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.
|
Shortage of detective a national crisis for crime investigations Weekend Argus reports that SA’s investigative ability is facing a serious crisis with a backlog of 1,9 million case dockets and detectives sitting with 300 to 500 dockets each. Moreover, there is growing concern about the adequate experience of detectives, with more and more younger police officers being absorbed into the detective services. Police Minister Senzo Mchunu described the current backlog as untenable. He said the shortage of detectives was hampering the timely investigation of cases, which in turn affected the prosecution process. As revealed in a November 2024 police briefing, only 15.1% of SA Police Service (SAPS) members are currently deployed in detective roles, which is far below the 20% target. Of the 20,376 officers recruited over the past two years, just 3,142 were assigned to detective services. Johan Burger of the Institute for Security Studies said there are not enough detectives to deal with the growing crime levels. "And I'm talking about serious and violent crimes. The other problem is with the effectiveness of the detectives who don't have enough training,” he commented. Burger noted that the number of trained detectives had almost halved since 2016, just when serious and violent crimes began to spike. He reported that a concerted drive to rehire experienced detectives who had left the service failed because the core problems of poor conditions, low morale, and lack of incentives remained unresolved. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tracy-Lynn Ruiters, Anita Nkonki & Wendy Jasson Da Costa at Weekend Argus Police lack adequate resources, with 30 detectives sharing four cellphones The Citizen reports that Cape Town’s most crime-ridden police stations are operating with barely any resources, with some having just one operational vehicle and detectives forced to share four cellphones among 30 officers. The shocking revelations emerged last week during questioning by Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police of SA Police Service (Saps) leadership about the country’s latest crime figures released last week. ActionSA MP Dereleen James, who has visited nearly 20 police stations primarily in the Western Cape, painted a stark picture of under-resourced law enforcement facilities. “This week I visited Delft and Kent police stations. It is shocking to hear the national commissioner say that you have 30 detectives and for the 30 they only have four cell phones,” she lamented. James added that Delft police station, which ranked number one in the crime statistics, operated with only one vehicle. “That is having a conventional approach for unconventional crime in these areas,” James argued. Major-General Patrick Mbotho acknowledged the telecommunications crisis facing detectives in the field. “We acknowledge that there not many detectives have cell phones but the group commanders have cell phones,” he said, but explained that officers were expected to utilise limited resources “in the very best possible way to ensure that our communities are getting services”. A vehicle shortage compounds the communication crisis, with most police cars reportedly out of service and in car workshops. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Enkosi Selane at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Sedibeng mayor and her driver found unharmed after alleged hijacking, kidnapping on Friday News24 reports that Sedibeng mayor Lerato Maloka and her driver were found unharmed after they were hijacked and kidnapped in Alberton, on the East Rand, on Friday. Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said Maloka and her driver were allegedly kidnapped after leaving a house in Alberton. “Preliminary reports suggest that the owner of the house reported the matter to an individual, who then informed the mayor’s husband,” Muridili indicated. Maloka’s husband then reported the incident at the Dawn Park police station in Boksburg. Katlehong police officers recovered Maloka’s car in Dawn Park at around midnight. Muridili said police were informed at around 02:00 on Saturday that Maloka and her driver had been found unharmed and reunited with their families. Sedibeng municipality spokesperson Nomvula Khalo commended the speedy action by law enforcement. “The executive mayor and her office extend heartfelt thanks for the outpouring of support from her colleagues, fellow comrades, and staff during this distressing time,” Khalo said. Separately, in a statement released on Friday, the DA in Sedibeng welcomed a council resolution to request Maloka’s suspension pending a full disciplinary investigation into her alleged “misdeeds”, which included her “wasting” over R500,000 on a trip to Germany. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Iavan Pijoos at News24 (subscription / trial registration required). Lees ook, Sedibeng-burgemeester, bestuurder veilig ná ‘ontvoering’, by Maroela Media Cop shoots tow truck driver, wounds two others, including a colleague, before turning gun on himself News24 reports that a Free State police constable allegedly shot and killed one person in the Machunwini area in the Harry Gwala District in KwaZulu-Natal in the early hours of Saturday morning. He then allegedly shot another two other people, a member of the public and one of his colleagues, a sergeant, before turning the gun on himself. “It is reported that three police officers, two sergeants and a constable, who are members of the Tactical Response Team from the Free State, were driving from their deployment in Eastern Cape to the Free State when they allegedly missed a detour sign at the road works, and their vehicle collided with the barricade,” said police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda. Two locals responded and assisted by contacting ambulance services and a towing truck. “It is further reported that the constable got out of the vehicle and shot at the tow truck driver. When his colleague intervened, the constable reportedly shot him and another community member. The constable then reportedly turned the gun on himself,” Netshiunda reported. The constable and tow truck driver were declared dead at the scene, while the sergeant and the member of the public were rushed to hospital. The other sergeant travelling with them was unharmed. Police were investigating cases of murder, attempted murder, reckless and negligent driving. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nicole McCain at News24 (subscription / trial registration required). Lees ook, Konstabel neem eie lewe ná skietvoorval, by Maroela Media Cape Town cop gunned down in front of his home on Friday News24 reports that a Cape Town police officer was shot and killed outside his home in Vrygrond on Friday. Western Cape Police spokesperson, Colonel Andrè Traut, said the officer was discovered at around 05:00 at his home in Thys Witbooi Street. “He had sustained fatal gunshot wounds. At the time of the incident, he was in uniform and was en route to report for duty at Wynberg SAPS. His family members, who were inside the residence, were unharmed,” Traut reported. The Hawks have been assigned to lead the investigation. Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile instructed “that no resource be spared in the urgent pursuit of those responsible for the murder” of the police sergeant. Earlier in May, a 31-year-old off-duty police officer was shot and killed inside her vehicle, close to a primary school in Langa, Cape Town. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Nicole McCain at News24 (subscription / trial registration required). Read too, Gun violence flares up in Vrygrond, police officer shot dead, at EWN Truck driver arrested in Van Reenen for drunk driving along N3 Freeway The Citizen reports that the Road Traffic Inspectorate, working with the SA Police Service (SAPS), have arrested a truck driver for drinking and driving in Van Reenen along the N3 Freeway. The driver is currently detained in Ladysmith. According to the MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, the driver allegedly registered 0.32 mg/1000ml, which is three times more than the legal limit of 0.10 mg/1000 for professional drivers. Meanwhile, another truck driver, who was also caught driving intoxicated, will make his first appearance in court on 18 August 2025. According to Duma, the second driver of a truck registered 2.0mg/1000ml, namely twenty times more than the legal limit. Duma said the province had adopted a zero-tolerance attitude to drunk drivers due to the high number of accidents. “Weeks ago, we laid to rest nine victims of a horrific accident involving a truck in Empangeni along the N2. Families lost their loved ones and breadwinners, with children becoming orphans as a result of one reckless truck driver. During my meeting with senior management last Monday, I instructed our RTI team to intensify their ‘no-nonsense, zero-tolerance’ and Alufakwa campaign on our roads,” Duma stated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Vhahangwele Nemakonde at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
AMCU reports about another fall-of-ground fatality at Harmony Gold Mining Weekly reports that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) indicated in a statement last week that it had learnt of the death of another worker in a fall-of-ground (FoG) accident at gold producer Harmony Gold’s mines. According to the reports received, on 24 May there had been a FoG at Tshepong North shaft. The injured worker had been sent to hospital for further medical attention, but he passed away on 30 May. The union is still awaiting the preliminary report from Harmony. “FoG incidents remain unacceptably high in the South African mining industry. Ten FoG fatalities have been recorded this year. Transport- and mining-related incidents account for a further eight fatalities. The total number of mine fatalities to date is 23,” the union pointed out. It noted that the latest fatality was the tenth death at Harmony this year. As previously reported, an employee died in an incident at Harmony’s surface operations at the Saaiplaas reclamation camp, in Virginia, in the Free State, on 27 April. This followed only two days after the death of an employee in a locomotive-related accident at Harmony's Moab Khotsong mine on 25 April. A FoG 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 full original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly Frustration as silicosis payouts for former gold mineworkers stall because of mines’ lack of proper recordkeeping Sunday World reports that thousands of former gold miners suffering from lung diseases such as silicosis and tuberculosis are still waiting for compensation years after applying to the Tshiamiso Trust. The trust was set up in terms of a class action settlement for miners who worked in SA gold mines and were exposed to silica dust. The lawsuit incorporates former mineworkers from SA and the SADC region. The settlement covers those who worked between 1965 and 2019, but some families have lost hope. Catherine Meyburgh from Justice for Miners said the situation was getting worse, highlighting that many of the former miners have died while still awaiting compensation. She said one of the main challenges was the lack of proper medical records. For decades, she said, mining companies and the government failed to keep proper records, especially of black mineworkers, making it difficult for claimants to prove their illness. According to Meyburgh, the trust relied on the Medical Bureau for Occupational Diseases for the silicosis certification and this disadvantaged a number of black miners. “Black miners were often tested in mine hospitals that didn’t keep proper files, and many of those hospitals have since closed. Their records are lost,” she explained, adding that this unfair system meant that insisting on certain medical records favoured white miners and left many black miners without the compensation they deserved. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Boitumelo Kgobotlo &Coceka Magubeni at Sunday World Other general posting(s) relating to mining
CGE reports revels abuse, neglect, and systemic slavery as the plight of women farmworkers Sunday Independent reports that in a powerful and damning presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, the Commission on Gender Equality (CGE) last week laid bare the brutal conditions faced by women farmworkers across SA. It revealed systemic gender-based violence, economic exploitation, poor living conditions, and institutional neglect. The report, titled ‘Experience of Women Farmworkers in South Africa’, elicited sharp criticism from legislators, who demanded urgent action. Dr Dennis Matotoka, chief executive of the CGE, led the committee through the findings, which revealed that women farmworkers continued to face layered and intersecting challenges rooted in apartheid-era legacies, structural inequality, patriarchy, and gender-based discrimination. Despite their critical role in agriculture, many are subjected to exploitative working conditions, economic insecurity, and unsafe environments. “Women are still being treated as second-class citizens on farms. They work long hours under harsh conditions, often without basic rights like maternity leave or access to toilets in the fields,” Matotoka noted. The research focused on fresh crops, dairy, and horticulture farms across four provinces, namely KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Free State, and the Western Cape, and involved interviews with 97 women farmworkers. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sizwe Dlamini at Sunday Independent Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Solidarity warns that 111,000 women and 70,000 white men could lose their jobs because of new sectoral targets BusinessTech reports that the trade union Solidarity has warned that new Employment Equity regulations put the jobs of 111,000 women and 70,000 white men at risk as employers in SA will be forced to replace thousands of white male workers, as well as thousands of women of all racial groups who work in the education or healthcare sectors. This is shown in a new report by the Solidarity Research Institute (SRI) that analyses the regulations whereby the government will soon be enforcing employment equity by means of race and gender scorecards – or so-called workplace quotas, which are officially termed sectoral targets. Employers face hefty fines of as much as 10% of a company’s turnover if they fail to employ staff, especially in lower job levels, in compliance with the figures published the Minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth, in the Government Gazette in April 2025. The report shows that the minister’s scorecards can only become a reality if 76,000 female healthcare workers are replaced by men over a five-year period; 65,000 female teachers are replaced by men over a five-year period; 70,000 white men in all sectors are replaced by men from other racial groups; and 13,000 black men are replaced in public administration positions. Middle-class workers in particular, rather than top management, will be hit hard. The deadline for employers to start submitting their plans is September 2025. According to Connie Mulder, head of the SRI, the sectoral targets are not only blatant discrimination against minorities or groups; they are also not advantageous to black people or the unemployed. “Even if every person in the non-designated group (white men) were replaced by an unemployed black person, black unemployment would only improve by 0,3 percentage points, from 36,98% to 36,64%,” Mulder pointed out. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at BusinessTech. Dowload the SRI’s full report here Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Endumeni municipal manager in KZN quits amid corruption claims TimesLIVE reports that a municipal manager implicated in alleged fraud and corruption in the troubled Endumeni municipality in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has resigned with immediate effect. Sithembiso Ntombela tendered his resignation on Friday. He is implicated in allegations of fraud and corruption relating to a multimillion-rand security tender that was controversially awarded to FBL security company from Newcastle. Endumeni awarded the tender to FBL without following proper bidding processes on the basis that the appointment was urgent. KZN co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi has issued a section 106 report with remedial actions after a forensic investigation into the FBL tender allegations. Buthelezi in March gave Endumeni 21 days to act against those implicated, which date has since lapsed with no action having been taken. Instead, Endumeni speaker Andile Nsibande asked for an extension for the council to look at the report, which was granted. Nsibande confirmed Ntombela has resigned with immediate effect from the council. He said Ntombela did not cite any reasons for his resignation. Ntombela confirmed he had resigned, saying he was “moving on to greener pastures”. He added that the report implicating him was “neither here nor there since it has not yet been discussed”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mlungisi Mhlophe-Gumede at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Educator who allegedly slapped TikToker Kelly Manus' buttocks faces court charges Weekend Argus reports that an educator at Symphony High School in Belhar, accused of sexually violating a colleague, appeared in court on charges of common assault with a sexual nature. The case gained national attention after the victim, who is well-known TikToker Kelly Manus, also known as 'Daai Kind', shared her story in a viral video. She detailed how she was bullied and victimised for speaking out – allegedly by the school’s principal, who is also the wife of the accused. As seemingly shown in in the video, the man slapped her on her buttocks. Vanessa Le Roux, education activist and founder of Parents for Equal Education SA (Peesa), has been supporting Manus since her viral video exposed the alleged misconduct. “I was told that if a man touches your breast or vagina, it’s sexual assault – but if he touches your buttocks, it’s only common assault. Who gave anyone the right to touch women like this? As a mother, I find this deeply troubling,” Le Roux commented. Le Roux called for the accused’s dismissal: “If he did this to a colleague, what about the children? He should not work with them. More teachers and even learners are coming forward – this is bigger than Kelly, she just exposed him.” The man will appear in court again on 19 June. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tracy-Lynn Ruiters at Weekend Argus Other internet posting(s) in this news category
|
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page