comply with level 8 BEE scores to obtain or renew fidelity fund certificates. Without these certificates, real estate agents cannot legally do business. The required score is said to be unattainable for many small businesses because it amounts to more than 50% black ownership. Piet le Roux, CEO of Sakeliga, said the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority (PPRA) suddenly introduced the requirement.   Sakeliga is already preparing to fight the enforcement of the BEE scores in court and describes the PPRA’s decision as illegal, unconstitutional and harmful to the economy.   Jan le Roux, CEO of the Real Estate Business Owners of SA (Rebosa), said the PPRA unexpectedly spoke about the required BEE score for the first time a few weeks ago during a webinar.   He explained that until now, only a valid BEE certificate, issued by a verification agency with experience in the real estate sector and registered with the SA National Accreditation System, was required. Even if such a BEE certificate shows the business is below a certain BEE level, the certificate is still valid. Now, compliance at a certain level is also required before the fidelity fund certificate will be issued. Le Roux said this could disrupt the operations of 2,400 of the country’s 6,200 real estate agencies when they applied for renewal next year. In his view, the consequences could be catastrophic.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Riana De Lange at City Press (subscriber access only). Lees ook, Pas SEB toe, of sluit jou deure, sê eiendomsreguleerder, by Maroela Media


SKILLS DEVELOPMENT / TRAINING

Safa youth academy players left stranded due to lack of funds

Sunday World reports that the SA Football Association (Safa) could not shed light on an embarrassing situation after youth players who left their schools to join the Safa Boys High Performance Academy were left stranded. Last month, Safa CEO Lydia Monyepao wrote a letter to Safa regions, concerned parents, coaches and the relevant schools, explaining that the young school boys who were identified and scouted to join the academy had to return to their original schools for the remainder of this year. The parents were up in arms with their children getting stranded after they had taken “remove letters” from their schools. The school’s second term was about to start when Safa took the decision to postpone the intake to next year. The academy was supposed to have been accommodated at the Safa Technical Centre in Fun Valley, south of Johannesburg. The letter stated that the Academy “will only commerce with new intakes in 2025. This is based on the funding and logistical implementation that has been delayed pending approval by the Fifa development committee and advisory board. We therefore appeal to all players who had been selected to join the Boys Academy this year to return to their original schools for the remainder of the year.”

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kgomotso Mokoena at Sunday World (subscriber access only)


‘TWO POT’ RETIREMENT SYSTEM

NCOP gives its approval to ‘two-pot’ retirement system with passing of Pension Funds Amendment Bill

The Citizen reports that the two-pot retirement system is one step closer to implementation later this year after the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) passed the Pension Funds Amendment Bill on Thursday, with changes that clear up some discrepancies. The National Assembly (NA) passed the Bill in March.   It aims to amend the Pension Funds Act and, with the Revenue Laws Amendment Bill, will establish the two-pot retirement system that will come into effect on 1 September this year to support long-term retirement savings while also offering some flexibility to help fund members in financial distress. The NA and NCOP amendments to the Bill will ensure that government employees, as well as employees of the Transnet, Post Office and telecommunications pension funds are included in the two-pot retirement system. The amendments also include important corrections to deal with divorce and the separation of assets. After passing the Bill, the NCOP sent it back to the NA for concurrence as changes were made after the NA passed the Bill. When the NA passes the changes, the Bill will go to the President for signature. Pension funds and their administrators have already started to apply for rule amendments with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) and make changes to their systems to implement the two-pot retirement system.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ina Opperman at The Citizen. See too, Pension Funds Amendment Bill unanimously supported by parties in NCOP, at EWN


OTHER REPORTS OF INTEREST

  • Can South Africa afford a Basic Income Grant? Or can we afford not to? at GroundUp
  • North West wants to blow R38m on Expanded Public Works Programme launch, at City Press (subscriber access only)
  • MEIBC-loonaanbod ‘slegte nuus’ vir werknemers, by Maroela Media
  • Verslag: Talle SA’ners oorleef op skuld, by Maroela Media
  • ANC affiliation, nepotism allegations, spark complaint on Northern Cape traffic officers’ irregular hiring, at Sunday Independent

 


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