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 Tuesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
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Four more SA soldiers dead, SANDF force in ‘very tense situation’ as M23 rebels capture Goma Daily Maverick reports that four more South African soldiers have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), bringing to 13 the number of SA soldiers who have died in fierce fighting with M23 rebels backed by Rwanda over the last five days. Three of the soldiers died in fighting at the airport in the provincial capital of Goma on Monday. The fourth died from injuries sustained in a clash with M23 on Thursday and Friday last week when nine SA National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers died. The rebels have now captured Goma. M23 claimed to have captured the city earlier on Monday. Later on Monday, there was a skirmish between M23 and DRC forces and their allies in which the three SANDF soldiers were killed. SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said on Monday night that SANDF troops were confined to their bases in Goma and Sake, 23km to the northwest “in a very tense situation”. The troops are surrounded and unable to get out to seek treatment for their wounded or to receive supplies or reinforcements. Dlamini denied that the SANDF had surrendered its main base at Sake. A disturbing video circulated on social media shows an SANDF soldier raising a white flag at the base. Dlamini confirmed the authenticity of the video but said the white flag had been raised as part of a brief truce agreed between the SANDF forces and the M23/Rwandan force to allow M23 to collect their dead from the battlefield. The SANDF agreed to that if the SANDF could transport its injured out of the camp for treatment. But, the truce lapsed without the dead being collected. “But it was not a surrender,” Dlamini emphasised. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Peter Fabricius at Daily Maverick DA calls for urgent parliamentary debate to assess if SANDF soldiers in DRC were adequately equipped EWN reports that the Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for an urgent debate in parliament to assess whether South African soldiers deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were adequately equipped. This after the death of nine South African soldiers at the weekend during intense fighting with the M23 rebel group in the war-torn region. DA Defence spokesperson, Chris Hattingh indicated: "The Democratic Alliance calls for an urgent and immediate debate in parliament to assess whether South African soldiers deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were adequately equipped for the mission, and how we can prevent such a tragedy from happening again. The DA has long raised alarms about the inadequacy of the South African National Defence Force's preparedness for the challenges posed by the DRC's deteriorating security situation." Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Babalo Ndenze at EWN. Lees ook, Dringende parlementêre debat oor SA se weermag-ramp in DRK gevra, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Correctional Services urged to address issues of safety after official attacked by inmate at Kimberley facility SABC News reports that the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) in the Northern Cape has called on the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to urgently address issues of safety across the country’s correctional facilities. This after a prison official was attacked by an inmate at the Tswelopele Correctional Center in Kimberley. The official was admitted to hospital and later discharged. Police confirmed that they have opened a case of assault with an intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The Tswelopele Correctional Center is not new to incidents of violence. In March 2022, two inmates were killed during a scuffle with officials. Popcru’s Mbabali Mkhontwana said the department must take measures to protect officials. “It becomes a concern to us that when there are no preventative measures that the department is not taking since 2022. Now, if we look into personnel, each unit has 240 inmates and officials guarding those inmates it’s less than 10,” Mkhontwana pointed out. He said the union was demanding the employment of more staff members and that precautionary measures be put in place by giving members safety protective gear. The DCS condemned the weekend incident and commented: “We do believe this is not the time for grandstanding or speculation on training provided for officials. Instead, we call for a united effort to combat toxic cultures that bring disorder that led to tragic outcomes.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thabiso Radebe at SABC News
Labour Court rules that community health workers must be made permanent GroundUp reports that the Johannesburg Labour Court (LC) has ruled that community health workers, who for years have been employed by the health department on recurring fixed-term contracts, must be deemed permanent government employees. The National Education, Health & Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), on behalf of its members, has successfully overturned a previous bargaining council ruling that the temporary contracts were legal. There are an estimated 50,000 community health workers on recurring fixed-term contracts. The issue was first ventilated before the Public Health and Social Development Sectoral Bargaining Council in 2021. The commissioner found that the contracts were justified in terms of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) as they were funded by an “external source for a limited period”, namely the National Treasury. Nehawu took the ruling on review. The matter was argued before Joburg LC Acting Judge Ashley Cook in October last year. He handed down his ruling on 23 January 2025, overturning the bargaining council’s findings. On the issue of “external funding” – the legal justification in the LRA for fixing the contract terms – Judge Cook ruled that as funding for all public servants was sourced from the Treasury, this meant that it was not an “external source”, and therefore the department could not rely on it as a “justifiable reason” to deviate from the provisions of the LRA. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tania Broughton at GroundUp
Unemployed doctors in KZN stage sit-in on Monday at provincial health head office TimesLIVE reports that a group of unemployed KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) doctors staged a sit-in outside the provincial health department’s headquarters in Pietermaritzburg on Monday. The doctors, who recently completed their community service, said they planned to continue the demonstration overnight and “escalate” their protest if their demands were not met within seven days. Earlier, about 150 young doctors, dismayed over the lack of employment opportunities, marched to the Natalia building to hand over a memorandum. “Despite our qualifications and training, we are being forced to take to the streets to demand that our government provide us with the jobs we need to serve our communities. We believe that the recurring phenomenon of doctors protesting for jobs at the beginning of every year is a clear indication of poor planning and negligence on the part of our government,” said the doctors in a statement. They added: “The understaffing of public healthcare facilities has severe consequences for patients, who are often forced to wait for extended periods etc. We view this predicament as an emergency and a violation of basic human rights that must be swiftly corrected.” Among the doctors’ demands was the immediate employment of all doctors. They also demanded a reallocation of funds for health care. Support for rural healthcare facilities was another demand. The chief of staff in the office of the premier accepted and acknowledged the memorandum from the unemployed doctors. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nivashni Nair at TimesLIVE
Sibanye-Stillwater M&A chief quits as firm targets austerity rather than expansion Miningmx reports that the person hired by Sibanye-Stillwater four years ago to drive its merger and acquisition (M&A) strategy has resigned from the company. The miner announced on Monday that Laurent Charbonnier had decided to leave the company “for personal reasons”. His role, formally the chief commercial and development officer, will be taken up by Charl Keyter, Sibanye’s CFO, on an interim basis. Charbonnier was previously MD of UK bank HSBC which was one of the lenders in Sibanye’s $2bn bid for US palladium/platinum operation, Stillwater Mining in 2016. This was the first of a string of deals as the group embarked on a rapid growth strategy – many of which Charbonnier worked upon. The departure of Charbonnier, described at the time of his hire in April 2021 as a sign of its global aspiration, comes as Sibanye focuses on debt control rather than expansion. At interim stage, the group held R18.7bn of net debt and its net debt: adjusted EBITDA ratio was 1.43 times. As a result, expansion through deal making is probably one of the last thing on the company’s mind. In 2024, Sibanye cut back on production at Stillwater and made head office and regional cuts in South Africa, as well as reducing some staff at its gold and platinum group metal operations. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by David McKay at Miningmx Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
'If denied bail, 3,000 jobs would be at risk,' Durban security tycoon accused of love triangle murder tells court News24 reports that a Durban tenderpreneur and private security company boss, Ferrel Govender, who is accused, along with his brother, Darren, of murdering a businessman, believes that his bail denial would lead to over 3,000 employees becoming unemployed and a collapse of his businesses. The brothers appeared in the Durban Magistrate's Court on Monday for a bail application argument. The brothers are accused of the murder of businessman, Shailen Singh, in an alleged love triangle. Singh was shot in the parking lot of Meridian Drive in Umhlanga, Durban, in December. The pair handed themselves over to the police four days after the murder. It is alleged the motive for the killing was based on a love triangle, in which Ferrel allegedly accused his girlfriend of cheating on him with Singh. Ferrel's lawyer, advocate Michael Hellens, told the court that his client owned and was a director of about 22 companies that employed over 3,000 people. He said he anticipated that the trial might only commence after July, which would mean that many of Ferrel’s companies would have suffered a great loss by then. "This means that about 3 000 employees would be without a job and also, there are a number of contracts with the government which would be affected.” In his bail affidavit, Ferrel said he intended to plead not guilty. The matter was postponed to Thursday for the bail application. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sakhiseni Nxumalo at News24 (subscription or trial registration required)
Reserve Bank expected this week to cut interest rates by 25 basis points Mail & Guardian reports that economists are expecting the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) to cut interest rates by 25 basis points when it concludes its monetary policy meeting this week. This would bring the repo rate down to 7.50% and the prime rate to 11%. It would be the third consecutive cut, after the SARB reduced rates by a cumulative 50 basis points in the last two meetings in 2024. After December’s consumer inflation rate ticked up to 3% – still lower than economists’ expectations – the SARB has a good case for cutting interest rates by 25 basis points this week, said Zandile Makhoba, consumer economist at Liberty. She added that the average for 2024’s inflation rate was at 2.8%, which was also lower than expectations of it reaching from 3% to 6%. “These factors are encouraging for the monetary policy committee to create some stimulus in the economy, by giving us a rate cut,” she said. The outlook for the year is also more positive, giving the SARB more room to cut interest rates this year. “The Reserve Bank forecasted inflation to remain around the 4% mark, and that’s in line with the consensus of most economists,” Makhoba pointed out. Investec economist Lara Hodes is also expecting the Reserve Bank to cut rates by 25 basis points. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Aarti Bhana at Mail & Guardian
Basic Education Department open to consultation on Bela Act language policies Mail & Guardian reports that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) says it is willing to discuss language policies in the controversial Basic Education Law Amendment (Bela) Act, in the wake of legal action taken by trade union Solidarity. Solidarity, AfriForum and the Solidarity Support Centre for Schools initiated legal action against the Bela Act, claiming it was “an act of aggression by the government against Afrikaans schools and children”. Solidarity’s communications manager Pieter Jordaan advised: “Solidarity and AfriForum were notified by the office of the minister of basic education of a willingness to further discuss our concerns regarding the early proclamation of the entire Bela Act (including sections 4 and 5), without the necessary norms and standards having been put in place,” . Section 4 of the Bela Act gives the department greater control over admissions policy, while section 5 compels school governing bodies to submit the school’s language policy to the provincial head of department for approval. During the consultation period, which Solidarity was part of, the union expressed concerns about the increased centralisation of control over school management, saying it would detrimentally limit the influence of school governing bodies and parents in making decisions about their children’s education. DBE spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga confirmed that the department was consulting with stakeholders regarding the implementation of the Act. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Umamah Bakharia at Mail & Guardian
Ex-employee dismissed by Woolworths for calling two cashiers ‘dumb’ loses her Labour Court appeal The Star reports that a former employee of retailer Woolworths lost her appeal at the Labour Court after she was dismissed for calling two cashiers dumb. Gladys Arunachellam, who worked as a supervisor, was employed by Woolworths for 28 years. Another store manager, Dennis Mkhize said the incident was reported to him by an aggrieved employee, Phumelela Kweyama. He testified that Kweyama said that she was coming back from lunch when she saw Arunachellam standing with a person named Sheryl, and two trainees, Taarik and Claudia. She overhead Sheryl telling Arunachellam to take Taarik and Claudia because she was done with them in her department. Kweyama said Arunachellam responded by saying: “Not today, because I have got a bunch of dumb people working there today.” Mkhize then initiated an investigation. Arunachellam denied using the word ‘dumb’ when referring to the cashiers; she said she used the word ‘confused’. Only one witness – Sheryl – testified in support of Arunachellam. Acting judge ET Mhlongo who presided over the matter, found that the dismissal had been fair. However, the judge also found that Woolworths had failed to give Arunachellam enough time to prepare for her case. “I aver that the 15 minutes given to the applicant (Arunachellam) was not enough. The commissioner failed to apply his mind when dealing with the question of procedural fairness. I am therefore inclined to award the applicant compensation of three months’ salary for failure to adhere to normal procedure, which is payable within 30 days from the date of this judgment,“ said the judge. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Star
KZN police dismiss allegations of corruption on social media against provincial commissioner TimesLIVE reports that police in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) have responded to recent allegations against provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, calling the accusations “baseless” and “malicious”. The allegations, which have circulated via WhatsApp messages and other social media platforms, claim that Mkhwanazi abused his position to obstruct the arrest of a senior official from the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) who was allegedly involved in a Westville prison-based drug cartel. In a statement, KZN police spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda dismissed the accusations and challenged anyone with evidence to come forward and open a case. He emphasised that the accusations were likely fuelled by the recent successes of the KZN police in combating organised crime. He also pointed to the broader context in which the allegations emerged and said: “Such relentless pursuit of organised criminal groups have made some criminal handlers uncomfortable, and some of them are now trying to make a comeback through the court of public opinion.” Netshiunda suggested that those behind the allegations aimed to “create enmity” between the provincial commissioner and his colleagues. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Modiegi Mashamaite at TimesLIVE
Forty-seven buses torched, two employees injured in attacks on four Putco depots in Mpumalanga News24 reports that more than 40 buses were damaged and two employees injured during arson attacks at four Putco depots in Mpumalanga on Monday night. The depots were set alight, confirmed Putco spokesperson Lindokuhle Xulu. One of the employees injured in the attacks was shot in the leg, and another was struck on the head with a chair. Initially, the company had said that around 15 buses had been damaged during an attack at its Moloto depot in Mpumalanga. But, Xulu later indicated: "The rampage spread throughout the night, with additional depots reporting buses set on fire. In total, approximately 47 buses were burned across the following affected depots: Moloto, Wolwekraal, Siyabushwa, and Vaalbank." He added that, despite the damage, Putco's buses would still operate in the affected areas, but under heightened supervision. Mpumalanga Public Works, Roads and Transport MEC Thulasizwe Thomo said he was particularly concerned about the "effect this destruction will have on passengers who rely on the Putco bus service to access various employment and services across the district". He called on law enforcement authorities to conduct a thorough investigation. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nicole McCain at News24 (subscription or trial registration required) New ‘Afrikaans Uber’ could face legal challenges over language proficiency requirement for drivers BusinessTech reports that Wanatu, a new e-hailing service operating in Centurion and Pretoria, has gained notable attention, but it could potentially face legal challenges. Launched in October 2024, Wanatu requires Afrikaans proficiency for its drivers. While the platform’s app accommodates English-speaking users through a translation feature, the Afrikaans language requirement for drivers has sparked significant legal and social debate. According to the company’s website, the focus on Afrikaans aims to “restore dignity in our communities’ jobs in Afrikaans. Yet, this business model raises complex legal questions about fairness, equality, and discrimination. Section 9(4) of the Constitution and Section 6(1) of the Employment Equity Act (EEA) prohibit both direct and indirect discrimination based on language. According to legal experts from Werksmans Attorneys, if Wanatu employs its drivers rather than engaging them as independent contractors, its Afrikaans proficiency requirement could contravene these provisions. Excluding potential employees based on language may constitute unfair discrimination unless the company can prove that the requirement is rational, justifiable, and inherently linked to the job. The question of whether Afrikaans proficiency is essential for Wanatu’s operations is pivotal. The law firm noted that case law offered some guidance and precedents suggested that language requirements could be upheld if they were intrinsically necessary for job performance. “However, Wanatu faces a challenge in proving that Afrikaans proficiency is indispensable for its drivers,” said Werksmans Attorneys. Wanatu’s approach raises important questions about how businesses can balance promoting linguistic and cultural identity with the need for inclusivity and non-discrimination. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Malcolm Libera at BusinessTech
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