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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Minister Meth vows her department is working to curb job losses across the country Mining Weekly reports that Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) Minister Nomakhosazana Meth has expressed concern about the ongoing retrenchment processes being initiated in various industries in SA. In the first quarter of the year alone, South Africa lost 291,000 jobs, according to Statis SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey. Steel producer ArcelorMittal SA (Amsa) is set to shut down its longs business by the end of September, resulting in an estimated 3,500 direct job losses and a further 100,000 jobs downstream. Ford SA has announced plans to cut 474 jobs at its two plants in the country. This follows the closure of tyre manufacturer Goodyear SA in Gqeberha, which resulted in the loss of 900 jobs. Meanwhile, miner Glencore plans to cut jobs at its SA ferrochrome and vanadium operations, with the company having initiated a retrenchment process at its Boshoek and Wonderkop smelters, in Rustenburg. The DEL provides intervention strategies for struggling companies through its Business Turnaround Strategy programme, however, the sluggish economy presents huge challenges for job creation and retention. The DEL has also contributed more than R4-billion to the Youth Employment Initiative, which provides young people with positions at various companies to secure one year of experience to become more employable. “While there are some successful programmes implemented currently, we are gravely concerned about the reported job losses in some sectors … We will continue to do everything possible within our mandate, to provide the requisite support to struggling companies and contribute to unemployment reduction,” Meth indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly. Read too, Employment and labour minister deeply concerned at ongoing retrenchments, at TimesLIVE. . En ook, Minister bekommerd oor afleggings, by Maroela Media Thousands of jobs on the line as Merafe Resources begins retrenchment consultations BL Premium reports that Merafe Resources has begun the retrenchment consultation process with employees at its Boshoek and Wonderkop smelters in the North West. Thousands of jobs and billions of rand of export earnings are on the line if the smelters, which were suspended earlier this year due largely to unsustainable electricity costs, are closed down. The smelters are owned by the Merafe-Glencore joint venture, which has already closed 10 of its 22 furnaces over the past four years, resulting in the loss of 1,800 jobs. In a statement on Monday, Merafe said the joint venture had commenced a consultation process in terms of section 189 of the Labour Relations Act. Merafe said the venture was also rethinking operations at its Rustenburg and Lydenburg smelters, which have already been placed on care and maintenance, and was looking for ways to “streamline opportunities within the mining division”. The venture’s Lion smelter, which suspended ferrochrome production earlier this year to conduct maintenance, was also being evaluated – a process that may see the unit halve its operating capacity. “The consultation process is as a result of the continuing economic pressures facing the SA ferrochrome industry and the lack of sustainable industry solutions that could alleviate the pressures in the near- to medium-term,” said the group. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jacob Webster at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, Glencore mulls job cuts at South African ferrochrome venture, at Moneyweb More Glencore layoffs will impact more than a thousand jobs, warns Solidarity Solidarity has confirmed that Glencore has issued two more retrenchment notices, which put more than a thousand jobs at risk. The trade union reported on Tuesday that Glencore Operations SA had just issued two section 189 notices – one at the Rhovan mine and another at the company’s head office. These latest notices follow news of other Glencore operations already under pressure. According to Riaan Visser, Deputy General Secretary for the Mining, Agriculture and Chemicals Sector at Solidarity, Glencore’s decision to end Rhovan’s ferrovanadium production and restructure the Alloys head office support services will leave hundreds of families without bread on the table. “What we are seeing here is that South African workers are paying the price for the government’s policy mistakes and Eskom’s tariff explosion. Since 2008, electricity tariffs have increased – making the entire industry uncompetitive compared to countries where lower electricity costs and government support are the norm,” Visser noted. Solidarity will attend the consultation processes under the supervision of the CCMA and will assist its members in both divisions with full legal and labour law support. “We will explore all alternatives to limit job losses and ensure that, where jobs are cut, employees are treated fairly and decently. There are still dark times ahead. Without urgent improvements to government policy and infrastructure, thousands more jobs will be lost across the country,” Visser warned. Read the full original of Solidarity’s report in the above regard at The Star. Lees ook, Nóg afleggings by Glencore kom, by Maroela Media UIF funding deal for Amsa collapses amid wind-down of long steel operations News24 reports that according to Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) Minister Nomakhosazana Meth, a deal to provide over R400,000 in Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) relief funding to ArcelorMittal SA (Amsa) has collapsed in light of the steelmaker’s resolve to wind down its long steel business. Meth’s department has been part of ongoing efforts by key stakeholders, including the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (dtic) and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to intervene and mitigate job losses at the steel giant, which earlier this year suspended plans to close its loss-making long steel business when a funding plan was extended by the government in May 2025. The funding included R1.7 billion from the IDC, intended to carry the plant for six months to the end of September, by which time a sustainable long-term solution for the business was hoped to be put in place. An allocation of R416.83 million from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) under the Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) to support almost 3,000 employees was also secured. “However, the company is adamant about proceeding with the wind-down,” Meth said in a statement on Tuesday. “The UIF funding did not materialise as our agreement is conditional upon a company providing a guarantee that they would not effect any retrenchments. The primary purpose of our mandate is to preserve jobs; therefore, part of the condition is that companies cannot enter a retrenchment process whilst undertaking a turnaround strategy,” Meth explained. The closure of AMSA’s longs business will result in approximately 3,500 job losses and a further 100,000 jobs downstream. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisa Steyn at News24 (subscription / trial registration required) Trade union Giwusa demands that Clover should reinstate 700 retrenched workers BL Premium reports that the General Industries Workers Union of SA (Giwusa) has called on dairy company Clover to resume negotiations that could result in about 700 workers retrenched in 2021 being reinstated. The workers were retrenched when Clover was taken over by the Milco consortium, led by Central Bottling Company (CBC). Clover was subsequently delisted from the JSE after the takeover. Giwusa and the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) fought the restructuring, approached the courts and embarked on protracted strikes. Giwusa’s Mametlwe Sebei said on Tuesday they wanted the “immediate and unconditional reinstatement of all workers dismissed during the Milco restructuring”. The union’s other demands included nationalisation of Clover under workers’ and community control and the reopening of all five closed factories to resuscitate local economies. In a letter to Giwusa and Fawu dated 1 September, Bernalene Adams, the head of HR at Clover, said the company believed “it would be appropriate for the parties to allow the judicial process to take its course and therefore cannot engage now on the re-employment of the employees retrenched during its restructuring in 2021/22. Once these matters have been finalised by the courts and/or withdrawn by the unions, the company will be able to review its stance and consider the way forward accordingly.” Sebei said the union condemned “in the strongest possible terms the shocking and heartless decision by dairy giant Clover to unilaterally withdraw from negotiations aimed at the re-employment of hundreds of workers it cruelly discarded during its controversial restructuring process of 2021/22”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Shoprite aims to create another 10,000 direct jobs in SA in next 12 months BL Premium reports that Shoprite, which is SA’s largest corporate employer, expects to create about 10,000 more jobs in the next 12 months with its plans to open 309 new stores across its brands. CEO Pieter Engelbrecht said the target figure referred to direct jobs within the group, with many more supported indirectly through service providers such as cleaners, trolley collectors and security staff. In the year to end-June, the group opened 281 new stores and created nearly 9,000 jobs. It spent almost R4.9bn on new stores and upgrades, and plans to leverage a further R7.9bn in the next financial year. Shoprite’s new employee base far surpasses that of rivals, with the group managing to employ about 10% of Pick n Pay’s entire workforce in just one year. The hiring spree comes after Shoprite reported another strong set of results. Engelbrecht said group’s competitive edge came from keeping its internal food inflation lower than the national average. Shoprite measures inflation based on actual customer baskets rather than Stats SA’s fixed list. At some point, it claimed, internal food inflation was as low as 1.9%. “It’s not true that prices never come down. In just one month, we had 13,300 items that were cheaper than the year before,” Engelbrecht stated. Shoprite plans to deepen its push into adjacent businesses, including clothing, pet stores, outdoor outlets, and health and personal care. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nompilo Goba at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Global companies pumping money into offshoring sector in SA Bloomberg reports that global companies are set to significantly expand or set up operations in SA by the end of the decade to access the country’s talent pool for the offshoring industry. The offshoring industry is expected to grow to $6.8 billion by 2030, or 1.6% of gross domestic product, from an estimated $4.4 billion, or 1% of GDP, currently and create more than 212,000 skilled jobs, according to research conducted by global talent solutions firm Robert Walters. The growth offers a rare bright spot for a country struggling with one of the world’s highest unemployment rates at 33.2%. SA’s strong English proficiency, close time-zone alignment with Europe, and its growing reputation for high-quality business and technology services are key factors driving growth, according to the research published on Tuesday. This has enabled Africa’s largest economy to handle increasingly complex offshore functions, with demand strongest for professionals skilled in accounting, financial analysis, and auditing. David Barr of Robert Walters commented: “More companies are viewing offshoring not as a cost-cutting tactic, but as a talent access strategy,” , said in the statement. What sets South Africa apart is its ability to offer both scale and sophistication. It’s this balance that is driving South Africa’s growing role in powering business-critical functions for international organisations.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Daily Investor
Pirates coach Ouaddou, several staff members recovering in hospital after road accident on Sunday TimesLIVE reports that Orlando Pirates (Bucs) coach Abdeslam Ouaddou and five of the club’s staff members are recovering in hospital after they were involved in a road traffic incident on Sunday night. The club said on Tuesday the incident occurred on the R21 when the team was returning from Gqeberha, where the team claimed a victory over Chippa United on Sunday. “On encountering a collision between two vehicles, coach Ouaddou and several staff members disembarked from the team bus to assist those involved. While attending to the scene, a Nissan NP200 vehicle collided with the stationary vehicles, striking the group and causing serious injuries. Coach Ouaddou and five staff members were immediately transported to hospital, where they are receiving medical care,” Bucs reported. The club said it was in close contact with the medical team and would provide updates on their recovery in due course. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mahlatse Mphahlele at TimesLIVE. Read too, Orlando Pirates rocked by highway accident involving Ouaddou and staff, at IOL News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Absa’s new boss raids his former employer Standard Bank for top talent BL Premium reports that new Absa boss Kenny Fihla has tapped his former employer, Standard Bank, for top talent to fill key roles in his management team as he prepares to take the group’s new growth strategy to market in the next few months. To this end, Absa has appointed Zaid Moola as CEO of corporate and investment banking (CIB). Moola leads Standard Bank’s highly successful global markets, which recently recorded a record profit. Moola’s appointment will take effect in January, subject to regulatory approvals. In another signal that Fihla aims to grow Absa’s CIB business, the lender also appointed Musa Motloung as group strategic risk officer. Mothoung currently holds the role of chief risk officer in the CIB business at Standard Bank. Motloung will report to Absa’s chief risk officer, Rajal Vaidya. Moola and Motloung served under Fihla during his long stay as Standard Bank CEO of the CIB division, which accounts for about half of the group’s earnings. Charles Russon, whose most recent role in Absa was that of acting CEO before Fihla took over the reins, has been appointed as CEO for Absa’s Africa regions. Fihla left Standard Bank in March in a surprise move just six months after he was appointed deputy group CEO and handed control of Standard Bank Africa regions and SA businesses. Fihla last month indicated that his immediate task at Absa was to stabilise leadership and make permanent appointments to key roles. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kabelo Khumalo at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Dozens of organisations join sex work decriminalisation court case GroundUp reports that a court challenge aimed at decriminalising sex work in SA is headed for a marathon trial after the Western Cape High Court ruled this week that dozens of organisations could be joined as either respondents (opposing the application) or as amicus curiae (friends of the court) to give expert opinion. The Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT), which initiated the litigation along with a sex worker identified as SH, had urged Judge Andre Le Grange to limit the number of parties seeking to intervene in the matter. But he ruled that they could all make submissions given the importance and interest in the matter. It is now likely that the matter will only be heard next year. The main respondents, the Minister and Director-General of Justice and Constitutional Development, have agreed to abide by the decision of the court. According to SWEAT, the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) has issued a moratorium on the prosecution of sex workers until the matter is finally decided, which will almost inevitably end up in the Constitutional Court and could take some years. SWEAT and SH argue that the laws that criminalise consenting adults for soliciting and engaging in sexual acts for reward, merely stigmatises what they do, makes them more vulnerable, and violates their rights. They are seeking that certain sections of the Sexual Offences Act, the Criminal Law Amendment Act (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) and bylaws be scrapped. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tania Broughton at GroundUp. Read too, SWEAT welcomes court decision to allow 16 NGOs to be part of case related to decriminalisation of sex work, at EWN
Social development spokesperson suspended amid furore over minister’s R3-million New York trip IOL News reports that the Department of Social Development (DSD) has placed its Chief Director of Communications, Lumka Oliphant, on precautionary suspension with full pay, pending the outcome of an internal investigation into alleged misconduct. In a statement on Monday, Director-General Peter Netshipale said the suspension was necessary to ensure the investigation proceeded without interference. While the DSD cited consequence management related to Auditor-General findings, the suspension came shortly after media reports exposed a R3 million trip to New York by Social Development Minister Lindiwe Sisulu. Oliphant was accused by the department of leaking the information to the Sunday Times, an allegation she has strongly denied. She has described the suspension as politically motivated, claiming it stemmed from ongoing internal tensions within the department. She also claimed that a ministerial advisor, Ngwako Kgatla, was influencing decisions against her. Oliphant further dismissed any link between her suspension and the Auditor-General’s report, insisting that the allegations have no bearing on her role. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Hope Ntanzi at IOL News. Read too, Spokesperson suspended after minister’s New York spending exposed, at News24 (subscription / trial registration required)
Principal suspended after Soshanguve pupils stage protest following sexual assault allegations against teacher IOL News reports that on Tuesday, pupils in Soshanguve's Block L area protested during school hours, moving between schools due to sexual assault allegations against a teacher. Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) spokesperson, Steve Mabona, said the protests led to disruptions and property damage. One of the learners was injured and taken to a nearby clinic for medical attention. Mabona said the GDE was aware of allegations that a girl was sexually assaulted by a teacher and a bus driver, who allegedly had an inappropriate relationship with another learner. "It is also alleged that the school principal failed to act on these allegations after they were reported to him by learners," Mabona added. He said the GDE had launched an urgent inquiry to establish the facts, which would provide guidance on the appropriate action. The police are also investigating the allegations. "While these processes unfold, the department has taken the precautionary step of removing the principal from Tiyelelani Secondary effective from Wednesday, September 3, 2025. We believe that this action will play a significant role in stabilising the school environment and allow for an impartial process. The acting Deputy Principal will assist with the day-to-day running of the school, supported by district officials," Mabona advised. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sinenhlanhla Masilela at IOL News. Read too, Principal at school in in Soshanguve temporarily removed, at SABC News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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