In our Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
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Rescue of zama zamas at Stilfontein mine completed Reuters reports that rescuers ended their attempts on Thursday to find anyone left in a closed gold mine where at least 78 people died during a police siege, as a local volunteer described the horror of extracting their bodies from deep underground. Police had encircled the mine since August and cut off food and water supplies to try to force the miners out so they could be arrested. Since Monday, rescuers have used a cylindrical metal cage to pull up 78 bodies and 246 survivors, some of them emaciated and disorientated, in a court-ordered operation at the mine near Stilfontein. The survivors, who are mostly from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Lesotho, have been arrested and charged with illegal immigration, trespassing, illegal mining and other offences. The police have said they were enforcing a government crackdown on illegal mining and that to have allowed food and water down during the siege would have meant “allowing criminality to thrive”. On Thursday morning, the cage was sent down one last time, with a camera inside, which police described as a way of verifying information from volunteers who went down on Wednesday evening and said they could see no-one left in the mine. Reporters at the scene saw the cage being lifted out empty and being driven away in a truck. Mannas Fourie, the CEO of the rescue company involved in the operation, said it was possible some of the dead had been left in the vast network of deep tunnels and would never be found. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nellie Peyton & Xolani Nhlapo at BusinessLive. Read too, Stilfontein rescue mission winds down but Operation Vala Umgodi to continue, at EWN. En ook, Stilfontein-myn - Skagte nou leeg, stil, by Maroela Media North West health department working with embassies to identify families of dead foreign illegal miners TimesLIVE reports that the North West health department is collaborating with neighbouring countries to identify and repatriate the bodies of foreign illegal miners recovered from the Buffelsfontein gold mine in Stilfontein. “We are working closely with the Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho embassies to ensure they identify the families of the bodies through DNA before we repatriate their citizens,” spokesperson Lucas Mothibedi indicated. The bodies are those of illegal miners who had been trapped underground for months after police cut off food and water supplies in an attempt to force them to the surface. Mothibedi said the identification process involved the embassies working with SA authorities to confirm the identities of the deceased through DNA testing and other medical means. “On completion of that process we will then negotiate with embassies of those countries to repatriate their citizens,” said Mothibedi. “In terms of bodies, we've got about 89 of them, and of that number half are Mozambican nationals. So we're working hand in glove with all the embassies to ensure that we return them home.” Between August and the start of the rescue operation, 1,576 miners managed to exit the mine on their own but were arrested for illegal mining and immigration violations. Of these, 121 individuals have already been deported. Some of the miners died while trying to escape by crawling through flooded tunnels in a desperate attempt to reach safer areas of the mine. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Modiegi Mashamaite at TimesLIVE If dead miners starved, government must be held accountable, vows Vavi TimesLIVE reports that Zwelinzima Vavi, general secretary of the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), has vowed to hold the government accountable if pathology tests confirm that starvation caused the deaths of illegal miners in a closed Stilfontein mine. In rescue operations which started early this week, at least 78 dead bodies were pulled out from the mine and 216 survivors were rescued. “These miners, many of them undocumented and desperate workers from Mozambique and other Southern African countries, were left to die in one of the most horrific displays of state wilful negligence in recent history. The method of killing through starvation is reminiscent of the most brutal wars and genocides,” Vavi said. He expressed outrage over the government's decision to block food and water supplies to the miners to force them to resurface. He argued that this approach compromised the miners' right to life. Though the miners were engaging in illegal activities, Vavi said their actions did not justify dying from starvation. In his view, the government's approach should have been more sympathetic. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Innocentia Nkadimeng at TimesLIVE. En ook, Stilfontein ‘erger ramp’ as Marikana, by Maroela Media Only 26 of almost 2,000 Stilfontein zama zamas were South Africans TimesLIVE reports that only 26 South Africans were among the almost 2,000 illegal miners (zama zamas) who resurfaced alive from the Stilfontein illegal mining operations since August 2024. According to SA Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe, their operation at the Buffelsfontein shaft 11 that started this Monday led to the retrieval of 246 people and 78 bodies. The nationalities of those retrieved were Mozambican – 128; Lesotho – 80; Zimbabweans – 33; South Africans – 5. Mathe said between 18 August 2024 and 15 January 2025, 1,905 zama zamas resurfaced. At the Margaret shaft, also in Stilfontein, 1,437 illegal miners resurfaced. Mathe said at the Buffelsfontein shaft 11, a total of 365 illegal miners resurfaced, while at 10 shaft a total of 10,103 emerged. The majority of them – – were Mozambicans (1,125), followed by Zimbabweans (465), with 200 being from Lesotho. The other two were a Malawian and a Congolese. There were only 26 South Africans. Of the illegal miners arrested nine are still in hospital under police guard Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Isaac Mahlangu at TimesLIVE Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Solidarity and AfriForum challenge implementation of Bela Act BL Premium reports that trade union Solidarity and civil rights group AfriForum have sent letters of demand to President Cyril Ramaphosa and Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube challenging the promulgation of the controversial Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act late last year. They have given the president and minister 10 days to explain their action, failing which they will ask the court to review and set aside the promulgation of the Act. The Act reduces the power of school governing bodies by giving provincial education departments the final say on admission and language policies, a move Solidarity and AfriForum consider a politically motivated attack on Afrikaans as a medium of instruction. Ramaphosa signed the Act into law in September, but initially delayed implementation of the two contentious clauses, pending discussion within the government of national unity (GNU). In November, Solidarity announced that it had brokered a deal with Gwarube in Nedlac to suspend the clauses until appropriate regulations, norms and standards had been drawn up. In a surprise move, Ramaphosa announced in late December that he had signed a joint proclamation with Gwarube, bringing the Act into immediate effect. He said the clearing house – a mechanism created to resolve disagreements within the GNU – had agreed that the Act should not be sent back to parliament, and that he had instructed Gwarube to prepare regulations setting out norms and standards for the requisite parts of the Act. Solidarity COO Dirk Hermann said bringing the entire act into immediate effect was a dishonourable breach of the agreement reached in Nedlac. AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said the promulgation was an act of aggression by the government against Afrikaans schools and children. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, Solidarity, AfriForum, give Gwarube and Ramaphosa 10 days to resolve Bela Act dispute, at The Citizen. En ook, Bela-wet: President, minister op regsterme geplaas, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Suspect arrested for murder on 4 January of two Free State police officers IOL News reports that Free State police have arrested a suspect in connection with the alleged killing of two police officers who were responding to a house robbery in Phuthaditjhaba on 4 January. Constables Sipho Mohapi and Gedione Motloung of Namahadi Visible Policing lost their lives in the line of duty when the suspect opened fire. According to Colonel Katlego Mogale, the suspect, a Lesotho national who was in the country illegally, was traced and arrested in Phuthaditjhaba on Wednesday. “He was caught horseback near Monontsha Port of Entry in an apparent attempt to escape into neighbouring Lesotho. The suspect was found in possession of a cellphone stolen during the robbery and a firearm suspected to have been used during the murders,” said Mogale. The suspect is set to appear in the Phuthaditjhaba Magistrate’s Court on Friday to face charges of murder, attempted murder, and robbery. The National Head of the Hawks, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, praised the multi-disciplinary team for their relentless efforts and added that the search for two remaining suspects was still ongoing. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Masabata Mkwananzi at The Star. Read too, Lesotho man arrested for murder of two cops shot in Free State house robbery, at News24 (subscription or trial registration required). En ook, Een vas ná moord op Vrystaatse polisiebeamptes, by Maroela Media Hawks arrest ‘hitman’ as second suspect for KZN police officer’s 2024 murder at her home SABC News reports that a second suspect has been arrested by the Hawks in connection with the murder of Sergeant Ntombi Mbanjwa, who was shot at her residence in Umzikhulu in the south of Durban last year. Her fiancé, fellow police officer Sergeant Ntokozo Mngqithi, has been arrested in connection with her murder. Both members were stationed at Umzimkhulu police station. “Hawks members from Port Shepstone Serious Organised Crime have arrested a 36-year-old suspect for the murder of Sergeant Ntombi Mbanjwa who was shot and killed on 11th of April 2024 in the Umzimkhulu area. This is an additional suspect to the suspect that is already in custody who is a police officer, Seargent Mngqithi. The suspect that was arrested today (Thursday) is expected to appear tomorrow (Friday),” indicated Hawks spokesperson, Simphiwe Mhlongo. Mngqithi made a brief appearance in the Umzimkhulu Magistrate’s Court last year and was remanded in custody. He will be back in court on 22 January 2025. Read the original of the short report in the above regard at SABC News. Read too, KZN police arrest alleged hitman for murder of police officer, at The Citizen And also, Alleged hitman arrested for murder of Umzimkhulu cop, at The Witness
Closure of Amsa’s Newcastle plant could cost 16,000 automotive components jobs BL Premium reports that the loss of long-steel production at ArcelorMittal SA’s (Amsa’s) Newcastle plant could cost up to 16,000 jobs in the local automotive components industry, slash vehicle exports and wreck plans to localise the industry. That was the stark warning on Thursday from Renai Moothilal, CEO of the National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (Naacam). Describing Amsa’s plan as “alarming”, he noted that the company was the sole domestic supplier of about 70,000 tonnes of speciality long steel grades supplied annually to the SA motor industry. Some of that was used to make unique components for export customers. Local companies exported R70bn of components in 2024. Moothilal warned that if the Newcastle closure went ahead as planned, up to 3,000 jobs could be lost immediately at components companies that were direct customers of the plant. Another 13,000 components jobs would be at risk in 2025 as vehicle and components companies sought to counter increased costs and potential production disruptions. Longer term, up to 100,000 jobs could be affected across the economy. At present, the motor industry provides about 116,000 direct jobs at vehicle and components companies, and supports hundreds of thousands more in other industries. Moothilal estimated that steel importation could increase costs by up to 25% due to longer lead times, logistics and forex exposure. The absence of SA steel would also reduce local content levels in SA-made vehicles. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by David Furlonger at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) “Many women are going to starve with their families” says widow as CWP contracts to end for workers aged 55 and older GroundUp reports that after her husband’s death in 2014, Thabile Prisca Motloung became the breadwinner for her sons. Since 2016, she has been employed under the Community Work Programme, which is a government initiative aimed at offering people without jobs a chance to acquire skills. But earlier this year the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) announced it would be terminating the temporary employment of workers aged 55 and older. This followed two attempts last year by the department to terminate the jobs of people aged above 60. Announcing the new decision, Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa said budget cuts had made it necessary to reduce the number of people – more than 250,000 – on the programme. Cosatu’s Zanele Sabela indicated on Thursday that the contracts of 67,000 CWP workers were to be terminated, and only 31,000 of these workers qualified for an old age grant. Motloung, who turned 55 a few days before the announcement, is one of those who do not yet qualify for an old age grant. She said she was devastated to learn that her final salary would be paid at the end of January. “Many women are going to starve with their families because there are no jobs here,” Motloung lamented, adding that she loved her job helping elderly people in the community. Cosatu and the SA Municipal Workers’ Union have criticised the government’s decision and are currently in talks with COGTA in a bid to have the decision reversed. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bongane Motaung at GroundUp
ANC supports full appointment of Joburg acting city manager BL Premium reports that the Johannesburg City Council is expected to consider a report aimed at making the appointment of acting city manager Tshepo Makola, who was fired by former mayor Herman Mashaba for alleged corruption over a multimillion-rand fire engine tender, permanent. Makola, who previously served as COO of SA’s biggest metro, assumed the acting role in December after the courts ruled that his predecessor Floyd Brink’s appointment in February 2023 had been irregular. Makola is the metro’s former executive director of emergency services. He was implicated in the ENS Africa report that looked into procurement irregularities in the city’s public safety department. If appointed permanently as City Manager, Makola will be in charge of running SA’s economic and financial hub, which approved a budget of R83.1bn for 2024/25. ANC Joburg regional secretary Sasabona Manganye commented: “We are going to support his [Makola] appointment. We are aware that when we lost elections in 2016, the DA suspended him. He stayed home for three months with no charges against him. They then dismissed him without any disciplinary process having taken place. He took city for review in 2018 and he won the case in 2019 on an appeal. So, whatever charges were brought against him were proven to be bogus, that’s why he was reinstated back to the city and was appointed as COO without any issues. The process proved he’s clean.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
SARS swallowed petrol attendant’s entire two-pot payout over mistaken identity The Citizen reports that a Joburg petrol attendant lost his entire two-pot payout due to an unresolved case of mistaken identity. Isaac Makhuthudisa spent two years fighting to rectify an error in the SA Revenue Service (SARS) system, but then lost thousands of rands even though he thought the matter was concluded. SARS first contacted Makhuthudisa in 2022 demanding an outstanding tax payment of close to R30,000. Feeling the amount he earned as a petrol attendant could not have accumulated such a balance, he approached SARS to query the amount. SARS asked Makhuthudisa to return with affidavits and proof of employment to prove he was not the person on his IRP5. Compiling the necessary documents, his last follow-up with SARS in early 2024 suggested the matter had been resolved. In September, Makhuthudisa submitted a two-pot retirement savings withdrawal request. On later enquiry, he was informed his two-pot withdrawal had been taken by SARS because of an unpaid balance. “I was shattered when I heard that my money had been taken by SARS. We didn’t even have an arrangement with SARS. I had some plans with that money, so I am heartbroken,” Makhuthudisa lamented. Angered that the original issue had not been resolved, he approached SARS but was told no investigation had been finalised. To add insult to injury, he was advised to go see the man in Olifantsfontein with whom he shared a similar ID to resolve the matter. SARS on Thursday acknowledged an escalation of the matter, stating that Makhuthudisa would be contacted directly. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jarryd Westerdale at The Citizen
Secretary tells judicial conduct tribunal of Judge President’s ‘persistent’ requests for intimacy BL Premium reports that Andiswa Mengo, the secretary at the centre of Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge’s harassment case, on Thursday told a judicial conduct tribunal he “persistently” made sexual advances towards her. Mengo testified for the fourth day at the tribunal investigating the complaint she filed against Mbenenge in 2023, accusing Mbenenge of making “unwarranted” sexual advances towards her at work and on WhatsApp conversations from June 2021 until November 2022. . If found guilty Mbenenge could be impeached for gross misconduct. An emotional Mengo told the tribunal of the series of messages between the two. She made several attempts to snub the Judge President, she said. According to the Judicial Conduct Committee, which referred the matter to the Tribunal, Mbenenge did not deny he asked the secretary if they could be intimate. On 20 June 2021, Mbenenge had asked Mengo on WhatsApp whether they could be intimate after she had requested to meet him in East London. She initially responded to the request by referring Mbenenge to a bible verse, telling him to pay attention to the first word, which is “no”. Mbenenge, however, asked her to remind him of the verse. She then directly responded to his question with a “no” written in bold capital letters, adding that “we should meet but not become intimate”. Mengo told the tribunal her direct rejection did not deter Mbenenge from continuing to talk about the matter. Later in the conversation Mbenenge said the two could meet without becoming intimate. The meeting did not take place. The judge has denied any impropriety on his part, arguing that communication between him and his subordinate was “consensual”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sinesipho Schrieber at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, Tribunal hears Mbenenge continued to send explicit messages despite clear no, at Sunday Times Daily (subscriber access only). And also, Secretary alleges Judge Mbenenge hounded her for sex after she said no, at Mail & Guardian
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