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.
|
Trump’s tariffs are the final nail in the coffin of SA’s manufacturing industry Daily Maverick reports that US tariffs are dealing a heavy blow to SA jobs, but the country’s factories and fishing fleets were already on their knees after years of ANC policy and governance failures that led to power cuts, collapsing railways and the deindustrialisation of the economy. SA is in the grip of a jobs crisis so deep that economists have begun calling it a “polycrisis”. In the second quarter of 2025, the official unemployment rate climbed to 33.2%, with 8.4 million people out of work. Youth unemployment (ages 25 to 34) was a staggering 40.5%. The Reserve Bank has warned that between 30,000 and 100,000 jobs are at immediate risk from the US tariffs alone, with losses concentrated among low-skilled agricultural workers and formal sector. The Department of Employment and Labour has admitted the tariffs have “made matters worse”. Crucially, not all the pain is imported. Many of the biggest retrenchments in 2025, at ArcelorMittal SA (Amsa) and Glencore, stem from failures at home, namely unreliable energy, collapsing railways and inconsistent industrial policy. The tariffs have simply exposed how vulnerable SA had already become. Daily Maverick goes on to detail the situation in the fishing, steel and vehicle manufacturing sectors in detail. Trade union Numsa is pushing for a harder line: higher tariffs on imported cars, tyres and steel; stricter local content requirements; and the reconnection of coal power stations to stabilise Eskom. But these interventions won’t undo decades of underinvestment and mismanagement by the SA government. It is said that unless the GNU confronts its structural failures head-on by fixing Eskom, rebuilding Transnet and crafting a coherent industrial strategy, more towns like Newcastle and East London will face collapse. Read the full original of the in-depth report in the above regard by Lindsey Schutters at Daily Maverick Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Body in flight suit washes ashore in Durban, sparking hope in month-long search for missing pilot News24 reports that a body has been recovered on Durban’s beachfront, with preliminary investigations suggesting it could be the missing pilot who crashed into the ocean during an airshow last month. Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said they had opened an inquest docket for investigation following the discovery of a body along the Bay of Plenty Beach on Friday night. “The unidentifiable body was possibly washed out from the ocean and was wearing a flight suit. Preliminary investigations suggest that it could be the body of the pilot who crashed into the sea last month, however, formal identification processes will be conducted to ascertain the body’s identity,” Netshiunda indicated on Saturday. The discovery came more than three weeks after 61-year-old pilot Andrew Blackwood-Murray went missing after his light aircraft plunged into the sea during the final display of an airshow at Durban’s beachfront. Following the crash, extensive search efforts were launched involving multiple agencies. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Anelisa Kubheka at News24 (subscription / trial registration required). Lees ook, Vermiste vlieënier se liggaam op Durban-strand gevind, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
SANDF soldiers plan to march for payment of their full DRC allowances City Press reports that soldiers, including wounded personnel, who recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are furious because they still have not received their full allowances. About 1,400 soldiers are now planning to march to Pretoria to submit their grievances. The Department of Defence (DOD) initially promised that negotiators would be in contact with the SA National Defence Union (Sandu) and that the issue regarding allowances would be settled in the military’s bargaining chamber, as legally required. However, at the first meeting, the DOD sent a negotiator without any mandate. The second meeting was unilaterally and indefinitely cancelled by the military. Last week, the military issued a statement assuring soldiers that all outstanding allowances had been paid out and thus resolved. Yet, a military spokesperson said in the same statement that the chief of human resources was still conducting an investigation into discrepancies with the payments. Soldiers received R7,000 and R12,000 over the past two months in allowances. Their main grievance is that the military’s agreement with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo regional force authorised an amount of about R25,000 per month in danger pay and other allowances per soldier. The soldiers want to know what happened to that money if, according to the military, they are only entitled to a fraction of it. The SADC agreement further provides for a daily payment rate for food, while the soldiers had to fend for themselves to obtain food for long periods. This particularly applied during the nearly six months they were held captive at their bases by M23 rebels. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Erika Gibson at City Press (subscription / trial registration required). Read too, Soldier threaten to sue over DRC wages, on page 4 of Sunday World of 14 September 2025. En ook, DRK-toelae: Motshekga se teenstrydighede hoop op, by Maroela Media Hundreds of outsourced contract workers march to demand permanent jobs with City of Ekhurhuleni GroundUp reports that hundreds of people joined a march organised by the Municipal Employees and Civil Servants Union (Mecsu) on Thursday over the outsourced status of cleaners and security guards in the City of Ekurhuleni. The council resolved in November 2024 to begin insourcing cleaners, security personnel, and waste collectors, rather than outsourcing those services to companies. But according to Mecsu general secretary Vukile Mlungwana, outsourcing is continuing. A security guard who has worked at the Tembisa Civic Centre since 2018 explained that he felt exploited: “Every three years, when contracts end, many of us are replaced. We just want permanent jobs so we can access proper benefits.” Contract workers are not entitled to the same job security and pension benefits as permanent municipal workers. The workers also demanded better working conditions and protective personal equipment. A memorandum was handed to Mayco member for Corporate Shared Services Sivuyile Ngodwana. City spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said: “We are aware that some of the workers are temporary staff, such as cleaners and guards. The relevant officials will consider their demands and respond.” Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Silver Sibiya at GroundUp
Chikunga warns against social media job scams targeting SA youth SABC News reports that Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, says social media companies that recruit the youth for overseas jobs must act transparently and ensure that the recruitment is safe and accountable. She was delivering a special statement in the National Assembly last week on human trafficking and unsolicited jobs. This followed an outcry after South African social media influencers promoted a Russian programme called Alabuga Start that promoted work opportunities abroad. But investigations found it was a front for forced labour in a military industrial complex. Chikunga said the youth must be vigilant and verify all work opportunities. “Families and communities have raised a growing outcry, particularly about suspicious recruitment agencies on social media platforms such as TikTok, where traffickers disguise exploitation as jobs, scholarships or modelling opportunities. The seriousness of this threat is not abstract. Recently, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation confirmed the return of 23 South Africans who had been trafficked under false pretences and forced into cybercrimes and operations,” she pointed out. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at SABC News
UIF blasted by Auditor-General for poor TERS records and payments to ghost workers News24 reports that the Auditor-General (AG) has warned that persistent failures by the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) to verify how many beneficiaries actually received payments in its R64-billion Covid-19 TERS relief scheme need to be urgently fixed to secure the fund’s long-term future. In a report to Parliament, the AG’s office said the fund could still not provide accurate supporting evidence for the number of beneficiaries it had processed since April 2020. Two other legs of the UIF’s routine business, namely benefit claims for maternity leave and the number of beneficiaries in labour activation programmes, were also compromised by wonky data. The Covid-19 TERS scheme was instituted at the start of the pandemic as part of a larger effort to stem job losses. The state ended up paying an estimated R64 billion to more than 5 million employees before the scheme wound down. Some late payments – based on documentation that was delayed or misplaced – were still being paid out as late as last year. AG officials said on Tuesday that a lack of proper documentation meant it was still unclear how many beneficiaries had been paid how much, and where all the payments ended up. Probes by the AG and the UIF, as well as an ongoing investigation by the Special Investigating Unit, have uncovered evidence that Covid-19 TERS funds were diverted to ghost employees and dead workers. The exact amount is unknown. A lack of proper documentation was a problem throughout the whole of the UIF, said Delta Rapitsi, who oversaw the audit for the AG. The UIF said it had appointed consultants and audit firms to verify the payments. Investigations are ongoing. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jan Cronje at News24 (subscription / trial registration required)
Tshwane councillors vote to increase their salaries by 5% with retrospective effect EWN reports that councillors in the Tshwane Municipality last week overwhelmingly voted to increase their salaries by five present, with only one councilor voting against the motion. The five percent increase is in line with the determinations recently gazetted by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional (Cogta) Minister as to the maximum salary limits paid to public representatives. The motion was adopted during a special council meeting on Friday. The increases take effect from 1 July 2024, meaning councillors will receive a lump sum in back pay. The councillors will also see a bump to their other benefits like cellphone, housing, travel and motor allowances. Since the 2020/2021 financial year, there have been no increases to the salaries of Tshwane councillors due to the municipality’s strained finances. Republican Conference of Tshwane councillor, Lex Middelberg was the only one who voted against the increases. "When we are rated as one of the worst-run metros in SA, I think it is wrong for councillors to award themselves salary increases. This is a struggling city, it is not a successful place," he indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thabiso Goba at EWN
Medical aid premiums still climbing, Discovery CEO Adrian Gore warns Business Times reports that Discovery CEO Adrian Gore says medical inflation is likely to come down in line with general inflation, but warns that the upward trend in premiums will still persist. This year, premiums across medical aid schemes have increased by between 9.3% and 12.8% with providers saying this is driven by ageing populations, increasing chronicity, and escalating technology costs. “I see medical inflation coming down in line with what we see in the general decline in inflation. But I still think you’re going to see medical inflation at CPI plus 3% to 4%,” Gore indicated. “What happens is medical costs go up above inflation, and other things go up below inflation, and inflation is the average. That’s how it works. But I’m hoping that if you look at how we are operating, we can deliver better quality care at a low inflation rate,” Gore explained. Early this month, the Council for Medical Aid Scheme recommended that the contribution increase and cost assumptions for tariff increases for the 2026 benefit year be limited to 3.3%, plus reasonable utilisation estimates, “to ease the financial strain on members of medical schemes and the risk of losing health insurance”. It noted that annual medical scheme contribution rates “have consistently increased at a higher rate than consumer inflation”, and was concerned by this trend as it placed a significant financial burden on members. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thabiso Mochiko at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
National Commissioner Fannie Masemola suspends his deputy, Shadrack Sibiya, with immediate effect EWN reports that Deputy National Police Commissioner for Crime Detection, Shadrack Sibiya, has been suspended with immediate effect. He confirmed on Sunday that he received a suspension letter from the National Police Commissioner, Fannie Masemola, on Friday. The suspension is believed to be linked to allegations that Sibiya interfered with the work of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) political killings task team and tried to have the unit disbanded. KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi first raised these claims during a media briefing two months ago, where he alleged political interference in police investigations. Sibiya has been on enforced leave for the past two months, pending investigations into the serious allegations that Mkhwanazi made in July. Last week, Sibiya lost a court bid to be reinstated, arguing that his enforced leave was unlawful. But, the Gauteng High Court ruled that the decision was justified given the seriousness of the allegations against him. Sibiya will seemingly remain suspended until the commission of inquiry into political interference in the criminal justice system concludes its work. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Alpha Ramushwana at EWN. Read too, Fannie Masemola suspends deputy Shadrack Sibiya amid KZN task team scandal, at IOL News. En ook, Masemola skors Sibiya ná KZN-taakspan-skandaal, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Pretoria prosecutor released on bail after allegedly accepting R1,000 not to enrol theft case IOL News reports that a 54-year-old prosecutor at the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court has been granted bail following serious allegations of corruption. The Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court released Thandwa Johanna Moseneke on R3,500 bail on Friday. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the allegations against Moseneke stemed from an incident which happened mid-July 2021, when a man was arrested for stealing medicine from his employer. The man allegedly struck a deal with the investigating officer, offering R5,000 to ensure the case against him did not proceed. He paid the officer R2,000 in cash and later a further R3,000 via electronic transfer from his wife’s account. On the same day, the investigating officer allegedly handed R1,000 to Moseneke in exchange for not enrolling the case in court. Consequently, the case was declined for prosecution. The employer then lodged a complaint with police management, prompting an internal investigation that exposed corruption between the officer and Moseneke. Mahanjana said the investigation unveiled that the investigating officer had received money which he later confirmed during disciplinary proceedings. The officer was disciplined internally, found guilty, and dismissed from the police service. He was later criminally charged, and, on 10 September 2025, he pleaded guilty to corruption in terms of a plea and sentence agreement with the State. He received a five-year suspended sentence. Following these revelations, Moseneke handed herself at the Wierdaburg Police Station on 11 September 2025. The case was postponed to 8 December 2025 for further investigation. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sinenhlanhla Masilela at IOL News. Read too, Pretoria prosecutor faces corruption charges over bribe, at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
As violence escalates, Western Cape shuts down key taxi ranks and routes from 17 September for 30 days News24 reports that the Western Cape government has temporarily closed several taxi ranks and routes at the centre of the ongoing conflict in the industry. This follows weeks of deadly violence. From Wednesday, 17 September, nine routes and specified lanes at taxi ranks in Khayelitsha, Makhaza, Mfuleni, Somerset West, Nomzamo, and Lwandle will be shut for 30 days (affected routes listed in report). On Friday, Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku announced that the provincial government was invoking Section 91 of the National Land Transport Act after a Cabinet decision earlier in the day. This provision allows for extraordinary measures in the public transport sector when instability and violence threaten lives. The announcement followed the killing of CATA deputy chairperson Mnikeli Mgope, who was gunned down at the Nyanga taxi rank on Wednesday night while seated in his vehicle. The 61-year-old’s murder followed weeks of bloodshed in which six people were killed between 23 and 26 August, and an off-duty police officer and taxi operator were shot dead on 4 September. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Velani Ludidi at News24 (subscription / trial registration required) Putco launches prototype bus offering accessible transport to people with disabilities EWN reports that bus company Putco has launched a prototype vehicle designed to offer accessible transport to people with disabilities. The new bus has a roll-out ramp feature, giving access to wheelchair users, persons with mobility, hearing and other sensory disabilities. The bus is also able to drop lower near pavements to allow for further accessibility. On Friday, the company hosted a consultative session with the SA Disability Alliance and the National Council for Persons with Disabilities to get more suggestions on how the features on the bus can be improved. Mobility-impaired activist Mandy Lattimore indicated: "One wants equality because that’s what universal access is, it’s equality, it’s equal rights to access and to be able to work and to get to work. How do you get to work even if you find a place that’s accessible and will employ you?” The company said it will have six buses in operation after concluding consultations. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Jabulile Mbatha at EWN Vehicles of e-hailing operators such as Uber and Bolt must be branded under new SA rules News24 reports that following the publication of new regulations by the Department of Transport on Friday, e-hailing vehicles in SA will have to mark their vehicles with branding, provide a panic button for trips, and apply for e-hailing operator licences. E-hailing platforms like Uber and Bolt will also have to update their apps to include a heat map for drivers to identify high-demand areas and issue e-receipts that include the operator’s make, model, and vehicle registration numbers, not just their names. The platform app must also offer live billing on the ride, with payment done after the ride is complete. After a decade-long operating licensing mess, the regulations finally offer clarity on the licensing of e-hailing operators. Drivers who operated using the old meter-taxi licence will have to apply to convert those licences to e-hailing operator licences. Platforms will not be allowed to list drivers without these licences after the 180-day transitional period. Drivers who had previously offered their services without any sort of operating licence will also have 180 days to legalise their services. Operators and platforms that contravene the new e-hailing operator regulations could be subject to fines of up to R100,000. The regulations also detail circumstances under which authorities can cap the issuing of licences to limit the number of e-hailing operators in certain areas and on specific routes. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at News24 (subscription / trial registration required) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
|
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page