In our Thursday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related reports.
|
New labour minister is the first without strong union ties, but can Nomakhosazana Meth deliver? Fin24 reports that unlike her predecessors, newly appointed Minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth, does not have strong ties with trade unions and is an unknown quantity to both business and the labour sector. Former minister Thulas Nxesi was left off the ANC’s list for the National Assembly and Meth, who served most of her political career in the Eastern Cape provincial legislature, was appointed in his place. For years, labour ministers have had strong, historic ties with trade unions. Former ministers Nxesi and Membathisi Mdladlana were both members of Sadtu and former minister Mildred Oliphant had been a Saccawu leader. According to People's Assembly, Meth holds an honours degree in public administration from the University of Fort Hare. After being sworn in as the Eastern Cape MEC of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform in 2019, Meth was appointed MEC for Health in the province in 2021. Significant challenges and criticisms marked her tenure as Eastern Cape health MEC. Trade union UASA welcomed Meth's appointment as labour minister and said "a new face will bring change to the portfolio, allowing organised labour to engage and bring new ideas to tackle unemployment and improve the economy." Labour federation Cosatu indicated that it was planning to meet urgently with Meth to address the ongoing issues within the labour sector. These were said to include “endless problems” with the UIF and Compensation Fund, the need for increased protection of workers with labour laws, the high unemployment levels, and enforcing the compulsory national minimum wage of R27.58 per hour for workers. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Na'ilah Ebrahim at Fin24 ‘We'll find each other’, says new basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube on relations with unions TimesLIVE reports that new Department of Basic Education (DBE) Minister Siviwe Gwarube says that in her first month in office she will set up a consultative forum that will include teacher unions and education experts to find new ways of improving state schools. Until recently, Gwarube was Democratic Alliance (DA) chief whip in the National Assembly. President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Gwarube as his new DBE minister on Sunday in a power-sharing deal with the DA and other parties in a government of national unity (GNU). Gwarube said she would prioritise cordial relations with teacher union Sadtu and others with the aim of placing the interests of pupils at the centre of the basic education system. Gwarube’s political home, the DA, has been a critic of Sadtu, often accusing it of prioritising the interests of teachers and calling strikes which compromised basic education. “Sadtu is a very important stakeholder and I think it’s important that they hear from me what the vision is for the department. Then we can take it from there. They can also share some of their concerns around working conditions and how we put the learner back in the conversation. I am not worried about any strained relationship. I look forward to meeting with them and others,” Gwarube indicated. She added that she wanted to prioritise improving numeracy and literacy among pupils and improve school infrastructure, especially pit latrines that have resulted in the deaths of some children. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thabo Mokone at TimesLIVE. Read too, Unlike Sadtu, Naptosa and Natu welcome DA’s Siviwe Gwarube as education minister, at IOL News Trade union Haitu wants new health minister Aaron Motsoaledi to speed up NHI implementation EWN reports that the Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union (Haitu) has called on newly-appointed Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi to fast-track the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme. Motsoaledi replaces Joe Phaahla, who now serves as his deputy, in the country's seventh democratic administration. Motsoaledi is no stranger to the health portfolio, having served as the minister from 2009 to 2019. President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the controversial NHI bill into law in May, paving the way for equal access to healthcare services. Haitu general secretary Lerato Mthunzi said that they believed Motsoaledi’s presence in the health department would speed up the implementation of NHI. "Dr Motsoaledi has a reputation of being hands-on when it comes to solving problems within the department. He was indeed very instrumental in architecturing the NHI Bill, and we're definitely looking forward to NHI being rolled out come 2026, as the year earmarked for implementation," Mthunzi noted. Read the original of the short report in the above regard at EWN Presidency takes charge in crucial SOEs overhaul BusinessLive reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office has seized control of the restructuring of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), putting the weight of expectations on the shoulders of the Minister of Monitoring & Evaluation, Maropene Ramokgopa. This follows Ramaphosa’s dissolution of the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), which was responsible for five SOEs in its portfolio, in line with the government’s aim of consolidating the shareholding of strategic SOEs into a state asset management company. In announcing his newly reconfigured cabinet on Sunday, Ramaphosa said the co-ordination of the SOEs that were housed in the department would be located in the Presidency during the implementation of a new shareholder model. Eskom and Transnet – the backbone of SA’s energy and transport infrastructure – will, however, report directly to their respective departments. Ramokgopa will be responsible for setting up the holding company. The state will be the sole shareholder of the asset management company but the door is open for strategic equity partners to be brought into the underlying SOEs. The National State Enterprises Bill, introduced in January by Pravin Gordhan, former DPE minister, is at the heart of this transformation. Ramokgopa is likely to be responsible for reintroducing the bill to parliament after it lapsed in May. State companies from SAA and the SA Post Office to Eskom and Transnet have been financial sinkholes over the past three decades, draining billions in guarantees and bailouts. Transnet is implementing a major turnaround plan in which the private sector will be roped in to help run port terminals and rail operations. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thando Maeko at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Nurse accused of murdering her domestic worker to claim R6m insurance payout maintains her innocence News24 reports that the nurse accused of killing her domestic worker for R6-million in insurance policy payouts denied in court during on Wednesday that she had committed the crime. Sithembile Xulu, 48, who is employed as a nurse at a hospital in Alberton, claimed she didn't participate in the murder of Busiswa Nxumalo, 21, two years ago. Testifying during her bail application in the Lenasia Magistrate's Court, Xulu stated: "I didn't break any law … I will plead not guilty because I don't know these charges and didn't commit any offence." Xulu and her gardener, Simon Mogale, 37, face charges of murder, three counts of fraud, and a count of defeating the ends of justice. Xulu told the court that she was a widow and resided in Vosloorus. She said she had lived in the area for six years and been working at the hospital for eight years. "My salary depends on overtime, weekends, and holidays. I earn between R18,000 and R19,000 after deductions. I spend my salary on my children, house bond, municipal utilities, and look after my two younger sisters,” Xulu indicated. She said was expected to report for duty on Monday. "My job at the hospital is still safe. I was on leave when I was arrested. Today [Wednesday], I [was] supposed to return to work for night duty. My sister had contacted the hospital which confirmed that I am still employed,” Xulu told the court. Nxumalo was murdered in January 2022, a few months after working at Xulu's home in Lenasia South as a domestic worker. The nurse allegedly started spreading rumours Nxumalo was disobedient, and she apparently falsely and repeatedly reported her missing at the local police station. The hearing continues on 10 July. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ntwaagae Seleka at News24. Read too, Police investigating nurse accused of insurance scam murder, over husband's 2020 killing, at News24 (subscriber access only)
Week-long strike at Implats’s troubled Bafokeng operation by contract employees seeking permanent jobs resolved Business Report writes that Impala Platinum (Implats) on Wednesday confirmed that the illegal work stoppage at the North Shaft of its Bafokeng platinum operation in North West had been resolved. "Following constructive engagement between the management team and employee representatives, the issues were resolved. As a result, normal attendance levels were recorded at North Shaft from the morning shift today (Wednesday),” Implats advised. The Bafokeng operation, in which Implats raised its stake to majority control last year, saw contract employees embark on a week-long work stoppage from on 27 June, demanding permanent positions with the company. The illegal strike caused attendance levels to drop to 60%-70%. Implats obtained an interdict, which declared the strike unprotected. Market analyst Alex Fray said Implats was running into frequent industrial action since its acquisition of the platinum mine. “This is the second incident of illegal industrial unrest at Impala Bafokeng since its acquisition by Implats,” Fray pointed out. Earlier this year, Implats said it could be forced to undertake a restructuring of Impala Bafokeng. The company indicated that the demands by Bafokeng workers were taking place amid a difficult operating environment for platinum group metal (PGM) producers given the depressed PGM prices. It added that the longer-term impact of this illegal strike posed a risk to sustainable employment, particularly given Impala Bafokeng’s “recent underperformance”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tawanda Karombo at Business Report. Read too, Implats fends off another illegal strike at Bafokeng mine, at BusinessLive Sibanye-Stillwater carves away over 11,000 jobs in SA in 18 months BusinessLive reports that Sibanye-Stillwater has carved away more than 11,000 jobs from its workforce in the past year and a half, leaving a lasting mark on communities, families and the broader socioeconomic fabric, but setting the precious metals producer up for long-term sustainability. “We have restructured the SA region to align with the reduced operating footprint following the necessary operational restructuring for greater regional sustainability and profitability and we are well positioned for ongoing shared value delivery,” CEO Neal Froneman said. Sibanye, whose costs are among the highest in the industry, said the closure of end-of-life shafts and restructuring of loss-making ones led to a reduction of total number of employees and contractors in SA from 81,500 at the end of 2022 to just more than 70,000 today, a 14% reduction. The latest job losses were at its Beatrix 1 shaft, where 1,241 people lost their jobs after two months of negotiations with labour. Sibanye said there would have been more jobs cuts over the past 18 months had it not been for the legally mandated consultations with union leaders. The consultations resulted in the implementation of agreed-upon retrenchment avoidance measures. “It is extremely encouraging that the restructuring efforts undertaken in the SA region have not only successfully and proactively addressed loss-making operations, thereby securing the benefits and value they continue to bring to multiple stakeholders, but through co-operative consultation with stakeholders, limited forced retrenchments to just 8% of total employees impacted since January 2023,” Froneman said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tiisetso Motsoeneng at BusinessLive. Read too, Sibanye-Stillwater says headcount is down 14% since January 2023, at Negligence by shift boss led to two deaths in 2020 at Sibanye’s Beatrix gold mine BusinessLive reports that the deaths of two workers at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Beatrix gold mine in October 2020 were due to the negligence of a “shift boss” who ignored safety warnings. The Labour Court (LC) has found that the deaths could have been prevented had operations supervisor Alice Makhetha followed the group’s safety protocols. Makhetha was tasked with ensuring safety protocols and job regulations were adhered to consistently, with a particular emphasis on upholding rules of safety for underground drilling and blasting operations. Makhetha was obliged to issue a written “stop and fix instruction”, which effectively would have resulted in a work stoppage until safety issues brought to her attention were resolved. On the morning of the incident, tragedy struck when the work crew working on an unsafe panel continued drilling and blasting the panel, leading to a collapse that claimed the lives of two miners and left another severely injured. An investigation by Sibanye pointed the finger at Makhetha, who was then charged and faced a disciplinary hearing. The hearing found her guilty of having failed to implement all the safety measures required by the company. The CCMA later set aside the disciplinary hearing’s findings. Sibanye last week successfully petitioned the LC to set aside the CCMA’s award. “I am satisfied that the evidence, considered as a whole, showed that Makhetha indeed committed the misconduct as contemplated by the charge against her, she had been found guilty of. She failed to ensure that safety instructions given to her were carried out, and failed to ensure that the substandard safety conditions were rectified before work continued on the panel. She should have issued a stop instruction, which would have ensured that the safety concerns would be remedied, before any work on the panel could even start,” the LC judge found. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kabelo Khumalo at BusinessLive Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Employees with disabilities excluded from top management positions BusinessLive reports that the Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) has expressed concern about the exclusion of people with disabilities from top management positions. The CEE’s 24th report indicates that employees with disabilities have a low representation at the top management level. Only 1.8% of top management is made up of employees with disabilities and significant efforts are still needed to enhance their representation both within government and the private sector at that level. “Of relevance and great concern to the Commission for Employment Equity is the low representation of employees with disabilities across all occupational levels in all the economic sectors. There appears to be unwritten quotas in the representation of employees with disabilities to either keep them at approximately 1% representation across occupational levels and even worse, as an overall representation of the total workforce in both the private and public sectors,” the report indicates. The report also highlights that managerial positions, especially in the private sector, remain predominately occupied by white people. This trend shows the white population is over-represented, followed by Indians, while African and coloured people are primarily occupying positions from professionally qualified, middle-management levels and below. The report notes that progress in transforming the labour market has been extremely sluggish. It underscores that there has not been substantial advancement in achieving fair representation of all designated groups across various job levels, particularly in senior management positions across all sectors of the economy. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Noxolo Majavu at BusinessLive
What the law in South Africa says about after-work emails BusinessTech reports that other countries may be placing legislative barriers on after-work emails, but this is not the case in SA – for now. Generally, office hours in SA are between 9am and 5pm, but many employees receive emails after these hours or on the weekend. According to a US study, it’s not the amount of time spent on work emails that drive exhaustion but anticipatory stress, namely a state of anxiety due to perceived threats. Employees are thus unable to disconnect and feel exhausted no matter how much time is spent on after-hours emails. However, SA’s Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) and Labour Relations Act do not allow for the right to disconnect. The BCEA does, however, afford some rights to those earning less than the R21,198 per month threshold, such as laying down ordinary hours of work, limiting overtime and prescribing daily and weekly rest periods. Asma Cachalia and Marco Neto from law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr report that the right to disconnect first emerged following a French Supreme Court ruling in October, which said that employees were not obligated to work from home outside of working hours. Several other countries, including Kenya, have all taken steps aimed at safeguarding employees’ right to disconnect. “As South Africa navigates the complexities of the modern workplace, embracing the right to disconnect represents a crucial step towards promoting employee well-being, enhancing productivity, and fostering sustainable employment relationships in the digital age,” Cachalia and Neto point out. They continue: “In anticipation of this shift, South African employers can take proactive steps implement policies that delineate expectations regarding communication outside of working hours, including contact by third parties such as customers.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luke Fraser at BusinessTech
Sassa official, two women arrested for submission of fraudulent disability grant documents TimesLIVE reports that a SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) officials and two women are expected to return to the Kgapane Magistrate's Court on Thursday for allegedly submitting fraudulent documents for disability grants. Mphekgwana Elisa Modjadji, 59, Lefupane Mahloatlie Mamotome, 58, and Malekutu Walter Ramoshaba, 48, were charged with fraud after they were arrested in Limpopo on Tuesday. This was after Modjadji and Mamotome went to the Bolobedu Sassa office in Kgapane to apply for disability grants on 26 May 2021 and 23 December 2021 respectively. A Sassa official gave the two application forms to be completed by government doctors. “The forms were then completed but not approved as the two ladies did not qualify for disability grants. The forms were resubmitted with amendments enabling the pair to be approved,” Hawks spokesperson Col Katlego Mogale indicated. However, a capturing clerk suspected foul play and reported the matter to the Hawks serious corruption investigation unit. The investigation discovered that the handwriting on the documents was that of a Sassa employee. The case was postponed to Thursday for formal bail applications. Read the original of the short report in the above regard at TimesLIVE
Paarl police officer arrested for allegedly raping woman at his home News24 reports that a 31-year-old police officer stationed at the Paarl police station in the Western Cape has been arrested for allegedly raping a 35-year-old woman at his home. Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said the incident allegedly took place on Sunday. It is alleged the 35-year-old woman and her male friend were looking for a place to buy alcohol when they met the off-duty police officer at around 01:00. "[They] asked him for a place selling beer. They all went to a certain house where the police officer bought two beers and asked the complainant and her male friend to come to his house. On arrival at the house, they drank the beers, and the male friend later fell asleep on the couch," Shuping indicated. The police officer then allegedly assaulted the complainant, put a knife to her neck and raped her. When the officer went to the bathroom, the woman woke her male friend up and they took off. She reported the incident to the police, and IPID took over the investigation after the suspect was identified as a police officer. The officer was arrested on Monday and appeared in the Paarl Magistrate's Court on Tuesday. The case was postponed to 9 July for a formal bail application. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Noxolo Sibiya at News24. Lees ook, Polisieman van verkragting beskuldig, by Maroela Media
|
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page