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 Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
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SA Reserve Bank cuts repo rate by 25 basis points offering relief to consumers Business Report writes that South Africans repaying vehicle, home loans and other debts received some releif on Thursday as the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) lowered the repurchase rate (repo rate) by 25 basis points (BPS). This came after the central bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) met this week and voted to decrease the repo rate from 7.50% to 7.25%. This means that the prime lending rate will decrease from 11.00% to 10.75%. Five MPC members voted for a 25 basis point cut, and one voted for an even bigger 50 basis point cut. No member voted to keep the rate unchanged. This decision marks the Bank’s first adjustment to monetary policy since January and takes the benchmark rate to its lowest level in more than two years. The Bank’s next interest rate decision is scheduled for July. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ashley Lechman at Business Report. Lees ook, Rentekoersdaling bied verligting; hervormings bly nodig, by Maroela Media Reserve Bank sends strongest signal yet on lower consumer inflation target Moneyweb reports that the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) sent its strongest signal yet on Thursday that a lower inflation target for the country is being finalised. Not only did all six members of its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) vote for a cut in the benchmark repo rate, but SARB Governor Lesetja Kganyago and other members voiced strong support for lowering its inflation target. The bank’s inflation target of 3% to 6% has been in place since 2000, but discussions around lowering the target framework have gained traction over the past year, with National Treasury officials and Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and his deputies increasingly talking up the case for a lower target. Addressing a post-MPC media briefing, Kganyago said technical work on the review was “at an advanced stage”. He added: “Now that inflation has slowed, we have a chance to lock in lower inflation at low cost,” arguing that lowering the inflation target “will lock in lower interest rates going forward”. He confirmed that the MPC was considered a 3% scenario for inflation targeting as more attractive than the 4.5% baseline. “[We] would like to see inflation expectations move lower, towards the bottom end of our target range. We will also consider scenarios with a 3% objective at future meetings,” Kganyago advised. He pointed out that most advanced economies targeted 2% inflation, while emerging markets targeted 3%. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Suren Naidoo & Liesl Peyper at Moneyweb EFF asks court to interdict fuel levy increase due to come into effect in June BL Premium reports that the EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) has approached the Western Cape High Court seeking an urgent suspension of the increase in the fuel levy in June. Its argument is that the announcement of the increase by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana bypassed parliamentary processes and is unlawful. The fuel levy increase of 16c increase in petrol and 15c increase in diesel is set to come into effect on 4 June as part of the government revenue generation measures for 2025/2026 after the withdrawal of the 0.5 percentage point increase in VAT in April. The increase is expected to generate R3.5bn in revenue for this year. Other parties including MK party and ActionSA have also opposed the fuel levy hike. “The same constitutional, economic, and procedural reasons that led to the rejection of the VAT increase also apply to the fuel levy increase,” the EFF said in a statement. The EFF’s treasurer-general, Omphile Maotwe argued that the minister’s unilateral decision was unlawful as it was a violation of the country's tax laws which required parliamentary approval. The EFF has also argued that the increase in fuel levy would disproportionately have an adverse effect on low-income individuals as they tended to spend a majority of their income on transportation costs. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thando Maeko at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Hospital officials ‘did not believe his sick note’, says medical intern’s mother at his funeral News24 reports that officials at the Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal allegedly wanted another medical practitioner’s opinion when Dr Alulutho Mazwi presented them with a sick note. This was revealed by the deceased’s mother after the funeral service of the student doctor in Butterworth, Eastern Cape, on Thursday. The medical intern died after collapsing at the facility. Allegedly, the 25-year-old student doctor, who died on 12 May, was forced by his supervisor to report for duty even after he explained he was not feeling well. Mazwi worked at the hospital’s paediatric unit since July last year. He studied at Walter Sisulu University. His traumatised mother, Thabisa Maqoqa, said she wanted justice for his son. SA’s Health Ombudsman, Professor Taole Mokoena, last week said circumstances surrounding Mazwi’s death would be investigated. This was after Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi requested Mokoena to look into Mazwi’s death after there was public outrage over working conditions at the facility. Hospital staff attended the funeral service and clinical manager Dr Nokufika Mathabela apologised to Mazwi’s family for the incident. The hospital’s CEO, Gabriel Khawula, said: “After the death of Dr Mazwi, other cases of victimisation of medical interns have come to the fore. As the department, we are going to revise the ways in which medical interns are treated to prevent what happened to Dr Mazwi.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sithandiwe Velaphi at News24 Limpopo police investigate the fatal shooting of a SANDF soldier en route to work IOL News reports that a 54-year-old SA National Defence Force (SANDF) corporal was shot and killed in the early hours of Thursday in the Kurhula Section of the Lulekani policing area. The soldier, whose identity has been withheld, was shot several times while walking to work at 7-SAI battalion in Phalaborwa. Limpopo provincial police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said officers received a tip-off about a man found lying on the street with multiple gunshot wounds. On arrival, they found the victim lying unconscious and notified emergency personnel. The man was certified dead at the scene, where five empty cartridges were found. The victim’s belongings, including his cellphones, were found in his possession. Ledwaba said the motive for the shooting was not yet known, and investigations were ongoing. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Simon Majadibodu at IOL News
Nupsaw members march in Durban, demanding permanent jobs GroundUp reports that members of the National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (Nupsaw) from different parts of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) marched to the office of the Premier in Durban on Wednesday, demanding permanent employment. The workers included security guards, food handlers, cleaners and community health workers, working on contract to various provincial departments. They also demanded uniforms, guardrooms for security officers at schools, and overtime payments, among other things. Phumlile Nyawo, who prepares food at Mandlethu High School in Jozini, in the north of KZN, said she had been working as a contract worker since 2022 earned R1,700 a month and she had to buy her own uniform. Community health worker Zinhle Mpembe, from Mnambithi in the west of the province, said she had been working in community care for 15 years earning R2,000 a month. Tecla Nzimande, provincial secretary of the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) to which Nupsaw is affiliated, said all workers had the right to permanent employment and good working conditions. Sabelo Gwala from the office of the Premier accepted the memorandum and promised that the Premier would receive it before the end of the day. “The demands that they have brought here are not new demands. Some of them we have been trying to solve at cabinet level,” Gwala commented. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tsoanelo Sefoloko at GroundUp
Job cuts loom at Mail & Guardian as rising costs continue to squeeze newsrooms News24 reports that all staff at the Mail & Guardian, one of SA’s most celebrated newspapers, have received notices warning them their jobs might be at risk as unrelenting cost pressures continue to squeeze SA’s print-media industry. Hoosain Karjieker, the CEO of M&G Media Limited, the company that publishes the weekly newspaper, said that 25 editorial and admin staff had been sent Section 189 notices, indicating the start of consultations that might lead to retrenchments. He indicated that the company was still in the early stage of in its consultative process, so it was not yet clear how many of the 25 staff would be let go. He commented: “The industry is going through significant strain. And one has to adapt to be able to ensure survival at the end of the day.” Karjieker added that the move from print to digital had hastened the need for the Mail & Guardian to make a more “structural change”. Karjieker, who has been at the newspaper for more than two decades, said the cost of distribution for print had risen sharply in recent years, eroding profits from copy sales. ABC data, which tracks audited circulation figures, show the Mail & Guardian recorded a paid circulation of just under 5,000 in the first quarter of the year, a 20% fall compared to 2024. The stark fall in circulation mirrors declines at other newspaper brands. All major newspaper and news groups in SA – including Independent Newspapers, Media24 and Arena – have undergone restructuring and job cuts in recent years. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jan Cronje at News24 (subscription / trial registration required)
Cabinet approves bill and policy white paper relating to employment of foreign nationals BL Premium reports that the cabinet has approved the Employment Services Amendment Bill for submission to parliament. It has also approved the white paper on National Labour Migration Policy for implementation. This paves the way for tighter regulation of foreign nationals employed in key sectors of the economy. The move is part of the government’s wider plan to overhaul SA’s immigration laws, particularly in sectors deemed critical to the country’s economic and social development. The initiatives aim to promote fair labour practices, ensure the prioritisation of local workers and address imbalances in the labour market by setting clear guidelines for the hiring of foreign nationals. The National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) White Paper seeks to address concerns about foreign nationals affecting local employment opportunities, especially amid rising unemployment. The policy introduces quotas for the employment of foreign workers in major sectors such as agriculture, hospitality, tourism and construction, and complements existing measures such as sector restrictions on foreign business visas and limitations on foreign-owned small business. The Employment Services Amendment Bill provides a legal framework to regulate the employment of foreign nationals. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thando Maeko at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) More than 50 undocumented foreign nationals arrested at textile factory in KZN SABC News reports that more than 50 undocumented foreign nationals have been arrested during a multi-disciplinary raid on a textile factory in KwaDukuza on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast. The operation was carried out by various law enforcement agencies and the Department of Home Affairs. Police had to force their way into the factory using ladders, as the gates were locked. Undocumented immigrants were found inside the factory while others fled into a nearby bush and were arrested. KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli stated: “After Home Affairs has processed them and has confirmed who is here legally and who is here illegally, then the police will begin the process with Home Affairs to ensure that they are deported back to their countries. Some ran away they ran into the bush. For the previous operations those who were discovered to be here illegally were deported and I even had an engagement with the Minister of Home Affairs where he indicated that they have procured even the buses in order to ensure that they are deported out of the country. The owners of those businesses were also arrested.” Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Fanele Mhlongo at SABC News
South Africans, rather than ministers, will pay with their lives for NHI, says Solidarity Trade union Solidarity issued a statement on Thursday in response to Heath Minister Aaron Motsoaledi indication in the National Assembly (NA) that he would be willing to “defend the NHI plans with his life.” Theuns du Buisson, economic researcher of the Solidarity Research Institute’s (SRI), responded: “Lives will certainly be sacrificed for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHI), but it will not be the lives of ministers or the ANC elite.” Motsoaledi had answering questions about the NHI in the NA and advised that almost R10 million had already been spent on legal fees in the court battles to defend the NHI legislation. Du Buisson said Motsoaledi was clearly out of touch with reality: “R10 million has already been spent by a Department of Health that would rather pay lawyers than doctors. That is not what they are there for. R10 million, which was only incurred in the early stages of the legal battle, could have done a lot to improve the public healthcare system.” He went on to say: “To state that he will supposedly defend the NHI with his life is no heroic act. In fact, if the NHI is implemented and when it fails, millions of ordinary South Africans could pay with their lives in the long run.” According to Solidarity, the implementation of the NHI is both unfeasible and unaffordable. According to its calculations, implementing the NHI would cost at least R660 billion a year. The trade union has launched a legal challenge to the NHI. Lees, Minister spandeer R9,7 miljoen om NGV in hof te verdedig, by Maroela Media. As well as, Motsoaledi says he is willing to put his life on the line for NHI, at News24 (subscription / trial registration required)
General assistant at Joburg school arrested for alleged sexual assault of grade 2 pupil TimesLIVE reports that a general assistant at Laerskool Dalmondeor in Johannesburg was arrested on Tuesday in connection with an alleged sexual incident last week involving a grade 2 pupil. “The learner’s mother alleges that her child was sexually assaulted by a general assistant on Wednesday, May 21, in one of the school’s cloakrooms. The mother reportedly opened a case at Mondeor Police Station the same day,” Gauteng education department spokesperson Steve Mabona said on Thursday. The case was unknown to the school until police arrived to arrest the implicated staff member. “The circumstances are being investigated by the police. The alleged perpetrator remains in custody, and he will be precautionarily removed from the school,” Mabona advised. Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane said he was deeply disturbed by the alleged incident and that the department took such allegations seriously. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLIVE. Read too, Grade 2 pupil allegedly sexually assaulted by staff member at Joburg school, at News24 (subscription / trial registration required). En ook, Graad 2-leerder glo seksueel aangerand by Jhb-laerskool, by Maroela Media Captain accused of raping two trainees at Tshwane Police Academy suspended without pay The Citizen reports that a 59-year-old police captain accused of raping two trainees at the Tshwane Police Academy has been suspended without pay, pending disciplinary proceedings. The accused appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Thursday for the continuation of his bail application. The captain, who serves as an instructor at the academy in Pretoria West, faces charges of rape and sexual assault. The incident occurred on 6 May, when the captain allegedly called a 20-year-old trainee into his office. He allegedly locked the door and threatened her with disciplinary action over a previous incident in April, in which she had failed to salute him. It was then that he allegedly raped her. Following his arrest the next day, a second trainee came forward with allegations that the same captain sexually assaulted her on 17 March. National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe advised: “We have suspended his salary. We have also suspended him, and his disciplinary hearing is expected to be heard on the 4th and 5th of June.” The state is opposing his release on bail. She further confirmed that the first complainant has been receiving psychological and emotional support from the SA Police Service. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Molefe Seeletsa at The Citizen
Cape Town’s crucial Central Line reopens, but recovery ‘has not been easy’, says transport minister News24 reports that Cape Town’s embattled Central Line is at “a near-total recovery” as trains returned to operations between Khayelitsha and the CBD on Thursday. Transport Minister Barbara Creecy joined Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) executives in launching the “Chris Hani to Cape Town” passenger rail line, following “extensive repair works on stations, substations and overhead traction electrification systems”. She indicated: “The recovery of the Central Line has not been easy – illegal occupation, vandalism of infrastructure, and a grim security environment all stood in the way.” Creecy described the line as “Cape Town’s most important rail corridor as it connected Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain communities to the Cape Town and Bellville CBDs. Creecy’s department had established Operation Bhekela due to “the illegal occupation of parts of the rail reserve and rail lines that made it impossible to run train operations”. Illegal occupation of the Central Line occurred in Langa, Philippi and Khayelitsha, with more than 7,000 occupants living along it. “Affected communities, the city, intergovernmental agencies, and Prasa played a role in resolving what once seemed impossible: putting trains back on the Central Line and successfully relocating those who had occupied portions of the line,” Creecy noted. She reported that the entire process of recovering the Central Line corridor had cost R1.3 billion. The focus has now shifted to fully restoring signalling on the Central Line Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nicole McCain at News24 (subscription / trial registration required). Read too, Protesters try to block Cape Town’s Central Line, at GroundUp. And also, Recovery of Cape Town’s central line created more than 2,500 jobs, says Creecy, at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
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