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 Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related reports.
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SA loses 67,000 jobs in first quarter of 2024 BusinessLive reports that trade, business services and mining were among the sectors that experienced significant declines in employment in the first quarter of 2024, collectively contributing to a decrease in jobs across various industries. Total employment fell by 67,000 jobs from 10,731,000 in December 2023 to 10,664,000 in March 2024, representing a quarter-on-quarter decrease of 0.6%. Statistics SA announced the results of the Quarterly Employment Statistics for the first quarter on Tuesday. According to Stats SA, the decreases were recorded in the following industries: trade lost 57,000, community services 18,000, business services 4,000 and mining 3,000. During this period, electricity and transport showed no change. However, there were increases in the following industries, namely manufacturing, transport and construction. Meanwhile, overall full-time employment dropped sharply by 29,000, decreasing from 9,513,000 in December 2023 to 9,484,000 in March 2024. Full-time employment decreased by 16,000 between March 2023 and March 2024. Part-time employment fell by 38,000 quarter on quarter, from 1,218,000 in December 2023 to 1,180,000 in March 2024. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Noxolo Majavu at BusinessLive. Read too, Increase in unemployment as various industries shed jobs, at The Citizen Decrease in quarterly gross earnings, but an increase of 5% on annual basis BusinessLive reports on the wages front that the Quarterly Employment Statistics for the first quarter, released by Statistic SA on Tuesday, showed a notable decrease in basic salary/wages paid to employees, amounting to R6.7bn, or a decrease of 0.8%. This figure dropped from R855.6bn in December 2023 to R848.9bn in March 2024. Stats SA attributed this decrease primarily to the trade, manufacturing, construction, mining and business services industries. Certain industries reported increases in wages paid during the same period as the transport, electricity and community services sectors saw rises in the amounts paid as basic salary and wages to their employees. Year-on-year basic salary/wages increased by R40.1bn, or 5%, between March 2023 and March 2024. “Bonuses paid to employees decreased by R27.6bn, or [a decrease of] 25%, from R109bn in December 2023 to R81.4bn in March 2023. This was due to decreases in the following industries: community services, trade, manufacturing, construction, transport and electricity. However, the business services reported an increase of R9.9bn,” Stats SA said. Year-on-year bonus payments increased by R0.4bn, or 0.5%, between March 2023 and March 2024. Read the original of the report in the above regard by Noxolo Majavu at BusinessLive (scroll down) Read too, Gross earnings decreased quarterly, but increased on annual basis, at The Citizen (scroll down)
Two arrested for City official's murder to be joined to Cape Town construction mafia case News24 reports that two men appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Tuesday for the murder of City of Cape Town official Wendy Kloppers and the attempted murder of a second person, who were both shot in Kloppers’ car. The tragedy is allegedly linked to businessman Ralph Stanfield. The court heard that Warren-Lee Dennis and Imtiyaz Sedick would become accused nine and ten in the expanding case against Stanfield, his wife, Nicole Johnson, and eight other persons arrested so far. Forty-eight-year-old Kloppers was murdered in her car, and a colleague was shot in the arm, when shooters attacked them as they were parked outside the Symphony Way housing development in Delft on 16 February 2023. At the time, the perpetrators were suspected to have been part of a construction mafia targeting the City’s construction projects. Speaking outside the court, Western Cape police commissioner Brigadier Thembisile Patekile said police were "eating the elephant" in a huge case they were building against alleged extortionists and associated gunmen in the city. The City, which had offered a R1m reward via a sponsor for information leading to the arrests, welcomed the latest arrests, specifically for the Kloppers murder. Human Settlements MMC Carl Pophaim said: "We have taken a very strong stance, that absolutely everyone and anyone who is involved [in] and is allowing this activity to take place in our government, will be fired, and prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and Mayor [Geordin] Hill-Lewis has shown that." Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jenni Evans at News24. Lees ook, Man in hof ná moord op stadswerker, by Maroela Media Three suspects flee as police arrest man for robbing e-hailing driver in Eldorado Park TimesLIVE reports that police who were on patrol in Eldorado Park caught an alleged robber as he was preying on an e-hailing cab driver on Monday evening. Lt-Col Mavela Masondo said the victim received a pickup request from an address in the Johannesburg suburb. “On arrival, a man got inside the vehicle and immediately pulled out a firearm and informed the driver that this was a hijacking,” said Masondo. When two other men got in, the driver jumped out of the vehicle and ran away. However, the robbers chased after him and brought him back to the vehicle. A fourth suspect got into the vehicle. The men robbed the driver of cash, a cellphone, bank cards and his driving licence. While the suspects were robbing the victim, the Eldorado Park police members who were patrolling the area saw the suspects robbing the victim and immediately gave chase. Three suspects fled on foot, but police arrested the suspect who was driving the vehicle. Read the original of the short report in the above regard at TimesLIVE Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Workers at Msunduzi municipality protest as salary payments are delayed TimesLIVE reports that the Msunduzi municipality in KwaZulu-Natal has undertaken to pay all outstanding monies owed to its workforce by the end of June. This assurance was given by acting city manager Sabelo Hlela after meeting with workers on Tuesday. About 400 disgruntled employees disrupted operations at the municipality's Havelock offices on Tuesday by staging a sit-in protest. Their complaints included delayed payments, the lack of tools, lack of change rooms, an unconducive working environment and frosty relations between some of the general workers and managers. Some persons inside the municipality's offices were unable to get out as protesters had dumped bags filled with rubbish outside the building's entrances. Hlela, the general manager of infrastructure, has been acting in the position after the suspension of city manager Lulamile Mapholoba on allegations of misconduct since February. Hlela acknowledged the workers’ concerns and said management was engaging union representatives to deal with the worker’s concerns swiftly. Samwu regional secretary Linda Gcabashe welcomed the move. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mfundo Mkhize at TimesLIVE Standoff in Musina as protesters demand resignation of corruption-accused municipal manager GroundUp reports that dozens of protesters converged on the municipal offices in Musina, Limpopo, on Tuesday for a second day in a row, demanding that municipal manager Nathi Tshiwanammbi should resign at once. At around 8am on Monday, some protesters had tried to forcefully gain entrance to the building, but police managed to persuade them not to force their way in. They were accusing Tshiwanammbi of tender corruption. According to Peter Jack, leader of “Musina To The Front”, the municipal manager had offered tenders to relatives and friends. Community leader Uhuru Tshilande opened a corruption case at Musina police station against the municipal manager on behalf of the community. After two meetings with officials, Mayor Godfrey Mawela said he needed time to call a full council meeting. “As a municipality we need to call for a meeting and then come back to the community,” Mawela indicated. But the protesters vowed they would not leave before the municipal manager resigned. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bernard Chiguvare at GroundUp We have no engineer to build your houses, Nelson Mandela Bay official tells Kariega protesters GroundUp reports that shack dwellers in Kariega blocked the R334 on Tuesday morning for a second day in a row with burning tyres and rubble, demanding houses. But an official of the Nelson Mandela Bay municipal housing department told them the department did not have an engineer. The R334 Rocklands Road next to Area 11 informal settlement in Gunguluza, Kariega, was blocked for about four hours on Monday by 100 protesters, a month after their last protest. They live next to 300 built toilets and want houses to be built there. They were relocated by the municipality in 2017 but still have no houses, while the toilets have been vandalised and the sewerage system is faulty. Ward councillor Sabelo Mabuda (ANC) told the crowd: “I don’t have answers. I have gone back to the meetings we had with the municipal officials, when we were promised on 24 May that a contractor would be introduced on 5 June. But that did not happen. Again, on 18 June, we were told in a meeting that we will get a new date as to when a contractor will be introduced. On Friday last week, I was in a meeting with all the area committees of ward 45. This is when we realised that an engineer has been identified only for areas 5 and 9 … prompting this protest.” As he spoke, assistant director of human settlements Rudi April arrived and confirmed that the human settlements directorate had no engineer. He said: “Earlier this year, we had an engineer, but he resigned in February and went elsewhere where the grass is greener.” He added that executive directors would have to come up with solutions. The protesters said they would continue protesting until houses were built. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thamsanqa Mbovane at GroundUp
SA Human Rights Commission probes mining activities in Limpopo The Citizen reports that the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) in Limpopo is conducting an inquiry into the impact of mining activities on human rights in communities. The aim of the inquiry is to address continuous complaints of human rights violations related to mining activities, with a particular emphasis on environmental and socioeconomic rights. “Over the years, we have continuously received and investigated complaints of human rights violations due to mining activities with environmental rights and socioeconomic rights being the most allegedly violated. The hearing, which is underway at the Park Inn by Radisson in Polokwane, takes place until tomorrow (Wednesday),” said SAHRC Limpopo provincial manager Victor Mavhidula. He pointed out that in the mining sector, the socioeconomic rights of communities were protected through the requirement to have and comply with social and labour plans. Mavhidula indicated that the inquiry aimed to investigate further on a systemic level to establish the following: the extent of the human rights violations due to mining activities; causes of the violations experienced by the communities; whether the mining houses were responsible for the violations; whether the regulatory bodies, oversight departments, and other relevant institutions, were efficiently carrying out their mandates to ensure that no human rights were violated; and the systemic nature of the violations. Mining companies, complainants, relevant government departments, municipalities and other relevant institutions have been identified to appear and give evidence. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Masoka Dube at The Citizen
Naspers bosses back Media24’s digital strategy involving newspaper print closures and expected job losses BusinessLive reports that Naspers executives have affirmed that its media division, which served as the cornerstone of the group’s global success, continues to be relevant. They said the decision to shift a substantial portion of its print offering to digital-only publications was a strategic move to align with reader preferences. The group’s president and chief investment officer, Ervin Tu, said while the decision to do away with the print versions of City Press, Rapport, Beeld, Soccer Laduma and Daily Sun to digital products in a process that might lead to 400 job losses, it had not been taken lightly. It was a strategic move aimed at creating a profitable media house. “We are going where the readers are. Readers today around the world have moved very firmly onto the online world. I won’t be as bold as to say print is dead ... but much of the world, including SA, has moved to online. That is what we are investing in,” Tu said. He went on to indicate: “We also have to acknowledge that in that transition, there are difficult decisions that have to be made that affect people. We acknowledge that and don’t take decisions lightly.” As digital brands, the affected print publications will reside on the group’s Netwerk24 and News24 platforms. Media24 has reached a deal with Novus Holdings to sell its media logistics business, On the Dot, and its community newspaper portfolio, subject to regulatory approvals. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kabelo Khumalo at BusinessLive
SAPS dismisses claims of crisis over non-payments of officers’ election overtime News24 reports that the SA Police Service (SAPS) has rubbished claims by the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) that there is a crisis because not all police officers have been paid overtime for the extra hours they worked during the general elections. Popcru’s Richard Mamabolo said that when the union met the various stakeholders days before the elections, an agreement was made that police officials would work two 12-hour shifts, and any hours after that would be considered overtime. "Popcru requested reports from all provinces as to how many officers have still not received their overtime pay. We have had complaints mainly from KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape. This is a matter we are closely looking at.” According to the union, the number of overtime hours members worked varied, with some members having worked up to 36 hours over and above their normal shifts. Echoing Popcru's sentiments, the SA Policing Union’s (SAPU’s) Jabu Mabena said they were also concerned that the SAPS had taken almost a month to pay the overtime due to police officers. Meanwhile, SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said there was "no crisis" regarding the officers' payment and that 66% of the payments had already been paid out to the various police officers countrywide. "We are still busy with payments. We are on track, and we request that members be patient. Police members will get what is due to them," Mathe indicated. She added the SAPS expected all overtime money to be paid to members by the first week of July. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisalee Solomons at News24
Two former Joburg cops sentenced to 10 years each for extorting bribe from a printer TimesLIVE reports that the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Tuesday sentenced two former police officers who extorted R14,000 from a printing business owner to 10 years' imprisonment each after finding them guilty of corruption. On 28 November 2020 while on duty and in full police uniform, Lehlogonolo Tsagane and Jabulani Ngobeni received a tip-off about a suspect branding clothes with the SAPS logo and they went to the scene. They demanded R1.5m from Maxwell Chiyangwa but settled for R14,000 after threatening Chiyangwa with arrest. “Tsagane and Ngobeni instructed him to transfer to his wife’s account, and they then escorted her to the Woodmead shopping complex to withdraw the funds,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane indicated. Chiyangwa reported the incident to the authorities and the two police officers handed themselves over to the Johannesburg Central police station in September 2022. Prosecutor Rhyme Nchabeleng argued in aggravation of sentence and cited the nature of the former policemen’s crimes. He told the court that the two abused their power and trust as police officers, and exploited their position to extort money from Chiyangwa. “In considering the sentence, the court deviated from the prescribed minimum sentence of 15 years because the two police officers were first-time offenders, had pleaded guilty and also considered the relatively modest amount in the commission of the offence,” Mjonondwane indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at TimesLIVE. See too, Two ex-cops sentenced for extorting R14,000 from a man who was branding clothes using SAPS logo, at IOL News Three Limpopo police officers nabbed for fabricating charges and demanding R2,000 bribe IOL News reports that three police officers have been arrested on charges of corruption and defeating the ends of justice, over an incident in Moletjie, Ga-Chokwe, in Limpopo province. Limpopo police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said that the three officers from Seshego police station appeared in Seshego Magistrate's Court on Monday, where they faced charges of corruption and obstruction of justice. Each of the accused, namely Sergeant Malatji Mpao Thabo, Nkoana Khomotso James and Mabitsi Kgoroshi Jan was granted bail of R1,000. Ledwaba said the trio were arrested after allegedly visiting a residence in Moletjie, Ga-Chokwe, on 9 August 2021 where they pretended to be conducting genuine police operations. “Clad in civilian attire, the officers falsely presented themselves as police officers from Pretoria, referencing the complainant's name and directing the family to contact him. Upon the complainant's return, the officers proceeded to search his bedroom and seized 235 sachets of Nyaope,” Ledwaba reported. Afterwards, they demanded a payment of R2,000in in return for a reduced sentence. Unable to provide the full amount, the victim sought financial assistance from his family, who managed to raise the required funds. After the incident, the victim was apprehended and brought to Seshego police station, where he was pressured into paying a fine as an admission of guilt for an alleged illegal gambling offence. Subsequently, the complainant decided to open a case against the implicated police officials. The case against them was postponed to 8 July for a regional court hearing. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Simon Majadibodu at IOL News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Gauteng credit controller accused of defrauding rubber stamps and engraving company out of R2.8 million IOL News reports that a 41-year-old woman who was employed as a credit controller has been arrested on allegations of multi-million rand fraud. Rosanna Govender was arrested by the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (known as Hawks) and appeared in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Monday on charges of theft and fraud. She was released on bail of R10,000 and will appear in court again on 23 July 2024. Govender worked as a credit controller at a rubber stamps and engraving company. She allegedly used her position of relative power where she had access to money to siphon millions of rands of her employer’s funds to herself. It is further alleged that Govender, who had access to the company’s accounting system, cheated the company by cashing out the revenues from cash paying clients and Electronic Funds Transfers (EFT) payments, which she transferred to her personal bank account. According to Warrant Officer Thatohatsi Mavimbela, the company lost R2.8 million as a result. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Xolile Mtembu at IOL News Farm security guard sentenced to life for killing 14-year-old boy in Mpumalanga News24 reports that the Mpumalanga High Court sitting in Middleburg on Tuesday sentenced a 53-year-old man to life imprisonment for the murder of 14-year-old Bhekimuzi Ziko on a farm in Kamhlushwa, Nkomazi. Sarrel Petrus du Plessis was found guilty of murdering Ziko, whom he shot in December 2018 on a farm where he had been hired as a security guard. Mpumalanga police spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli said the boy was with his brother and friends when Du Plessis fired at him using an unlicensed firearm. "He further tried to kill those that were together with Bhekimuzi, however he failed as they ran for their lives," Mdhluli said. The accused was arrested on 8 December 2018, then taken to court where he was found guilty on 20 June 2023. He has been in custody since then. In addition to the life sentence for murder, Du Plessis was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for two counts of attempted murder, five years for the possession of an unlicensed firearm, and three years for the possession of unlicensed ammunition. All the counts will run concurrently with the life sentence. Du Plessis was also declared unfit to possess a firearm. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Noxolo Sibiya at News24
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