In our Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
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AMSA ordered to reinstate long-steel workers retrenched earlier in October News24 reports that the Labour Court (LC) has ordered ArcelorMittal SA (AMSA) to reinstate all workers who were unfairly dismissed from the steelmaker’s Newcastle and Vereeniging long-steel mills earlier this month. The decision on Monday comes after the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) approached the court to urgently compel AMSA to issue a fresh section 189 retrenchment notice, or to at least engage in further consultations relating to the last retrenchment notice that was issued in January this year. The union claimed that AMSA had unilaterally terminated the consultation process on retrenchments at the beginning of March after “major intervening events and developments”. Failure to find a long-term solution for the long-steel business resulted in its closure earlier this month. Numsa argued that AMSA’s rejection of a subsequent R8.5-billion offer to purchase needed to be properly ventilated and consulted upon, as they present possible alternatives to job losses. The LC ruled that AMSA should conduct further consultations; that no further dismissals were to take place until this consultation process was completed; and that employees already dismissed should be reinstated. AMSA has applied for leave to appeal the decision, with the effect of such an application suspending the court order. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisa Steyn at News24 (subscription / trial registration required). Read too, Labour Court orders ArcelorMittal to reinstate retrenched workers, at IOL Business. And also, Steelmaker Amsa faces nationalisation calls amid job cuts, at BusinessDay
Ceta’s R49m ‘irregularly purchased’ headquarters needs R20m to comply with safety regulations Sunday Times reports that the controversial Construction Education and Training Authority’s (Ceta’s) Midrand headquarters, the 2024 purchase of which was found to have been irregular, was concluded without the building having a working air conditioning system. Despite previous claims by the now-ousted former Ceta CEO Malusi Shezi that the R49m building purchase was value for money, Ceta is now poised to spend a whopping R20m for the building to comply with Occupational Health and Safety requirements, including overhauling the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. It is expected that the Auditor-General (AG), who will appear before parliament’s portfolio committee on higher education and training alongside Ceta on Wednesday to discuss Ceta’s audit, will confirm its earlier finding that the purchase of the building was irregular. At the time of the AG’s initial flagging of the transaction, Shezi defended the purchase, saying there were extenuating circumstances that warranted Ceta purchasing the building outside of normal procurement processes. But, according to a Ceta employee, it was clear that the building was “not worth the money spent on it”. The employee further claimed: “The building is filthy, there is no air conditioning, and there are cables everywhere posing a safety hazard”. Ceta did not respond to questions sent on Tuesday. Read the full original of the extensive report in the above regard by Sabelo Skiti at TimesLIVE Premium (subscriber access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Dramatic increase in shortage of employees with critical skills News24 reports that SA’s critical skills shortage is expanding with 84% of companies now finding it necessary to source overseas talent, which is up five percentage points from last year. The 84% represents the percentage of companies saying international recruitment is essential to meet business needs, while 89% of employers say unfilled critical skills roles negatively affect operations, from lost productivity and delayed projects to missed growth opportunities. According to Xpatweb’s annual Critical Skills Survey, based on responses from 381 employers, including JSE-listed companies and international groups operating in SA, the ten most difficult jobs to fill with local talent remained largely unchanged since last year. These are posts for engineers, ICT specialists, artisans, financial professionals and foreign-language speakers. According to Xpatweb’s Marisa Jacobs, the severity of shortages is deepening in the most sought-after roles, particularly in engineering and ICT. In 2024 almost 23% of respondents struggled to find engineers, but in 2025, that figure has surged to 38%. Currently, 22% of survey participants have a shortage of ICT specialists, up from 14% in 2024 and just 10% two years ago. Demand for overseas employees to fill executive positions declined somewhat in 2025. Most companies (82%) find that the National Critical Skills List, last published by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) in 2023, is helpful. The list makes it easier to appoint foreign employees, using mechanisms like the critical skills visa. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Hanlie Nordejee at News24 (subscription / trial registration required)
Court interpreters to register as professional language practitioners SABC News reports that Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has advised that court interpreters will soon be required to register as professional language practitioners, as required by the South African Language Practitioners’ Council Act. The Act came into effect in August. She was speaking at the official launch of the Court Interpreters Robing Programme at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Center in Pretoria on Tuesday. Kubayi noted that registration would enhance the recognition of court interpreters as professional language practitioners, and not as mere interpreters. Kubayi further urged court interpreters to make use of the department’s bursary scheme to learn more languages as government was paying a lot of money to hire foreign language interpreters in certain cases. Deputy Chief Justice Dunston Mlambo urged court interpreters to treat their work as a sophisticated craft and uphold the highest professional and ethical standards. He pointed out that the role of interpreters was crucial in simplifying the language and interaction between court officials, complainants and the accused during court proceedings. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Phanuel Shuma at SABC News
Staff in limbo as Mafube municipality in Free State fails to pay salaries on time Sunday World reports that the cash-strapped Mafube local municipality, located in the Fezile Dabi district in Free State, has once again infuriated its workers by failing to pay salaries on time. In an internal memorandum, acting municipal manager Jamela Selapyane announced that the municipality’s funds were depleting and warned of a delay in October salaries. Employees were disappointed when they didn’t receive their pay on Friday as they had anticipated. They were assured that every effort was being made to resolve the financial issues and to ensure that salaries were paid as soon as possible. For more than ten years, the Mafube municipality has been battling with severe financial difficulties and delayed salary payments. Numerous times the municipality has fallen short of its financial commitments, including payments to employee pension funds. These failures have resulted in legal challenges. In May, the Johannesburg High Court set aside a R98-million warrant of execution against the municipality related to these unpaid pension contributions. Despite the court reprieve, Mafube’s financial woes continue to deepen. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Boitumelo Kgobotlo at Sunday World
Refinery in Booysens busted for processing gold-bearing material for zama zamas The Citizen reports that four suspects have been arrested in connection with an alleged clandestine gold refinery in Johannesburg. The Joburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), the Hawks and private security made the discovery as they continued their fight against illegal mining. The suspects were handcuffed in Booysens on Tuesday. JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla said the raided facility was alleged to have been operating as a key processing hub for illegal mining. “While the facility holds legal registration to process precious metals, investigations revealed it was illegally processing gold-bearing material for illegal miners (zama zamas), a contravention of its registered mandate. Four suspects were arrested on the scene. This includes three individuals, two males and one female, identified as suspected illegal miners and the male manager of the facility,” Fihla indicated. The suspects have been formally charged with contravening the Precious Metals Act (possession and dealing in precious metals) and with bribery after allegedly attempting to bribe the officials with R20,000 for their release. Authorities seized gold-bearing material and processed gold with an estimated street value of R1-million. The facility has been shut down pending further investigation.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Faizel Patel at The Citizen
Less than one in three school principals are women despite ‘feminisation of teaching’ News24 reports that while the teaching profession is female-dominated, with almost two-thirds of teachers being women, less than one in three school principals is female. This was revealed in the Teaching and Learning International Survey (Talis) 2024 South Africa Country Report, which was released by Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube on 22 October. The list of principals in 12 selected international countries featured in the document. In SA only 32.5% of the heads of schools locally were female, despite 62.4% making up the teaching corps. The Free State had the highest percentage of female principals (62.1%) and the North West had the lowest (16.9%). “It’s concerning that women lead in classrooms but remain underrepresented in leadership roles. We need to challenge the gendered expectations and stereotypes that limit women’s advancement,” said Professor Linda du Plessis of North West University. Locally, 3,301 teachers from 361 schools participated in the study, which allowed teachers and principals to provide input into educational policymaking and express their views on key development areas. The report indicated that the massive disparity in female principal representation between provinces “suggests that the efficacy and implementation of recruitment policies aimed at gender equity in management is highly inconsistent across provincial education departments”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Prega Govender at News24 (subscription / trial registration required) Eastern Cape teacher dismissed over illicit affair with 16-year old pupil TimesLIVE reports that a teacher who was found to have engaged in a sexual relationship with a 16-year old female pupil was dismissed in an award made by the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) on Tuesday. Panelist Mbulelo Safa found that the Eastern Cape education department had proved, on a balance of probabilities, that Luthando Balan was guilty of the charges against him. The department led the girl’s evidence. She testified that the teacher was her history teacher in 2024 when she was in grade 11 and aged 16. She said she and Balan were in a romantic relationship which started early that year until about April this year. She confirmed that her older sister, who is a student teacher, also had a relationship with Balam, but she could not say if the relationship was still going on. She disputed the teacher’s version that he only had a relationship with her older sister. She said her parents found out about the relationship when her sister reported it to them. After the teacher admitted to the relationship, the pupil’s father told him to stop the relationship, to which he agreed. But, this year the father discovered through messages on his daughter’s cellphone that the relationship was continuing. The teacher testified that the charge against him was false, fabricated and had no basis. As to his alleged admission, he said the father had pointed a gun at him and assaulted him so he admitted to the relationship and apologised. On the gun incident, the arbitrator said: “In the evidence led there were several instances where the [teacher] admitted to the relationship without a gun being produced. I am therefore unable to conclude that the [teacher] was intimidated and admitted because he feared for his life.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLIVE Nearly 10,000 student teachers vetted against sex offenders’ register News24 reports that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has paid nearly R1 million for 9,900 student teachers to undergo vetting against the National Register of Sex Offenders (NRSO). This comes after the department’s shocking revelation in April that only 78,509 of the 405,738 teachers at public schools had been vetted. Lukhanyo Vangqa, spokesperson for DBE Minister Siviwe Gwarube, confirmed that the department had funded the vetting costs for student teachers who were recipients of the Funza Lushaka bursary, a government bursary scheme for those studying teaching. The NRSO, maintained by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, lists people prevented from being employed or placed in positions of authority, supervision, or care over vulnerable persons, including children. DBE director-general Mathanzima Mweli said: “The department would like to emphasise the importance of the NRSO and the necessity of vetting for student teachers enrolled in initial teacher education programmes.” Student teachers studying teaching at universities spend months doing their practicals at schools. “It is imperative that student teachers understand the significance of compliance with this requirement as non-compliance may lead to legal penalties and could jeopardise their ability to qualify for future teaching positions.” Mweli pointed out. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Prega Govender at News24 (subscription / trial registration required) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Cuban doctor in court for allegedly stealing medication from Thabazimbi Hospital SowetanLive reports that a 54-year-old Cuban national who works as a doctor at a Limpopo hospital was released on a warning after being accused of stealing medication at her place of work. Dr Yamilet Castaneda appeared at the Thabazimbi Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday over allegations that she stole medication from Thabazimbi Hospital. The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA’s) spokesperson Mashudu Malabi said Castaneda was released on warning and the matter was postponed to 28 November for further investigation. The incident took place on 2 September when a security officer at the hospital’s main gate conducted a routine search and found unauthorised medication in the doctor’s bag. The officer alerted management, and a further search of her office led to the discovery of additional medication. The total value of the recovered items is estimated at R1,780.87. Castaneda was arrested on Wednesday last week on her return to SA after she had reportedly travelled to Cuba. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Botho Molosankwe at SowetanLive
SA Weather Service denies mismanagement and corruption allegations said to have emanated from union The Citizen reports that the SA Weather Service (Saws) has hit back at “unfounded” allegations of mismanagement and corruption, saying its systems ensured clean governance and compliance amid union tensions. The alleged impropriety includes claims of governance failures, procurement manipulation, financial mismanagement, unchecked executive power and a culture of impunity. Most of the accusations relate to procurement, with a focus on delays in acquiring a new High-Performance Computing system (HPC). Saws spokesperson Oupa Segalwe said on Tuesday: “At least one of the news reports has attributed the misleading claims to a labour union that operates within the organisation. Incidentally, these claims and concerns come at a time of a wage dispute between the entity and the labour union in question, as well as a Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration decision, declining to issue the union concerned with a certificate to picket.” Saws said the board was unaware of any whistleblowing or unresolved disciplinary matters related to HPC procurement. It denied protecting the CEO or staff. Segalwe indicated that the board would immediately refer allegations involving the CEO to the minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment, Dr Dion George, for investigation. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Chulumanco Mahamba at The Citizen. Lees ook, Weerdiens verwerp bewerings van korrupsie, wanbestuur, by Maroela Media
Western Cape government warns of tough action if latest fatal taxi shooting is linked to contested routes EWN reports that Western Cape Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku says tough action will be taken should the latest taxi shooting incident be linked to contested routes. Cape Town Taxi Association (CATA) taxi businessman, Mzukisi Zwakala, was shot and killed in Lwandle on Monday. It is not clear if his murder is linked to tensions between CATA and its rival, the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta), over routes in the Somerset West area. The attack might be linked to internal tensions rather than clashes with rival taxi associations. Last week, a 30-day closure of routes between Khayelitsha, Mfuleni, and Somerset West, which were implemented due to taxi-related violence, was lifted. Sileku said he was waiting to hear from the police about whether the latest murder was related to the reopening of the routes or not. He said that if it was linked, he would take decisive action. CATA spokesperson Nkululeko Sityebi said the police must do a thorough investigation to avoid speculation. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ntuthuzelo Nene at EWN. Read too, Western Cape taxi violence escalates as another CATA member is gunned down, at News24 (subscription / trial registration required)
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