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 roundup of weekend and recent reports,
see the following summaries of our selection of
South African labour-related articles.
|
Transnet union Untu threatens crippling wage strike, but Transnet says it ‘has plans in place’ Business Times reports that Transnet says it has contingency plans in place to cushion the impact should the United National Transport Union (Untu) go ahead with a threatened strike. Untu represents the majority of workers at the ports and rail company. But, Transnet added that while plans were in place, it was confident the strike would be averted – thanks to a decision by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to mediate in the dispute. The union has refused to sign a three-year wage agreement that has been accepted by a rival union, the SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu), for increases of 6% in the first and second years, and 5.5% in the third year. Its counterproposal of a 10% wage increase has been rejected outright by Transnet as unaffordable. The union is balloting members on whether to down tools again after it last did so in 2022. A strike will almost certainly cripple the rail and logistics entity, which has been trying to recover from years of underinvestment in infrastructure and from state capture. Untu’s Atenkosi Plaatjie said the balloting process was under way and was expected to be completed this week. She said Untu had been running two parallel processes, one via digital submissions, while officials were also holding meetings with members at different Transnet depots countrywide. “It is a tedious process which is necessary as we want it to be fair, transparent and democratic,” she explained. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Dineo Faku at Business Times (subscriber access only)
JMPD officer denied emergency medical attention at Netcare Milpark due to City of Joburg’s outstanding R35m debt The Citizen reports that on Wednesday a Johannesburg Metro Police (JMPD) officer who had suffered a gunshot wound was denied medical attention at the Netcare Milpark Hospital because the City of Johannesburg owes the private hospital more than R35 million. The municipality has an arrangement with the hospital to provide emergency treatment for officers injured while on duty. ActionSA’s Sarah Wissler, who is the chair of the portfolio committee on public safety, expressed her anger on Friday when she learned of the incident. She said the officer was now fighting for his life in intensive care at Netcare Alberton Hospital after being taken from one hospital to the next. “Because of this unresolved debt, the officer was refused emergency medical attention and transferred to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, where he waited for hours before being stabilised. He is now in ICU fighting for his life. This is an unforgivable betrayal of those who risk their lives to keep our city safe,” Wissler reported. She has demanded a full report concerning this incident. In a statement on Friday, the City denied that it owed Milpark Hospital R35 million. “The current outstanding bill for Milpark Hospital stands at R3.9 million, with payments being processed and paid weekly. The city has engaged in multiple discussions with Milpark Hospital management to explain the payment processes and reassure them that it remains committed to settling its obligations,” it said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Itumeleng Mafisa at The Citizen. Lees ook, Jhb-metro vies oor Milpark gewonde metrobeampte ‘weens uitstaande skuld wegwys’, by Maroela Media Official funerals to be held for three police officers whose bodies were found in Hennops River News24 reports that the three police officers whose bodies were recovered from the Hennops River last week will be honoured with official funerals. Constable Boipelo Senoge, 24, Constable Cebekhulu Linda, 24, and Constable Keamogetswe Buys, 30, went missing while travelling from Bloemfontein to Limpopo on an assignment. They will be laid to rest in their hometowns of Bloemfontein and Thaba Nchu between 8 and 10 May. Police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele said the decision to honour the officers was taken after a meeting between the deceased's families, Free State Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae, and the provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Baile Motswenyane. A memorial service for the late constables would be held at Bloemfontein on Tuesday. They had been assigned to a Vala Umgodi operation aimed at tackling illegal mining in various hotspots nationally, when they went missing. After an intensive search, bodies were discovered in the river on Monday and Tuesday. It was reported on Thursday that the vehicle in which they had been travelling had ploughed through a safety barrier and ended up in the river. Authorities also discovered the body of an unidentified man and that of a SAPS employee attached to the Lyttleton police station along the same stretch of water. Authorities are conducting a detailed forensic analysis of the vehicle to determine the cause of the accident. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tankiso Makhetha at News24. Lees ook, Amptelike begrafnisse vir konstabels wat in watergraf sterf, by Maroela Media 'Foul play cannot be ruled out' in case of constables found dead in Hennops river City Press reports that as the mystery deepens around what transpired to three police officers before they ended up in the Hennops River in Centurion, a highway patrol officer has questioned why there were no calls about the accident and there were no noticeable objects indicating there had been a serious accident. Some in the security cluster insist foul play cannot be ruled out as there are too many unanswered question about how they ended up dead in the riverbed. The bodies of constables Cebekhulu Linda, Boipelo Senoge and Keamogetswe Buys were found in the river last week following an intensive search by the SA Police Service, after they vanished en route to Limpopo from Bloemfontein in the Free State. National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola told journalists on Thursday that, at face value, the vehicle driven by one of the constables had been involved in an accident before it plunged into the river. That version was supported by the wreckage found in the riverbed, with the three bodies of the officers. They all had severe injuries, possibly caused by the impact. However, sources in the security cluster said that a lot of questions remained about what had happened, as some cameras along the N1 highway did not pick up the vehicle driving past. In addition, the vehicle landed in the river, leaving no traces of impact on the steel barrier and concrete bridge. The police chief said an investigation would be launched to unearth exactly what had happened. Masemola said the investigators would rely on technology to establish whether the vehicle had been speeding when it plunged into the river. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Abram Mashego at City Press (subscription or trial registration required) Bishop Lavis police officer shot dead inside vehicle, Kraaifontein admin clerk killed in separate shooting News24 reports that a 31-year-old off-duty police officer was shot and killed inside her vehicle close to a primary school in Langa, Cape Town on Saturday morning. The constable, identified as BB Dondashe, was attached to the Bishop Lavis police station and was found with gunshot wounds in Bennie Street. "When she left her home in Kraaifontein last night [Friday] after knocking off duty, she was heading to an evening church service [in] KwaLanga," a police spokesperson reported. The officer had worked in the management services department. The Hawks are investigating the murder. In an unrelated incident a few hours later, a 35-year-old administrative clerk attached to the Kraaifontein police station was shot dead at around 13:00 in a parking lot next to a mosque in Gatesville, Athlone. A 56-year-old woman was also wounded and taken to a medical facility for treatment. “Preliminary information suggests that two armed men accosted the deceased as she and the injured woman alighted the vehicle they were travelling in," said police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie. A murder and attempted murder case has been registered and will be probed by detectives attached to the Anti-Gang Unit. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisalee Solomons at News24 (subscription or trial registration required). Lees ook, Polisiekonstabel op pad na kerkdiens vermoor, by Maroela Media NPA prosecutor gunned down and killed near his Eastern Cape home News24 reports that 30-year-old prosecutor Elona Sombulula was shot dead in Bityi in the Eastern Cape last Tuesday evening. Police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said the victim was returning home from Mthatha when he was attacked near his residence. "He was on foot when an unknown assailant or assailants opened fire, fatally wounding him. Preliminary investigations indicate that the victim sustained a single gunshot wound to the head," she reported. Crime scene investigators recovered three 9mm pistol cartridges at the scene. The motive behind the killing is under investigation and authorities are investigating all possibilities, including whether the attack was related to the victim’s work as a prosecutor or other personal circumstances. No arrests have been made. Sombulula had been based at the Ngcobo Magistrate's Court. "He joined the NPA through the aspirant prosecutor programme in 2022. He was acting as Regional Court prosecutor when he was shot on the evening of Tuesday 29 April," said NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali. Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi condemned the killing, which she said had taken place under "mysterious circumstances". Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nicole McCain at News24 (subscription or trial registration required) Guard shot as rival security firms clash at Ditsobotla municipality offices in North West SABC News reports that a security guard was seriously wounded in a shootout between two security companies at the offices of the Ditsobotla Local Municipality in Lichtenburg, in the North West. It appears that a newly appointed security company, contracted by the municipality, arrived to assume their duties when a confrontation erupted with the existing security team already guarding the building. Provincial police spokesperson Adele Myburgh indicated that a case had been opened and investigations were underway. Authorities are probing charges of attempted murder, trespassing, malicious damage to property, and the unlawful discharge of a firearm. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Lizette Labuschagne at SABC News A whopping R100m for extra safety escorts due to Cape Town's unique crime climate News24 reports that the City of Cape Town is to allocate more resources towards safety escorts after a surge in attacks on its staff and service providers in recent years. It is looking to appoint more than 200 safety escort officers amid a reported increase in attacks on municipal staff. The cost of the new hires will be around R100 million. The safety challenges appear to be due to Cape Town's unique crime landscape. Crime expert Guy Lamb said: "Cape Town has some of the areas with the highest levels of crime. Consistently, over the last few years, we've seen problems with municipal service providers' safety and security and there are areas that are becoming increasingly dangerous for City officials." He said that organised crime groups have been known to target officials who provided municipal services or repairs to infrastructure – such as refuse removal, clearing drains or repairing streetlights – and that these officials were vulnerable to being robbed or attacked. Between September and March, the City's Law Enforcement Department facilitated 1,925 escorts to various service departments – an average of 275 per month. In May 2023, the City launched the Facility Protection Officers (FPO) initiative to protect staff, projects and City facilities – particularly in crime hotspots. The initial deployment included 81 Law Enforcement FPOs. Mayco Member for Safety and Security JP Smith said this would now be increased to 222 to cope with the "dramatic rise in requests for escorts". Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nicole McCain, Sithandiwe Velaphi, Sakhiseni Nxumalo & Alex Patrick at News24 (subscription or trial registration required)
Female miners at Kopanong gold mine forced by security guards to strip and spread legs Sunday World reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is taking legal action against Kopanong Gold mine management, which allegedly forced its female employees to strip naked so that security guards could plunge their hands into their private parts looking for stolen pieces of gold. The method has not only drawn the NUM’s ire but also that of workers, government and the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). NUM spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu said the union had received credible reports from the affected female employees. He commented: “The NUM views this alleged treatment as utterly unacceptable, dehumanising, and a gross violation of our members’ fundamental rights and dignity. Such archaic and invasive practices have no place in a modern and progressive mining industry.” One of the workers, Mawayi Ngxakamba, was suspended on 19 December when she refused to strip naked. “During our last meeting at the end of February, they asked me to sign a final warning, which I refused because I had done nothing wrong. I did not steal anything, but I do not want to take off my panties when searched,” she explained. The employees have also approached the SA National Civics Organisation for intervention. DMRE spokesperson Johannes Mokobane said the department was processing the allegations internally. The company held a meeting with its employees last Monday and told them that it had changed the way the women would be searched, and said those suspended and fired would soon come back to work. The company’s senior human resources manager Izak Nieuwoudt refused to comment. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Boitumelo Tshehle at Sunday World UIF embroiled in scandal over R800m Ters funding for Siyanda-Bakgatla Platinum Mine Sunday Times reports that the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has been caught up in a funding scandal after approving a bailout of more than R800m for a mining company despite internal misgivings about whether it was deserved. Department of Employment & Labour (DEL) Minister Nomakhosazana Meth last week confirmed that her office had put the brakes on the deal, which would have seen the UIF assist Siyanda-Bakgatla Platinum Mine (SBM) with R736m over 12 months to save about 5,200 jobs at its Union Mine in Limpopo. In terms of the original agreement, the UIF was meant to provide R807m to save 5,702 jobs, but this amount was revised after the mining company cut the number of its employees to 5,200. Meth has directed that an investigation be undertaken by the UIF board into how the decision was made when the fund's own internal report found that SBM was not in distress. But, the company said on Friday that halting the payments after making the first instalment of R60m in February had placed it at great risk given the consistent decline it was in. Apparently, part of the reason for the government's intervention was that Siyanda Resources, SBM’s majority shareholder, is in discussions to buy Anglo American’s platinum business Amplats. The application had been made through the Temporary Employee Relief Scheme (Ters), a scheme introduced during the Covid pandemic lockdown in March 2020, in which employers could claim a subsidy of up to 75% of staff costs in a bid to save jobs while the economy was shut down. It was continued post-Covid as part of the UIF’s efforts to save jobs, and is now administered through the CCMA. “We are not aware of any UIF internal review into our application, as no such concerns were ever formally communicated to us,” the company said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sabelo Skiti at Sunday Times (subscriber access only) Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Western Cape Popcru reiterates call for additional officials in province's prisons EWN reports that the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Pocru) has called on the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to employ more prison officials. Popcru Western Cape provincial secretary Mluleki Mbhele said there were numerous issues within prisons across the province. “Our members are under siege in the correctional centres, and they are getting attacked by the inmates for various reasons. There are issues of gangsterism inside the prisons, which are led by the inmates themselves, so it then becomes unfortunate that the inmates will then attack our officials,” said Mbhele. According to Mbhele, the union’s members were burnt out and required more assistance. He added: “We further call, and it has always been a call from POPCRU that the Department of Correctional Services must employ more officials, our members are overworked”. Meanwhile, the union condemned the alleged involvement of now-suspended officials in the murder of inmate Quintin Fortuin at Goodwood Correctional Centre earlier this year. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Morgan Van De Rede at EWN Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Imatu to fight Eskom’s plan to take over electricity distribution in defaulting municipalities BL Premium reports that Eskom’s plan to take over electricity distribution in defaulting municipalities is a serious encroachment on constitutionally mandated local government functions, according to the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu). The union, which represents more than 110,000 municipal employees, said Eskom’s plan posed a direct threat to municipal jobs, accountability and service delivery. However, many municipalities have already agreed to have their distribution licences revoked should they fail to pay Eskom regularly. Eskom CEO Dan Marokane announced that the power utility would seek support from the Treasury to compel municipalities that are in arrears to enter into what it called distribution agency agreements (DAAs) with the utility. This is aimed at resolving the rapidly deteriorating municipal debt crisis that is putting Eskom’s sustainability at risk. Municipal arrear debt to Eskom amounted to almost R100bn at the end of March. But according to Imatu, Eskom’s suggestion would undermine democratic local governance. “Municipalities cannot be bypassed when challenges arise, they must be supported, not stripped of their functions. Eskom’s proposal would displace thousands of workers, weaken service responsiveness, and ignore the real problem: an unsustainable local government funding model,” Imatu argued. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Antoinette Slabbert at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Lees ook, Eskom se plan met munisipaliteite ‘ongrondwetlik’, by Maroela Media
|
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page