In our Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
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Gautrain and Numsa sign one-year 4.2% wage agreement after employees voted against going on strike for 6% BL Premium reports that Gautrain operator Bombela Operating Company (BOC) and the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) have signed a one-year, above-inflation 4.2% wage deal after employees voted against going on strike this week. In a statement on Thursday, the BOC’s Lebogang Tsotetsi said the pay deal marked the conclusion of the wage negotiation process. “This milestone follows a ballot held on Tuesday, 15 July 2025, in which the majority of Numsa-affiliated employees voted against strike action. The ballot outcome paved the way for the finalisation of the agreement, which had been under discussion since the offer was tabled on June 9 2025,” Tsotetsi indicated. The wage agreement came after parties reached consensus on four key demands recently, including on the housing allowance of R1,400 (currently R1,300), transport allowance of R125 (R112), night shift allowance of R40/hour (R37/hour) and performance bonus of R10,016 (R9,612). It also came after Numsa revised its wage demand from 7% to 6%, while BOC did not move from its 4.2% wage offer. Numsa embarked on a balloting process at Gautrain on Tuesday over its 6% wage demand. Wage talks between BOC and Numsa deadlocked in June and attempts by the CCMA to break the impasse failed recently, resulting in the CCMA issuing the union with a strike certificate. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
FlySafair pilots prepare to strike over deadlocked wage negotiations Business Report writes that trade union Solidarity warned on Thursday that nearly two-thirds of FlySafair’s pilots were gearing up for a possible strike next week due to their dissatisfaction regarding salary negotiations and mounting frustrations over working conditions. Negotiations have reached a deadlock, with FlySafair pilots having rejected management’s 5.7% salary increase. The issuance of a strike certificate has granted the pilots the right to engage in protected industrial action after the required 72 hours’ notice to the airline has been issued. The pilots are demanding 10.5% for the next financial year and then 4.5% and 4% respectively for the two years thereafter. Helgard Cronjé, deputy general secretary at Solidarity, said a recent poll revealed that an overwhelming 84% of Solidarity members have rejected FlySafair's current offer. Cronjé asserted that Solidarity’s demands were not unreasonable and called for fairness, respect and transparency to restore trust in FlySafair’s management. Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure in light of the ongoing labour dispute, FlySafair proactively announced schedule changes that will affect selected flights departing between Tuesday, 22 July and Monday 28 July. “We respect the right that this certificate affords our pilots, and equally the rights of their colleagues who choose to continue to work. We deeply value our pilots and the critical role they play in delivering the FlySafair experience,” the airline’s Kirby Gordon said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Siphelele Dludla at Business Report. Read too, FlySafair pilots reject salary offer amid growing dissatisfaction, at Cape Argus FlySafair pilots say they are exhausted, unheard and unvalued Daily Investor reports that pilots working for FlySafair are planning to strike amidst their discontent with salary negotiations and working conditions at the airline. More than half of the pilots working for FlySafair, SA’s largest domestic airline, are preparing to go on strike after failing to reach an agreement with management on wages. This was revealed by trade union Solidarity, which represents almost two-thirds of FlySafair’s pilots. Solidarity’s deputy general secretary, Helgard Cronjé, said the pilots felt exhausted, ignored and unappreciated. He added that there was a growing sense of neglect and burnout among members and a crumbling relationship between the crew and management. “Working conditions have deteriorated, with flight schedules leading to serious exhaustion for our members. Pilots have warned that the current situation is not sustainable. The breach of trust between crew and management has reached a critical point where the future of many pilots at FlySafair is uncertain,” he advised. The union’s members are demanding 10.5% in the first year of a multi-year agreement and inflation-linked increases in the subsequent two years. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bianke Neethling at Daily Investor
Police call for order ahead of ‘Hands off Mkhwanazi’ march in Pretoria on Friday SowetanLive reports that in response to plans by a civil society organisation to protest at the Union Buildings on Friday in support of KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the police have warned that they will not tolerate criminality and lawlessness. National police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said there would not be a shutdown and officers would decisively enforce the law if protesters prohibited people’s freedom of movement during the demonstrations. Since the beginning of the week, there have been protests across the country in support of Mkhwanazi, who made explosive allegations against police minister Senzo Mchunu and deputy police commissioner for crime detection Gen Shadrack Sibiya, whom he accused of being in cahoots with criminals. Mchunu and Sibiya have since been placed on “leave of absence”. Inwooners Baagi Civic Movement leader David Ratladi said they would stage a protest at the Union Buildings with 10 other organisations under the banner of “Hands off Mkhwanazi”. MK party Gauteng leader Abel Tau said they would also stage a protest at the Union Buildings to demand that President Cyril Ramaphosa should resign. He said they were disappointed with Ramaphosa for having called a media briefing to announce Mchunu was going to be put on special leave and that a commission of inquiry would be established. “Ramaphosa knows that the reports of commissions are delivered at his desk and gather dust. This is an urgent criminal matter that does not require reporting between three and six months by any commission,” Tau said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Herman Moloi at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Caretaker and staff bound in armed robbery at primary school near Tongaat The Witness reports that three people were tied up during an armed robbery at Emona Primary School, near Tongaat, in the early hours of Thursday. According to Reaction Unit SA (RUSA) spokesperson, Prem Balram, a call was received just after 2am from a concerned resident reporting a robbery in progress at the school. Upon arrival at the scene, response officers found the security guard, the school’s caretaker, and the caretaker’s son bound hand-and-foot with wire inside the caretaker’s quarters. Five armed suspects had initially approached the school’s security guard at the gate, firing a shot before forcing him to lead them to the caretaker’s home. The suspects banged on the door and threatened to shoot the security officer if the caretaker did not comply. Once inside, the attackers tied up the three victims and ransacked the residence, stealing a cellphone and other electronics. However, two teenagers managed to hide under a bed and were not discovered by the robbers. They contacted a neighbour, who then alerted RUSA. Reaction officers conducted a thorough search of the school and discovered that the suspects had also attempted to break into an office block on the property but had fled after being disturbed. No injuries were reported. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kayla Shaw at The Witness
High Court rules that claims Mantashe received R40m of monies meant for ERPM miners are false BL Premium reports that the South Gauteng High Court has ruled that claims that mineral & petroleum resources minister Gwede Mantashe received R40m meant for miners are false and defamatory. Mantashe initiated a legal showdown against Zakhele Zuma, who labels himself as an activist for miners, this month after Zuma accused the minister of receiving R40m meant for miners from East Rand Proprietary (ERP) Mines in 1999. At the time Mantashe was general secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). Zuma alleged Mantashe had left the miners and their families penniless. “I’m in the East Rand. You can see here I’ve got my mothers and fathers, they were working for the ERP Mine, and it was closed in 1999, but they never received their money. Gwede Mantashe was paid over R40m, but they’ve never ever got the money,” Zuma said in a video published on TikTok in May. In court, Mantashe denied the allegations and argued the allegations were malicious and put him and his family in danger because “he lives adjacent to mining communities, and he interacts with them all the time”. Zuma opposed the application but failed to provide evidence in court. The court ruled in Mantashe’s favour on Wednesday. The court also prevented Zuma from doing any interviews or posting statements about the unfounded claims. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sinesipho Schrieber at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
Number of SAPS trainee applications for 5,500 posts more than 927,000 so far TimesLIVE reports that as the closing date approaches, the number of police trainee applications for 5,500 posts has surpassed 927,000. The SA Police Service (SAPS) confirmed on Thursday that its Basic Police Development Learning Programme (BPDLP) application window would close in less than 24 hours. After the deadline, no further applications will be accepted. The SAPS received more than 67,774 applications within the first 24 hours of opening the application window. Police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said that by Thursday, they had received more than 927,000 applications. She said female applicants continued to lead in terms of numbers, with 527,673 young women having submitted applications so far. Male applicants have submitted 400,204 applications thus far. Gauteng has seen the highest number of applications with more than 240,000, followed by KZN with more than 179,000. Mathe said shortlisted candidates would be called to undergo various assessments, including psychometric and integrity, physical and medical evaluations and interviews. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Shonisani Tshikalange at TimesLIVE. Lees ook, Meer as 900,000 wil by polisie aansluit, by Maroela Media
Grossly underfunded and understaffed Border Management Authority needs 8,000 more staffers News24 reports that the Border Management Authority (BMA) needs over 11,000 operational staff, but the agency is limping along with a meagre 2,600 employees. By 31 March, the BMA had a total staff complement of 2,606 employees, with more than 8 000 posts vacant. Moreover, corporate services personnel, which include human resources, finance and ICT staff, accounted for only 2% of the total staff, while supporting the entire establishment. BMA commissioner Michael Masiapato briefed MPs on Thursday and advised: “The primary risk facing the BMA is its limited capacity, which hampers its ability to effectively fulfill its mandate. This challenge has been worsened by the lack of additional funding allocated to the entity for the current year. As a result, the BMA is unable to recruit much-needed human resources or invest in technology that could alleviate pressure on existing staff.” Masiapato went on to comment: “While the BMA management recognises the country’s current economic challenges and the necessity of cost-containment measures, it is important to highlight that, given the current staffing levels, the BMA is at significant risk of being unable to fully deliver on its extensive mandate. Therefore, serious consideration must be given to the inadequate funding of the entity and the implications this underfunding poses to its ability to effectively perform its responsibilities, which are of national interest.” Masiapato emphasised that the gross underfunding of the BMA remained a critical national risk. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jason Felix at News24 (subscription / trial registration required)
Lesufi announces new HODs in administrative shake-up of Gauteng government EWN reports that Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has made some administrative changes to his government, with some heads of departments (HODs) having been fired for underperformance and failing lifestyle audits. Lesufi announced the appointments of new HODs for a number of departments during a provincial legislature sitting on Thursday. The departments of e-gov, infrastructure, sports, health, social development and education now have new HODs. While three heads of department were fired and others resigned from the provincial government, some were moved to other portfolios. Thirty-seven percent of high-ranking officials in the Gauteng government failed their lifestyle audits, which were conducted by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU). Furthermore, an internal assessment found that some HODs were at the centre of mediocre service delivery and questionable payments. The province’s ethics advisory committee then recommended that Lesufi crack the whip on incompetent senior officials. "In the last few months, we witnessed displeasing acts of under expenditures to the tune of R1.8 billion, senior members failing lifestyle audits, and underperformance by some departments. We have taken a decision to reset government. Albert Chanee will now head the provincial education department, which a forensic report revealed had the highest number of employees accused of unethical conduct,” Lesufi indicated. Read the original of the report in the above regard by Alpha Ramushwana at EWN
Concerns about Setas are legitimate, says deputy minister Mimmy Gondwe News24 reports that according to Deputy Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) Minister Mimmy Gondwe, concerns about the embattled Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) sector are legitimate. Speaking this week after she had visited East London as part of her drive to raise awareness about the dire consequences of students registering to study at bogus colleges, she indicated: “There have been serious concerns raised around our Setas, more especially their effectiveness to actually deal with some of the issues that we have in the country, such as high levels of unemployment. So, there are legitimate concerns around Setas, as some of them are embroiled in allegations of corruption and mismanagement.” According to the deputy minister, the department needed to pay attention on how the Setas were run to ensure they were contributing to the priorities of the government of national unity. “One of the priorities of the GNU (government of national unity) is around combating poverty, the high cost of living, and invariably the high level of unemployment, especially among the young people. They (Setas) really have to be compelled to be responsive to those priorities,” Gondwe pointed out. Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa is under immense pressure from the opposition to fire DHET Minister Nobuhle Nkabane, who is accused of misleading MPs in relation to the names of the advisory panel that she claimed had assisted her with controversial appointments to Seta boards. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sithandiwe Velaphi at News24 (subscription / trial registration required)
Old Mutual warns two-pot withdrawal system risks leaving people ‘very poor in retirement’ BL Premium reports that Old Mutual’s head of financial education, John Manyike, warned on Thursday that the two-pot retirement fund withdrawal system could result in more people retiring “very poor”. Manyike shared the financial group’s two-pot trends as part of its midyear economic outlook. “It is certainly a concern ... given what we know, that for the longest time, the number of people who can retire adequately in SA has been staggering at 6%, so with this type of early withdrawals, we expect people will retire very poor,” he indicated. Manyike said that, since the inception of the two-pot system, Old Mutual had seen withdrawals totalling almost R4bn, of which about R2.8bn reached fund members. The average withdrawal was just more than R12,200. “It’s not like people are using the savings pot to buy cars. When you ask them, some of them will tell you that they are withdrawing to pay off their debts. However, when you look at the reports from the banking institutions, I don’t think it will confirm the fact that people are paying off their debts,” Manyike said. Most of those withdrawing are between the ages of 31 and 40, with the highest numbers falling between 36 and 40. Regarding income brackets, the majority of people making withdrawals falls within the R5,000 to R10,000 income range. “So, it’s people who are more vulnerable, people who may be struggling to make ends meet. We’re hoping that indeed, this money is being used for emergencies, as it was intended for,” Manyike added. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jana Marx at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Subsidiary of KZN water board accused of ‘terminating’ staff for political reasons Sunday World reports that a subsidiary of the Umngeni-Uthukela water board has been dragged to court by former employees who are claiming that their contracts were terminated for political reasons that have to do with the upcoming 2026 local government elections. Umsinsi Holdings, which is in charge of the infrastructure around 13 government-owned dams across KwaZulu-Natal, terminated the employees’ contracts on 30 June 2025 following a chaotic back-and-forth process. The resulting case before the Pietermaritzburg High Court has been brought by 13 workers tasked with removing invasive alien plants and encroachments of dams by communities living around the dams. The 13 applicants in the matter are from the Gcumisa traditional council (under Umshwathi). It houses the Nagle dam, which supplies critical water to Durban and Pietermaritzburg. The employee may later be joined by 287 other employees whose contracts are due for termination by Umsinsi. Some of the employees claim to have worked for the entity for more than 18 years as contract employees, but claim they are now being pushed out to accommodate comrades. In the urgent court papers, the 13 from Kwa Gcumisa want the court to set aside the decision by Umsinsi. They argue that the law was not properly followed when their contracts were terminated. In the same court papers, the 13 axed employees repeat allegations by the other employees, namely that the decision to terminate their contracts was politically motivated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sihle Mavuso at Sunday World
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