In our Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related reports.
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Limpopo lodge manager stable after being shot in spine by employee who had been dismissed The Herald reports that Emily Leuner (38), the general manager of the luxury Tintswalo Safari Lodge in the Manyeleti Nature Reserve, will probably not be able to walk again after she was shot in her spine by a disgruntled former employee. According to Janie van der Spuy, spokesperson for the Tintswalo Collection group of hotels and lodges, Leuner is currently in the ICU at Millpark Hospital in Johannesburg after she was airlifted from Hoedspruit on Friday evening. Van der Spuy said that Leuner was shot by a staff member who had been dismissed after a disciplinary hearing. “The perpetrator returned to the lodge and shot her four times in the upper body and legs, before taking his own life. Emily is stable and conscious, but has sustained serious spinal and lung injuries, which will require extensive treatment and rehabilitation,” Van der Spuy advised. Leuner’s exact prognosis is still unclear at this stage. An Mpumalanga SAPS spokesperson confirmed that the suspect had died, and that the investigation was ongoing. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Anwen Mojela at The Citizen Health Department dismisses PSA’s allegations of ‘yellow’ contaminated water at its HQ in Tshwane The Citizen reports that the Department of Health (DOH) has shot down reports that the water at its own Tshwane headquarters is contaminated. It was reported on Sunday that staff at the Dr AB Xuma Building raised concerns about their tap water posing serious health risks after it appeared yellow. They also disputed the results of water testing that had been done. Sunday Independent reported that DOH officials had been notified “about the urgent need for action” at the building that houses the offices of Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, his deputy Dr Joe Phaahla, and director-general Dr Sandile Buthelezi. The Public Servants Association (PSA) had apparently also engaged with the DOH to “highlight its non-compliance” with national environmental health norms and standards requiring the provision of safe drinking water and appropriate signage to non-potable sources. In response, the DOH denied claims it had violated occupational health and safety. “The Department has for the past three years, diligently tested the quality of drinking water at Dr AB Xuma Building and the water passed the standard in line with South African National Standards for drinking water,” it said. For the current year, the water was tested at several points in the building on 8 July 2024 by a private laboratory, and on 12 July by the National Health Laboratory Services and the test results for both tests apparently complied with the standard. The PSA’s Reuben Maleka responded: ”The water remains yellow and members are really scared to drink the water. It is apparent that the landlord is the one who provided the report, not the department.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nicholas Zaal at The Citizen Samwu leader in KZN placed under witness protection after attempt on his life News24 reports that a KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) whistle-blower and union leader who was shot multiple times after opening a fraud case against a senior local government official has written to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and law enforcement, begging prosecutors to act on information he passed onto them about the alleged mastermind behind his shooting. Sandile Mtshali survived an attack on 26 May. He was shot three times in front of his 8-year-old daughter, who was opening the gate for him at their Vryheid home. KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed the arrest of two suspects last week. The pair will make their second court appearance on Wednesday. In a letter Mtshali wrote to the Hawks and the NPA from his hospital bed shortly after the attack, he named the alleged mastermind behind his shooting as the high-ranking municipal official against whom he had opened a fraud case. Mtshali was shot right after opening the fraud case relating to the manager's qualifications. Mtshali, who is employed in the IFP-led Abaqulusi Local Municipality’s electricity department, is now in witness protection. In his letter to an NPA prosecutor, Mtshali asked the NPA to ensure the official was arrested as he "might hire another hitman to kill me when I'm discharged from hospital". He said the lives of other witnesses could also be in danger. Mtshali then forwarded a similar letter to the Hawks. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Soyiso Maliti at News24 Public Servants Association demands meeting with management after Durban court bomb scare IOL News reports that the Public Servants Association (PSA) wants an urgent meeting with court management after a bomb scare at the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday morning. A number of court cases had to be halted following a bomb threat. Cases were also impacted at the Durban High Court, which is held at the Durban Magistrate’s Court. Various policing units, including the SAPS explosives and K9 units, were deployed to the scene to conduct a precautionary search and sweep after a caller claimed that there was a bomb in the building set to detonate at 10:30am. The team could not find any explosive devices and confirmed that the area was safe to re-enter. Addressing the crowd of staff and legal teams gathered in the parking lot, the PSA’s Mlungisi Ndlovu said an urgent meeting had to be convened between court management and the union. He said it was strange that the threat was made a day after PSA met with regional leadership at the Department of Justice over the state of the building. “This building is not safe. Some of the lifts don’t work, there are no clear signs about the services offered at the court. There was also an incident where a car was stolen,” he stated. Ndlovu further highlighted the need for safety protocols to be implemented in such scenarios, adding that if a fire were to break out at the court, there were no clear directives in place on what protocols should be adhered to. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Se-Anne Rall at IOL News Another delay in murder case of nurse accused of killing her domestic worker for insurance payout EWN reports that there has been yet another delay in the murder case of a nurse accused of killing her 21-year-old domestic worker for an estimated R6 million insurance payout. In January 2022, Busiswa Nxumalo’s body was found at a dumping site in Lenasia South, with her throat slit. Sithembile Xulu and her co-accused Simon Mogale briefly appeared at the Lenasia Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on charges of murder and three counts of insurance fraud before a postponement. During Tuesday’s proceedings, the court was informed that Sithembile Xulu had fired her legal representation and had hired a new attorney. She made the move while still applying for bail and facing cross-examination by the state. The presiding magistrate, Syfred Mati, postponed the matter to next week Friday. To date, the case has been postponed four times. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Sithembile Xulu at EWN Action Society slams Police Minister’s VIP protection budget of more than R2bn The Citizen reports that civil rights organisation Action Society has joined the chorus of criticism of new Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s budget. Action Society, whose volunteers assist victims of crime when seeking justice at court, laid into the R2.17 billion set aside for VIP protection services, saying this money could be better spent elsewhere. Last week, Mchunu outlined his department’s safety and security priorities when he presented the 2024/2025 financial year budget in Parliament. He indicated that the SA Police Service (SAPS) has been allocated R113.5 billion, while the Civilian Secretariat for Police Service and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) have received R155.9 million and R370.5 million, respectively. While crime intelligence received R4.74 billion, the police’s protection and security services were allocated a total of R4.09 billion, of which R2.17 billion (53.1%) goes to the VIP protection unit. This is 1.91% of the entire SAPS budget. Action Society condemned the allocation in a statement on Tuesday. “South Africans fear for their lives every day with more than 80 people being killed daily and 135 reported rapes. This money should be spent on keeping South Africans safe, not providing ministers luxury special services at the cost of the taxpayer,” said Action Society’s Juanita du Preez. The National Coloured Congress NCC agreed, saying it could not support a budget that allocates more to the protection of 72 VIPs than to crime intelligence. “It is unthinkable,” NCC leader Fadiel Adams said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nicholas Zaal at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Many red flags raised at labour department inspection of factory in Bronkhorstspruit News24 reports that the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) held a site inspection at takeaway food packaging manufacturer African Star Pac in Ekandustria in Bronkhorstspruit on Tuesday. Some of the many red flags that the DEL raised included crushed or amputated fingers, a failure to adhere to multiple labour regulations, salary payment discrepancies and inadequate meal intervals. The company's product range includes fomo trays, polystyrene trays, various fast food packaging solutions, plastic cups, dessert spoons, and PVC cling film. During the process the provincial chief inspector, advocate Michael Msiza, said he was "very concerned" about the company's allegedly low compliance rate. Among the scores of issues was an allegation that some workers were forced to eat their lunch while operating the machines. "You have a machine operator operating while eating, which is very wrong. You must allow an employee to have a meal interval for an hour, and on agreement with employees, it can be reduced to not less than 30 minutes," Msiza pointed out. He alleged that the company had not submitted any Compensation Fund records, and indicated that the department would issue a compliance order. Msiza said they also discovered salary payment violations, in particular that employees were allegedly not compensated according to national minimum wage standards and did not pay overtime. Non-compliance with the Unemployment Insurance Act was also found. It was moreover discovered that three workers were not South African and did not have the required work permits. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Iavan Pijoos at News24
EPWP workers picket in eThekwini on Tuesday, demanding to be insourced GroundUp reports that dozens of Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers in eThekwini municipality gathered outside the City Hall in Durban on Tuesday. They were demanding to be insourced by the municipality after they were allegedly told their contracts would no longer be renewed at the end of this month. On Monday chaos ensued outside the Atram community hall in the city center after word spread that the municipality had put out a call for job seekers. When protesting workers arrived, they found a long line of people waiting to submit their CVs as well as HR officials. This angered the workers, who on Friday, had participated in a mass march against the termination of their contracts, some of which had been extended for ten years. According to some workers, they have been on month-to-month contracts, while others have had six-month contracts that were renewed repeatedly for ten years. They have protested and raised this issue several times, demanding to be employed permanently. Silindile Khumalo of the Municipal and Allied Trade Union of South Africa (Matusa) said: “We decided to come and prevent people who were here doing interviews. On Friday we asked to hand over the memorandum and we are still waiting for the response.” Asked whether the City would be hiring people to do the same jobs as the EPWP workers, municipal spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said she would not discuss internal matters with the media. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tsoanelo Sefoloko at GroundUp
Prasa moves to reinstate fired CEO Zolani Matthews to comply with Labour Court judgment News24 reports that following its successive reversals in both an arbitration process and the Labour Court, the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) has moved to reinstate Zolani Matthews as its CEO. Prasa's board chairperson has written to lawyers representing Matthews to invite him for a discussion on his resumption of duties at the agency. Early in July, the Labour Court dismissed the rail operator's bid to review and set aside an April 2022 arbitration award that Matthews must be reinstated. Prasa fired Matthews in November 2021, after eight months in the job, for a failure to disclose that he also held UK citizenship and thus could not obtain top security clearance. Matthews had been appointed by former Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, who had also appointed the board, chaired by Leonard Ramatlakane. Matthews, the son and grandson of ANC stalwarts Joe and ZK Matthews, obtained citizenship of the UK while in exile with his family. Prasa had initially extended Matthews' probation period and then tried to fire him, alleging non-performance before settling on the lack of security clearance charge. Matthews had been employed on a five-year, fixed-term contract. Prasa has now resolved to reinstate him. This, however, leaves Prasa with a dilemma as it has employed Hishaam Emeran as CEO since April 2023. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sikonathi Mantshantsha at News24
Two-pot retirement system: 48% of pension fund members want to withdraw funds The Citizen reports that on 1 September, nearly half f South Africans who are members of pension funds want to withdraw funds under the new two-pot retirement system. Research from Worth, a company that drives financial behavioural change, shows that 48% of working consumers will or are considering withdrawing from their new savings pot on 1 September, with the majority citing this as an opportunity to repay or reduce debt and loans (51%) or cover everyday expenses (43%). Of these consumers planning to withdraw, 68% do not have up to R10,000 saved in an emergency fund. In addition, 54% of those withdrawing indicated that they planned to do it every year and a further 15% said they would if they needed the cash. Worryingly, more than half of these consumers have also considered resigning before the two-pot retirement system kicks in to access all of their retirement funds prematurely. The research also indicated that 42% of employers or HR teams have not provided any support, information or education around the two-pot retirement system. Hayley Parry, money coach and head of education at Worth, says the research shows that employees contributing towards some form of retirement product are largely under-educated around retirement as a concept and sadly, many will be withdrawing only out of necessity. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ina Opperman at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Two former Transnet executives accused of mark-up of over 10,000% on breathalyser straws News24 reports that two former Transnet executives accused of inflating the price of disposable breathalyser straws by more than 10,000% were granted R10,000 bail in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Palm Ridge on Tuesday. The executives, Lerato Makenete and Hawkins Madubane appeared alongside their co-accused, Jacob Ramoyadi and Kenneth Rikhotso, who allegedly supplied the straws that came at highly inflated prices. According to the charge sheet, the original price per straw was 29 cents, but Transnet was charged R29.99 per straw, resulting in a payment of more than R33.8-million instead of R300,000. The charge sheet claimed the two executives were related to some of the officials, as some of the money paid by Transnet was traced back to the accounts of the officials. The companies owned by the two suppliers have also been charged. Their arrest follows an investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), which found that Makenete and Madubane allegedly conspired with three service providers to misuse Transnet's emergency procurement process during the Covid-19 pandemic. The third service provider has not been arrested. During their bail applications, Makenete and Madubane pleaded poverty, telling the court they had no money and relied on friends and family to make ends meet, including paying their legal fees. The pair also told the court that several legal cases, stemming from the same charge, had depleted their funds. A Special Tribunal hearing was ongoing and there was also a Labour Court case with Transnet. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Belinda Pheto at News24. Lees ook, Oud-Transnet-hoës in hof oor bedrog, by Maroela Media Assets worth R52m seized from Mpumalanga government officials and service providers accused of Covid PPE corruption News24 reports that assets and properties worth more than R52 million have been seized from senior Mpumalanga government officials and service providers who are accused of involvement in a corruption network during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) probe, senior officials at the Mpumalanga Department of Public Works allegedly received kickbacks from suppliers for personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts during the pandemic. In addition, the service providers are accused of not delivering the services they were contracted for. The SIU indicated: “The investigation uncovered multiple instances of corruption, fraud, theft, and money laundering committed by senior managers and service providers involved in procuring PPE disinfection services during the Covid-19 period.” The investigation led to the arrest of 22 officials and service providers in 2022. The trial has started in the Nelspruit Specialised Commercial Crime Court where the accused have to answer to charges of corruption, fraud and money laundering. A preservation order was obtained from the Mpumalanga High Court in Mbombela and was served at 34 locations in Mpumalanga, Gauteng, the North West and the Western Cape, where inventories of 29 properties and 31 vehicles, including several Mercedes-Benz vehicles, and a boat trailer were captured. The court also froze property, including houses, electronics, cars, household items, jewellery, arms, ammunition, bank accounts, salaries, and bail money belonging to those implicated in the matter. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Alex Mitchley at News24. Lees ook, Miljoene se bates gegryp in covid-19-tenderbedrogsaak, by Maroela Media. As well as, Accused in Covid-19 PPE corruption to appear in Mpumalanga court on Wednesday, at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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