Today's Labour News

SPOTLIGHT ON HOME AFFAIRS

Lapses at Home Affairs are systemic and a national security threat, Schreiber tells MPs

News24 writes that in recent weeks, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has been in the spotlight due to the controversy surrounding Chidimma Adetshina's participation in the Miss SA pageant, and 95 Libyans who entered the country for what appeared to be military training at a camp in Mpumalanga. On Tuesday, DHA Minister Leon Schreiber, his deputy Njabulo Nzuza, and the Border Management Authority briefed the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on these and other matters. Ahead of their presentation, Schreiber said: “What you will see amounts to nothing less than a threat to national security that can only be addressed through the total and sustained digital transformation of Home Affairs into a digital-first department. The point that needs to be made right up front is that the matters we will discuss today [Tuesday] are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a systemic crisis that threaten the national security interests of the Republic … Instead of viewing these as isolated events, we need to regard these matters as case studies that illustrate a far deeper crisis at the very heart of our state." Adetshina's participation in the beauty pageant sparked controversy when her SA citizenship was questioned. She withdrew earlier this month after the DHA announced that it had found prima facie evidence suggesting the person it had on record as her mother might have committed fraud and identity theft. According to the findings of the DHA’s preliminary investigation, the 95 Libyan nationals entered the country with handwritten study visas, all from the same Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) official at the embassy in Tunisia. "It is time for Home Affairs to be given the tools and support we urgently require to not only put out fires as we have done in these recent cases, but to also start preventing fires into the future," Schreiber told MPs.

Read the extensive report in the above regard by Jan Gerber at News24 (registration required)

‘Study visas’ of 95 Libyans were handwritten, critical information was not supplied

The Citizen reports that the study visas issued to the 95 Libyans found at the Milites Dei Academy in Mpumalanga were handwritten due to the system at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s (Dirco’s) mission in Tunis being offline. Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on Tuesday received a report on the investigation into the 95 Libyans who have now been deported. The 95 Libyans entered the country on different dates and in groups through OR Tambo International Airport. They were all issued study visas and were meant to stay in the country for six months, until 31 December. According to the report, the Dirco official at the Tunis embassy who processed the visa applications did not consult, seek advice or receive confirmation from the DHA before approving the visas. The application forms used were outdated and did not comply with the forms prescribed in the immigration regulations. There was no indication on some application forms that the applicants were applying for study visas, however, the official decided to grant study visas. Critical information was omitted, such as the place of birth in some cases and the addresses of the applicants for their country of origin. The applications did not contain any proof of sufficient funds as prescribed. The police clearance certificates were not verified during the processing of the applications. An agent submitted the applications and none of the applicants appeared in person. DHA Minister Leon Schreiber told MPs on Tuesday that as long as the department’s system was outdated, paper-based and manual, it remained vulnerable to fraud.   He said the department could not audit the system, even if it wanted to, due to the outdated system.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Vhahangwele Nemakonde at The Citizen

Stolen stamp led to bust of cleaner at Centurion Home Affairs offices

SowetanLive reports that a year and four months after a stamp used to authenticate documents was stolen at a Department of Home Affairs (DHA) office, a 24-year-old man presented a birth certificate bearing the same stamp to apply for an ID. The certificate, however, was found to be fake and was produced four months after the stamp was stolen. This has now led to the arrest of a woman working as a cleaner at a DHA for allegedly selling a birth certificate to an undocumented Mozambican national for R6,000 after being linked to the crime by a bank statement.   The cleaner, Rhandzu Chauke, appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Monday to face a charge of theft. She was granted R1,000 bail. Two undocumented Mozambican nationals appeared in the High Court. Their arrests come at the time when fake and stolen IDs have been under the spotlight. Chauke, who lives in Atteridgeville, was arrested while knocking off at the department's Centurion office on Thursday afternoon. She is not a direct employee of DHA, but was hired through an independent contractor that has a contract with the department.   Speaking outside court, Chauke's lawyer Adv Mkhacani Mashava said his client had revealed to police that she had been working with others at the Centurion DHA office. "We suspect that this woman is a middleman and everything is being blamed on her,” he opined. The lawyer added: "She (Chauke) seemed to be the one who would refer clients to the people in the office and obviously she herself was gaining something in this operation. So, there are more suspects that still need to be arrested. At this point it is not exactly clear whether the stamp was stolen by her or given to her by the workers there as part of the plan but that will need to be investigated.”

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Herman Moloi & Koena Mashale at SowetanLive

MPs welcome additional Home Affairs overtime to tackle visa backlog

The Citizen reports that the Public Service and Administration Portfolio Committee has applauded Minister of Public Service and Administration Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi for granting the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) additional overtime hours. This is intended to reduce the backlog of DHA services.   “The committee understands and supports the interim measure of granting the Department of Home Affairs three months of overtime to the officials to reduce the visa backlog,” the portfolio committee indicated. The chairperson of the committee, Jan De Villiers, said that Minister Buthelezi’s support to DHA Minister Lean Schreiber would contribute to improved professional state capacity in Home Affairs and have a positive effect on job creation and economic growth. In 2023, former DHA Minister Aaron Motsoaledi requested funds from President Ramaphosa to employ staff as the department battled to clear visa backlogs. He said the department was operating with a staff complement of only 39%. The National Treasury recently gave the department funds to hire 700 people, which could push the staff complement to 42%.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Oratile Mashilo at The Citizen

Border guards apprehend man with 34 passports at Lebombo port of entry to Mozambique

News24 reports that the SA Border Management Authority (BMA) on Monday apprehended a man who was found with 34 passports and bank notes at the Lebombo port of entry to Mozambique. BMA spokesperson Mmemme Mogotsi said the man was arrested during a routine inspection when the border guards discovered documents in his possession. "Of these 34, 32 belonged to Mozambican nationals and two were identified as belonging to Angolan nationals. A case of possession of suspected stolen property has been opened and further investigations are underway to determine the origins of the passports," she advised. BMA commissioner Michael Masiapato lauded the vigilance and dedication of the border guards, stating that this successful apprehension and confiscation of the passports was a message to the facilitators of illegal movements who continue to undermine the border control systems. "We will continue to charge them criminally with aiding and abetting, as prescribed by the Immigration Act," he said, adding that the BMA remained steadfast in its mission to secure the 71 ports of entry and ensure the safety and security of all South African citizens.

Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Noxolo Sibiya at News24

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY

Denosa concerned about attacks on healthcare workers by family members of patients

SABC News reports that the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) in Mpumalanga has expressed concern over attacks on healthcare workers by family members of patients. According to the trade union, some family members who seek immediate medical attention for a patient end up assaulting healthcare workers.   This concern was prompted by an assault on hospital staff by relatives of a man with a gunshot wound at the Kwamhlanga Hospital in Mpumalanga over the weekend. The incident followed a similar attack at the Themba Hospital in the North of Pretoria earlier this month. Denosa’s Cyril Mdhluli stated: “These attacks in the provinces have become a pandemic and workers are fearing for their lives, which will result in workers not being able to render services towards the communities. The worrying factor is that these acts are only happening in public health institutions, which clearly indicates that the problem is within our community members and further with the security system that is currently used. The Department of Health is reminded that the workers have a right to work in a safe environment as stipulated in the Occupational Health and Safety Act.”

Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Nonhlanhla Ntshingila at SABC News. Read too, Nurses threaten to withdraw services over violent attacks inside hospitals, at IOL News

MRI decommissioning explosion injures three at Polokwane Provincial Hospital

SABC News reports that three people have been injured in an explosion at the Polokwane Provincial Hospital in Limpopo. The injured are two hospital employees and a technician from a private company. The explosion occurred while an MRI scanning machine was being decommissioned. Parts of the radiology wing at the hospital have been damaged and closed. Health MEC Dieketseng Mashego said they were still calculating the estimated costs of the damage from the explosion.   “Indeed there was an explosion, it was an accidental explosion that happened when our service provider was busy decommissioning the MRI machine. When they are decommissioning it involves releasing pressure from the machine so that it can be shut down. So, while the technicians from the company that we are using unfortunately that is when the accident happened,” Mashego advised.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Katlego Nyoni at SABC News

INDUSTRIAL ACTION

Over 600 workers on wage strike at Premier’s Mister Sweet factory in Germiston

GroundUp reports that more than 600 workers have downed tools at Mister Sweet Factory in Wadeville, Germiston, demanding a minimum wage of R19,500 a month. The strike began on Monday, 19 August and workers protested on Tuesday outside the factory. They say they will continue striking until the employer meets their demands. Most are members of the Simunye Workers Forum.   Mister Sweet, which was acquired by Premier Foods in 2021, makes sweets, including gums, jellies, marshmallows, and chocolates. The union is demanding a basic salary of R19,500 per month and a R15 an hour across-the-board increase for those who already earn that amount. The company is offering a 7% wage increase, which has been rejected by the workers. .   The forum claims workers have no basic salary and have been earning “very low wages” of R6,000 to R7,000 per month for the past 10 years. They claim that workers from other branches earn much more. Striking workers said their work is risky and they do not earn enough to make it worthwhile. Nthabiseng Nxumalo said she had worked for the company for 12 years, and had been earning R6,000 a month “for as long as I can remember”. Premier’s spokesperson Siobhan O’Sullivan dismissed allegations that workers had never received a wage increase, but said the current wage demand was “unrealistic”. “Ongoing engagement has and will continue to take place,” she indicated.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kimberly Mutandiro at GroundUp

MARIKANA COMMEMORATION

Mining companies need mechanisms to solve conflicts through consensus, Marikana memorial lecture hears

Mining Weekly reports that mining companies need mechanisms to solve conflicts by reaching consensus with stakeholders on dealing with grievances, disputes and conflicts. This was indicated by Transnet chairperson and former Minerals Council SA (MCSA) VP Andile Sangqu at Sibanye-Stillwater’s fifth annual Marikana memorial lecture. When the precious metals producer acquired the Marikana-scarred operations in 2019 it began contributing to the creation of a new and shared future. In 2020, Sibanye-Stillwater launched the renewal programme to honour the lives lost, facilitate healing for families and create a new positive legacy for Marikana. “It’s heartening for me to witness the progress made towards the families who lost loved ones, and the work that has been done to positively impact the communities of Marikana,” Cape Town Archbishop and Renewal Programme Patron Thabo Makgoba remarked during the commemoration lecture.   Sibanye-Stillwater CEO Neal Froneman spoke of the lessons Sibanye-Stillwater had learnt from the divisive aftermath in which the company found itself when it acquired Lonmin’s troubled assets in the wake of the tragedy at Marikana, and how that might apply to SA’s government. “The principles underlying our approach at Marikana are deceptively simple: honour, engage and create. What this means in practice is that we had needed to face our collective past, good and bad, even though we might have felt that we had not caused it. We needed to engage meaningfully with a broad range of stakeholders on an equal footing and more than any other aspect, we needed to create a future that is different and worth looking forward to,” Froneman pointed out.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly

EXODUS OF VETS

Vets are leaving SA in droves due to tough working environments

GroundUp reports that a massive shortage of veterinarians in the country has left vacancies in clinics, especially in rural areas, and vets are leaving the country en masse. About 100 veterinarians leave SA every year to work overseas, while only about 140 qualify annually, according to recent figures by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development. Paul van der Merwe, president of the SA Veterinary Association (SAVA), said the crisis was particularly felt in rural areas, where there was often a lack of equipment or medicines, and clinics frequently closed down. SA has just less than of 4,000 registered vets, of whom about 230 are specialists, which comes to just over 60 vets per million people. The international standard, according to the SA Veterinary Council, is between 200 and 400 vets per million people. Even if every student vet and other people registered with the Council are counted, the total is still just over 100 per million people, far short of the international standard. A rural vet from KwaZulu-Natal, Tod Collins, who has been practicing for about 50 years, described being a rural vet as tough and very “physically demanding”. Collins noted that being a vet often took a toll on mental wellbeing, and depression, anxiety, and burnout were some of the reasons vets left the profession.   According to Van der Merwe, there are several reasons for the shortage of vets, the first being remuneration as vets are often underpaid. He pointed out that the shortage of vets has created a “vicious circle”, because as conditions worsen, more vets burn out and leave the country.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Liezl Human at GroundUp

NHI / PRESIDENTIAL HEALTH COMPACT

Business and medical organisations still won’t not sign Presidential Health Compact

The Citizen reports that that at least one business organisation and two medical organisations will still not sign the Presidential Health Compact in Pretoria on Thursday because they are still expected to sign the same document that refers to National Health Insurance (NHI) 25 times. The second compact follows the 2023 Presidential Health Summit which built on the inaugural summit of 2018 that brought together government, business, labour, civil society, health professionals, unions, service users, statutory councils, academia and researchers to develop sustainable and inclusive solutions to challenges in the national health system. Stakeholders were supposed to sign the compact last week, but Business Unity SA (Busa), the SA Medical Association (SAMA) and the SA Health Professionals Collaboration (SAHPC), which represents about 25,000 doctors, all refused to sign the compact in its current form.   They have now been invited to a signing at the Union Buildings on Thursday, but the draft of the compact they received is still the same as the one they received last week. The Presidency also did not contact any of the three organisations to discuss their concerns about how the document tried to entrench the NHI. Cas Coovadia, CEO of Busa, says he feels the same as last week, namely that current version of the compact does not incorporate its views. Dr Mzulungile Nodikida of SAMA also still has the same concerns as last week. Simon Strachan, spokesperson for the SAHPC, indicated that the organisation still felt the same as it did last week that the NHI was not a viable or workable model for achieving universal health coverage.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ina Opperman at The Citizen. Read too, Independent pharmacists will sign Health Compact, at The Citizen

COMMUTING / TRANSPORT

Lavistown train service in Cape Town resumed on Monday after completion of essential upgrades

EWN reports that the Lavistown train service is back on track following the completion of essential re-signalling work and infrastructure upgrades. Metrorail Western Cape advised that operations resumed on Monday. The Bellville-Cape Town route via the Sarepta line was temporarily closed in July to allow for planned recovery work.   The rail operator has successfully upgraded signalling systems between Bonteheuwel and Belhar stations and improved infrastructure between Sarepta and Bellville stations. A new signalling equipment room has also be completed and new signals and turnouts between Langa and Netreg stations have been installed.   "The upgrades will enhance the safety, reliability, and efficiency of the train service, benefitting thousands of commuters who rely on this route daily. The re-signalling work was crucial to ensure a smoother and more secure train operation for the future," Metrorail's Zino Mihi pointed out.

Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Lauren Isaacs at EWN