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 Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
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Remains of three missing police officers identified among five bodies retrieved from Hennops River News24 reports that police have confirmed that the remains of three police officers who went missing last Thursday have been positively identified among the five bodies that were retrieved from the Hennops River in Centurion. On Tuesday evening, General Fannie Masemola said the remains of Cebekhulu Linda, 24, Keamogetswe Buys, 30, and Boipelo Senoge, 20, were located in the river after pieces of the VW Polo they had been travelling in were found along the N1 highway in Centurion. Police are still searching for the WV Polo but found another vehicle in the river. "We first found pieces of vehicle parts believed to be of a VW Polo along the N1 where we are standing at this moment, that led us to the banks of the river where we found a Renault Kangoo panel van," Masemola indicated. The officers were travelling from Bloemfontein to Limpopo where they had been deployed when they went missing. One of the five bodies is that of a SA Police Service groundsman from the Lyttleton police station who was last seen on Saturday. He had been the driver of the Renault van. Police are still trying to identify the fifth body. Masemola said there was currently no established connection between the three officers, the groundsman, and the fifth body. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Noxolo Sibiya at News24 (subscription or trial registration required). Lees ook, Drie van vyf liggame uit Hennopsrivier is vermiste konstabels, by Maroela Media Missing VW Polo key to unravelling deaths of three cops SowetanLive reports that police are pinning their hopes on finding the white VW Polo that the three constables had been driving to solve the mystery surrounding their deaths. The puzzling disappearance of constables Linda Cebekhulu, 24, Boipelo Senoge, 24 and Keamogetswe Buys, 30, reached a tragic end on Tuesday when their bodies were found along with those of two other people in the Hennops River in Centurion, Tshwane. The vehicle they were traveling in from the Free State to Limpopo on 23 April has not yet been found, but police found pieces of metal believed to be from vehicle along the N1 near where the bodies were located. "For now we don't know what has happened. How we ended up here [Hennops] ... we were checking all the cameras all the way. The last camera from which we saw the vehicle is a camera at the Brakfontein interchange driving north on the N1. For now, it might look as an accident, we do not know until we find the car, when we can make conclusions as to what had happened," said national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola at the scene. Cebekhulu and Buys, who were from Bloemfontein, worked in Limpopo for Operation Vala Umgodi, a unit that fights illegal mining. They were on their way to their work base after visiting their homes. Senoge worked at the Park Road police station charge office in Bloemfontein. She was off duty at the time and was accompanying her boyfriend, Cebekhulu, to Limpopo. Masemola said there was no link between the three constables and the two other bodies were found with them. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jeanette Chabalala at SowetanLive
Call for swift justice after KZN municipal employee who was a Samwu leader shot dead in front of family TimesLIVE reports that family and colleagues of slain former SA Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) treasurer Thamisanqa “Bhenja” Ndlovu, who was shot dead on Thursday in front of his wife and children, are calling for swift justice. Ndlovu, 39, was employed at Umvoti local municipality. He was the father of five children and his wife and children witnessed the attack when bullets were fired at him, said family spokesperson Jacky Ndlovu. Samwu regional secretary Nkosikhona Biyela said the trade union was outraged by Ndlovu’s murder and his death was not only a loss to his family and friends but a blow to the trade union movement. “We call upon law enforcement agencies to act with the urgency, thoroughness and dedication this tragedy demands. We urge them to leave no stone unturned. No family, no comrade, no worker should have to suffer the pain and injustice of losing a loved one in such a cruel and senseless manner,” said Biyela. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mfundo Mkhize at SowetanLive City Power suspends services in Vezinyawo in Alexandra due to safety concerns, lack of cooperation SowetanLive reports that the City of Johannesburg’s City Power says it will not proceed with any restoration work or other services in Vezinyawo in Alexandra until the working environment is secured for its employees and contractors. This was after its technicians were held hostage and obstructed from doing their work during an operation to install and register electricity metres on Monday. Spokesperson Isaac Mangena said that during the operation, several individuals approached and seized the keys of three City Power contractor vehicles, demanding that power be restored before the keys would be returned. “One suspect fled the scene with the keys, deliberately sabotaging our ability to continue working and severely compromising the safety of our employees,” he reported. Johannesburg Metro police, SAPS members and TSS security guards were immediately dispatched to the scene. Tow trucks were arranged to move the stranded bakkies to the nearest City Power service delivery centre. The technicians have since opened a case of hijacking. “Our services in Vezinyawo will remain temporarily suspended until the environment is safe and all meters are installed and registered as required,” City Power CEO Tshifularo Mashava advised. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jeanette Chabalala at SowetanLive Alarming increase in attacks on social workers in the Western Cape GroundUp reports that attacks on social workers in the Western Cape are on the rise, with seven hijackings, five attempted hijackings, and eight attacks on child and youth care workers over the past year. Last year, it was reported that extortion syndicates were targeting Western Cape Department of Social Development social workers. The provincial government asked the justice minister to classify attacks against social workers as an “offence against the state,” with harsher legal consequences. It also called for social workers to be recognised as essential workers. Speaking in the provincial legislature last week, Social Development MEC Jaco Londt advised that if social workers were recognised as essential services, the department could get additional financial support from the National Treasury. The department has also initiated several safety measures since last year, including removing government branding from cars, changing number plates, and sending more than one staff member into hotspot areas, which included Khayelitsha, Driftsands, Crossroads, Gugulethu, Wesbank, Mitchells Plain, and sections of the N2 between Spine Road and Mew Way. Makhaya Jezile, a member of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union based in Khayelitsha, agreed with the call for harsher sentences for crimes against social workers. “If you hurt one social worker, you hurt the entire community,” he noted. Jezile has had first-hand experience with extortionists as he was forced to move after criminals demanded a “protection fee” because he parked a government vehicle at his home. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Matthew Hirsch at GroundUp Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Rwanda escorts SADC troops from DRC to Tanzania Reuters reports that a spokesperson for the Rwandan army said on Tuesday that Rwanda's army was escorting the troops of a Southern African force through Rwandan territory to Tanzania as they pulled out from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Southern African Development Community (SADC), which groups 16 states, said in mid-March it had terminated the mandate of its mission and would begin a phased withdrawal of its force, known as SAMIDRC, from DRC. SA National Defense Force (SANDF) soldiers form part of the force, which was sent to assist Kinshasa's fight against rebel groups in DRC's eastern borderlands in December 2023. Many of its troops sought shelter in United Nations peacekeeping bases after Goma, eastern DRC's largest city, fell to Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in February. Read the original of the short report in the above regard at TimesLIVE. Lees ook, SANW stort ineen terwyl troepe uit DRK onttrek, by Maroela Media
Harmony Gold reports yet another fatality Mining Weekly reports that gold producer Harmony Gold has announced that an employee died in an incident at its surface operations at the Saaiplaas reclamation camp, in Virginia, in the Free State, on Sunday, 27 April. This was only two days following the death of an employee in a locomotive-related accident at Harmony's Moab Khotsong mine on 25 April. Investigations at Saaiplaas are under way and all the relevant authorities have been informed. The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, labour representatives and mine management are investigating the cause of the incident. A fall-of-ground incident at the company's Mponeng mine, in February, claimed the lives of two employees, while another five lost their lives in two separate incidents at the Doornkop and Joel mines in the same month. Read the original of the short report in the above regard at Mining Weekly Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Draft code on dismissal not a blank cheque to fire workers, Cosatu tells rival Saftu BL Premium reports that labour federation Cosatu has lashed out at the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) for saying a draft code on dismissal effectively gives a blank cheque to employers to fire workers without following labour legislation. The draft code of good practice on dismissal was published in the Government Gazette in January by Department of Employment & Labour (DEL) Minister Nomakhosazana Meth. Affecting small employers, it pertains to dismissals linked to poor performance, misconduct, participation in an unprotected strike and operational requirements. The code places a premium on employment justice, the efficient operation of an employer’s business and the expeditious resolution of disputes and indicates that a dismissal is fair if it is for a fair reason and in accordance with a fair procedure It does not alter the rights and obligations created under a collective agreement, but states that small businesses “cannot reasonably be expected to engage in time-consuming investigations or pre-dismissal processes while keeping the business going”. Saftu’s Newton Masuku said the labour federation “vehemently rejects” the draft code. He explained: “These changes are a direct assault on the hard-won rights of workers, and we call on all workers, unions and progressive formations to unite in resistance. The proposed amendments to labour laws are not merely neutral, technical legal changes aimed at smoothing relations between the workers and the bosses on the shop floor. Rather, the changes are underpinned by a political economy whose aim is to tilt the balance of power relations on the shop floor in favour of the bosses.” Cosatu’s Matthew Parks indicated: “A code of good practice is exactly that. It is a guide that seeks to explain to employers, in particular small business owners, workers and shop stewards, their rights and obligations.” DA MP and labour analyst Michael Bagraim pointed out that the code was agreed on by parties at Nedlac. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
DA to fight employment equity sectoral quotas in court Mail & Guardian reports that the Democratic Alliance (DA) has filed an application in the Pretoria High Court challenging the employment equity quotas in the Employment Equity Amendment Act. The DA’s spokesperson on labour, Michael Bagraim, confirmed that the party was taking the Minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth, to court on 6 May to challenge part of the Act, which became law in January 2025. It sets hiring quotas for 18 economic sectors, from mining and transport to construction and agriculture, in a bid to increase employment opportunities for “designated groups” including blacks, women and people living with disabilities. Companies with 50 or more employees must align their employment equity plans with the new sector-specific targets and these must be implemented between 1 September 2025 and 31 August 2030. Bagraim said his party had launched a “constitutional challenge” to Section 15A of the Act, which introduces “rigid national race quotas” in the workplace. “We are taking the minister of employment and labour to court because Section 15A represents a radical and harmful departure from previous employment equity law. These quotas will destroy jobs, undermine the economy and violate the constitutional rights of all South Africans,” Bagraim said. He added that the minister’s powers under Section 15A were “vague, unchecked and dangerously broad”. According to Bagraim, the final quotas, published last week, make it virtually impossible for some communities, particularly coloured workers in the Western Cape and Indian workers in KwaZulu-Natal, to find or keep jobs. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lyse Comins at Mail & Guardian. Lees ook, ‘Raswette is ongrondwetlik, skadelik’; DA sleep minister hof toe, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Labour Court rejects George Municipality's bid to validate appointment of unqualified HR manager Cape Argus reports that the George Municipality’s Labour Court bid to have a now-retired employee’s appointment declared lawful has been dismissed. The municipality appointed the woman as a Human Resources manager in 2015 without having the minimum qualification requirement. The SA Local Government Bargaining Council found the municipality committed an unfair labour practice in shortlisting and appointing the woman without the NQF Level 7 qualification. This prejudiced two other employees who applied for the same position and held the required qualification but ranked lower in the interviewing process. The municipality sought the arbitration sanction to be reviewed and set aside. It was in 2019, during an audit of the municipality’s HR department that the two employees who held the qualification became aware that their now-former colleague did not have an NQF level 7 qualification when she was appointed, as she was missing one subject for her qualification. Acting Judge of the Labour Court, Glen Cassells, ruled: “The arbitrator concluded that the shortlisting committee and the Municipal Manager would have acted differently if they knew that she did not possess the minimum qualification … In the circumstances, she should not have been shortlisted and accordingly not appointed into the advertised position, and by allowing her to be part of the process and to be appointed under the circumstances amounted to an unfair labour practice as it was based upon a wrong principle.” He also noted that no condition was stipulated in the woman’s appointment letter that she was required to obtain the qualification within a reasonable time. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Chevon Booysen at Cape Argus
Limpopo teacher denied bail after arrest for allegedly raping 13-year-old learner IOL News reports that a 58-year-old teacher based in the Capricorn district, in Limpopo, was denied bail by the Mankweng Magistrate’s Court after he was arrested and charged for the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl. “It is alleged that the accused was arrested on 31 March 2025 after the child had reported the incident to the principal, that she was being raped by the teacher. The principal immediately alerted the police," Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, Limpopo provincial spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), indicated. When police arrived at the school, the accused teacher evaded arrest by fleeing from the premises. Ruling on the teacher’s bail application, the court remarked that the state had a strong case, and added that there was a likelihood that the accused could interfere with the state witnesses. The court also noted that the teacher has already sent people to apologise on his behalf. “The safety of the accused can be compromised, and his release can cause public disorder and he is also a flight risk since he evaded his arrest for three days,” said Malabi-Dzhangi. The matter was remanded to 20 June 2025, for further investigations while the teacher remains in custody. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jonisayi Maromo at IOL News Limpopo health department investigates alleged rape of patient by doctor during abdominal ultrasound TimesLIVE reports that the Limpopo health department has initiated an internal investigation after a doctor allegedly attempted to rape a patient at George Masebe Hospital. The incident allegedly happened in the early hours on Sunday in the sonar room during an abdominal ultrasound required as part of observation related to the patient's pregnancy. Health MEC Dieketseng Mashego, noting with deep disappointment the reported incident, assured the public that the department took such allegations seriously. “The department pledges to co-operate fully with law enforcement agencies as the matter has been reported to police for further investigation. In addition to supporting the police inquiry, we have initiated our own internal investigation,” Mashego indicated. She said hospitals were supposed to be havens for the weak and vulnerable and healthcare professionals were expected to exhibit above-reproach conduct. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Shonisani Tshikalange at SowetanLive. Read too, Cops probe case of doctor accused of raping patient in hospital, at Sunday World Only 19% of SA's teachers vetted against sex offenders' register News24 reports that despite a Department of Basic Education directive that all officials and educators, including those in office- and school-based posts, must be vetted against the National Register for Sex Offenders, only 19% have been vetted nationally. This is according to a response from Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube to the IFP's Liezl van der Merwe. Gwarube said there were two national registers relevant to suitability checks. There is the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO), maintained by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, which helps prevent listed people from being employed or placed in positions of authority, supervision or care over vulnerable persons, including children. There is also the National Child Protection Register (NCPR), maintained by the Department of Social Development, which includes people deemed unsuitable to work with children due to abuse, neglect or exploitation. Employers of persons who will be employed at schools are legally required to conduct suitability checks before finalising any appointment or immediately terminate employment if an individual is found to be listed on the NRSO or NCPR. According to Gwarube's answer, out of the 405,738 teachers nationwide on 31 December 2024, only 78,509, or 19%, had been vetted. In Limpopo, none of the province's teachers had been vetted by 31 March, and in the Eastern Cape, only 5%, and in KwaZulu-Natal, only 7%. The other provinces ranged between the Free State's 53% and the Northern Cape's 20%. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jan Gerber at News24 (subscription or trial registration required)
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