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 Thursday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
|
Western Cape magistrates march to parliament demanding judicial reforms and salary reviews IOL News reports that Western Cape magistrates took to the streets of Cape Town on Wednesday, marching to Parliament in an unprecedented demonstration that highlighted growing tensions within SA’s judicial system. The Judicial Officers Association of SA (Joasa) delivered a strongly-worded memorandum to the Presidency, demanding recognition of magistrates as part of a 'single judiciary’, significant salary reforms, and better and safer working conditions. Joasa’s Rohan Roopnarian pointed out that SA Constitution enshrined the principles of a single, independent and impartial judiciary, however, magistrates “who form a crucial part of the judicial system, face significant challenges that undermine their independence, financial security and overall well-being.” A key recommendation in the October 2024 report by the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers sought to address a shortcoming in the salary structure as raised by magistrates, namely the “huge salary gap” between their salaries and those of judges. However, since the report was gazette more than a year ago, the recommendations have not been translated into action, which Roopnarian lamented as undermining magistrates’ financial security. The magistrates called for a platform to be established where regular dialogue between magistrates, the Chief Justice, the Magistrates Commission and the Ministry of Justice to address concerns and improve working conditions. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Chevon Booysen at IOL News. Read too, Magistrates march to Parliament to protest delays in pay hike, unsafe conditions, at News24 (subscription / trial registration required). And also, Delays in salary increases frustrate magistrates amid protests, at The Citizen
Two inmates dead at Pollsmoor prison after violent attack on staff Weekend Argus reports that the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has confirmed that a violent incident occurred on Wednesday morning at the Pollsmoor prison during which officials were attacked and two inmates lost their lives. The disturbance began when a group of inmates launched a stabbing attack on DCS officials. Force was used to restore order and calm has since been restored at the facility. All those injured were transported to hospital for medical treatment. Police were called to the scene, and both the SA Police Service and the DCS will conduct thorough investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident. National Commissioner of Correctional Services Makgothi Thobakgale condemned the attack and expressed his deep concern over the violence. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tracy-Lynn Ruiters at Weekend Argus. Lees ook, Twee dood in aanval by Pollsmoor-tronk, by Maroela Media As well as, Popcru worried about safety of Correctional Services officials, at EWN Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Harmony Gold’s mine death toll climbs to 12 this year IOL Business reports that Harmony Gold Mining has announced that an electrician died while performing routine maintenance work at its Mponeng mine near Carletonville on Sunday morning. A full investigation by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources has been launched. The incident follows previous fatalities reported earlier this year at Harmony’s Doornkop and Joel mines. According to the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), Sunday’s death is the twelfth fatality at Harmony operations and the thirty-eighth death reported in the SA mining industry so far in 2025. Amcu’s president Joseph Mathunjwa commented: "Amcu remains resolute and will not be intimidated or deterred in its fight for zero harm in the workplace. We are outraged by this needless death and by Harmony ‘s disregard for worker safety.” The company affirmed that safety remained a core priority across all its operations. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mthobisi Nozulela at IOL Business
Strike by water workers in Free State on Monday GroundUp reports that dozens of workers at Maluti-a-Phofung Water (MAP Water) in the Free State downed tools on Monday in protest against the municipality’s plan to close down the water company. Workers blocked the entrance to the office in Phuthaditjhaba with their cars and picketed outside, singing songs. In a 25-page “execution plan” dated 7 October 2025, the municipality said water services delivery would be transferred back to the municipality. It indicated that permanent staff of MAP Water would be transferred to municipal departments and the terms of their contracts would be valid. According to the document, the council had decided that MAP Water had failed to provide water services to the communities of the municipality and had become a “huge liability”. Bongane Mpofu, one of the affected employees, said workers had not been properly informed of the decision. “No proper channels were followed. They are saying some people will be moved to the municipality building to work from there, while others will be retrenched,” he said. Meanwhile, according to one of the workers, scheduled repairs would not be conducted during the strike and burst pipes would not be attended to. Some households were already without water on Tuesday. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tladi Moloi at GroundUp
Numsa to march to National Treasury on Friday to demand blacklisting of security firms that don’t pay over fund contributions SABC News reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) is expected to march to the National Treasury in Pretoria on Friday. The union will be demanding that government must top conducting business with private security companies that are reportedly not complying with collective agreements. Numsa’s Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said it was a disgrace that workers in the security sector had to protest for what was lawfully and rightfully theirs. She indicated that they would be handing over a memorandum of demands, emphasising that security companies were defrauding workers by deducting money for medical insurance and pension funds, but not paying it over to the relevant service provider. “This means that when workers have to claim for medical insurance or pension fund, there are not enough funds or no funds at all. Numsa is taking this issue to the National Treasury because it has the power to revoke these contracts, and blacklist companies that are failing to comply. There are a number of companies that are not complying with the National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector,” Hlubi-Majola said. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by SABC News. Read Numsa’s press statement in the above regard at Numsa News
Major labour inspection in Mandeni in KZN leads to arrests of two employers and 47 illegal foreign workers The Mercury reports that a labour inspection blitz in Mandeni in northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has led to the arrest of two employers and 47 illegal foreign nationals. The large-scale operation also resulted in the closure of a clothing and textile factory. It was carried out by the Department of Employment and Labour (DOL) in collaboration with Home Affairs and the police. The operation was led by DOL Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya and Mandeni mayor Thabani Mdlalose, and was held after allegations were received about labour exploitation in local factories. The DOL said the inspection aimed to measure compliance with various legislative frameworks, including the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA), the National Minimum Wages Act. During the inspection, two factories were visited. One of them was served with a prohibition notice for several infractions, including hiring illegal immigrants, paying workers as little as R12 to R17 per hour – well below the mandated National Minimum Wage of R28.79 – and failing to comply with health and safety standards. In a shocking discovery, a 14-year-old minor was found on site. At the other factory, inspectors discovered non-compliance with registration for the COIDA and the Unemployment Insurance Fund. Both factories were flagged for their poor adherence to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) regulations. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Mercury
Amid talent race, FirstRand boosts minimum pay for its SA employees BusinessDay reports that FirstRand has hiked the minimum pay for its SA employees as competition for talent heats up in financial services. This has been amplified by public minimum pay disclosures by the main companies in the sector. The banking group indicated in its 2025 annual report: “In response to market forces, Remco (remuneration committee) approved above-average adjustments to the group’s banking role minimum salaries in order to remain competitive in attracting and retaining skills at this level. The banking role minimum pay was increased by 20.9% from R215,000 per annum to R260,000 per annum.” Nedbank earlier this year increased its minimum wage by 6.7% to R240,000 a year with effect from this month. Also with effect from April, rival Absa hiked its minimum pay 8.7% to R250,000. Standard Bank pays a minimum salary of R258,390 for its unionised employees in SA, while Investec’s last annual report shows that that group’s minimum salary for employees in SA is R250,000 a year. Investec is expected to release its annual report in the coming weeks, which might reveal an increase in its minimum pay for SA employees. Meanwhile, many companies have held back publishing their pay gap analysis until the relevant amendments to the Companies Act are promulgated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kabelo Khumalo at BusinessDay (subscriber access only) Salaries increase for sixth consecutive month, indicating a possible strengthening in jobs market The Citizen reports that salaries increased for the sixth consecutive month in September, suggesting that the job market is strengthening in the third quarter of 2025. Almost 200,000 more salaries were paid in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period last year. According to the PayInc Net Salary Index, which tracks the average nominal net salaries of approximately 2.1 million earners in SA, the steady increase in salaries aligns with the gradual improvement in economic activity and reflects the labour market’s resilience over recent months. Shergeran Naidoo of PayInc indicated: “The PayInc Net Salary Index reached R21,428, which was 0.3% up on August’s level and 2.3% higher than a year ago.” She said the average net salary continued to strengthen, showing a 4.3% increase in the first nine months of 2025 compared to the corresponding period in 2024. In real terms, the PayInc Net Salary Index increased by 0.2% month-on-month to R20,806 in September 2025, marginally up from R20,767 in August. Economist Elize Kruger commented that the salary index “confirms the narrative that 2025 will, on average, be a good salary year, despite uncertainties and challenges impacting the economic outlook.” She added: “With average consumer inflation forecast at 3.3% in 2025, lower than the 4.4% in 2024 and industry data suggesting an average salary increase above 5%, 2025 will likely be the second consecutive year of a real increase in earnings.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ina Opperman at The Citizen. Read too, Six months of good news for salaries in South Africa, at BusinessTech
Public Protector asked to probe promotion of CCMA official who had tampered with case management system GroundUp reports that a former senior commissioner at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has asked the Public Protector (PP) to investigate why an official who tampered with statistics to make the East London office look good was later promoted to a senior case management post. Caren-Lee Small, in her complaint to the PP, asserted that the promotion of Nonzame Jaxa to a senior case management role in the CCMA’s headquarters in Joburg amounted to “maladministration, unethical practice, and a betrayal of the public trust in the CCMA”. Jaxa was the registrar of the CCMA’s East London regional office when, in 2019, an internal investigation found that she, together with other officials, had tampered with the case management system (CMS) to conceal late decisions by commissioners to boost the office’s performance statistics. She was subsequently demoted and transferred to another office in the Eastern Cape. But Jaxa has since been transferred to CCMA’s Joburg office and appointed as Senior Case Manager, in which role she oversees the same case management system. This involves managing case management officers, processing labour referrals, allocating them to commissioners, and capturing these on the digital CMS. In response to questions, CCMA director Cameron Morajane said: “We decline to respond to certain questions due to POPIA (Protection of Personal Information Act.” However, he went on to state that “the entire process relating to the case management and appointment of the employee in question was conducted in strict accordance with CCMA relevant policies and procedures.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sipokazi Fokazi at GroundUp. Lees ook, OB ondersoek KVBA-amptenaar wat glo met stelsel peuter, by Maroela Media
Teachers under fire due to Gauteng education funding cuts Newsday reports that trade union Solidarity has warned that teachers will be significantly impacted by the Gauteng Department of Education’s (GDE) decision to cut funding for certain public schools in 2026. This comes after Gauteng MEC for Education Matome Chiloane advised around 750 public schools in the province that their state subsidy would be cut by more than 60%. The department informed quintile 5 schools in the province that the national tariff of R315 per learner for resource allocations would be in effect for 2026, citing alignment with national standards and budget constraints. For years, quintile 4 and 5 schools in the province received the same amount of R838 per learner for expenses such as textbooks, stationary, and water and electricity. According to Johan Botha of Solidarity’s Teacher Network, which represents over 6,000 educators, the cut in subsidies will make it increasingly difficult for schools to retain teaching staff, manage class sizes, and maintain essential support structures. “Many schools will be forced to abolish teaching posts and other positions, placing an additional burden on the remaining teachers. Larger class sizes will increase workload and stress levels for teachers who are already overworked. This could affect the quality of education and highlights how such government decisions ultimately harm our children, whose academic performance may suffer as a result,” Botha pointed out. He has written to the GDE, demanding that the cuts be withdrawn and reviewed in consultation with schools. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Daniel Puchert at Newsday. Read Solidarity’s press statement in regard to the above at Politicsweb
Fake SPCA inspector jailed for 12 months after forging qualifications IOL News reports that a Cape Town man who impersonated a qualified SPCA inspector and forged official documents in a bid to secure employment has been sentenced to 12 months in prison after entering a plea agreement. The Cape of Good Hope SPCA confirmed the conviction and sentencing of Eric Victor Du Preez, who was found guilty of 32 counts, including fraud, forgery, and impersonation of an SPCA inspector. In August 2025, Du Preez applied for an inspector position at the SPCA, claiming to be a qualified NSPCA Inspector and registered Animal Welfare Assistant with the SA Veterinary Council (SAVC). He presented forged certificates as proof of qualification. However, the SPCA’s verification process uncovered the deception. Du Preez was arrested on 3 September 2025, after attending an in-person interview, during which he continued to present falsified documents, including forged SAVC registration papers and Unisa academic records. It was later established that Du Preez was already under investigation by the SA Veterinary Council for multiple fraud-related matters. The court handed down multiple sentences, all of which will run concurrently, leaving Du Preez with an effective 12-month prison term. “This case highlights the importance of thorough vetting and verification processes,” said Chief Inspector Jaco Pieterse. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Wendy Dondolo at IOL News
New taxes to fund National Health Insurance are ‘nearly a decade away’ BusinessDay reports that according to a Department of Health (DOH) presentation to MPs on Tuesday, the government may not need to raise new taxes for National Health Insurance (NHI) for almost another decade. NHI is the government’s plan for universal health coverage, which aims to ensure all eligible patients have access to healthcare services that are free at the point of delivery, paid for by a government-controlled NHI Fund. Addressing parliament’s standing committee on appropriations, the DOH’s deputy director general for NHI, Nicholas Crisp, sketched a picture of the potential sources of funding for NHI over 15 years to 2037/38, but stopped short of setting out the detailed mechanisms required to implement these measures. If all the potential funding sources were realised, the total amount raised for NHI by 2037/38 would be R458bn, according to Crisp’s presentation. The first step would be to phase out medical scheme tax credits and redirect conditional grants and provincial health budgets to the NHI Fund. Crisp said tax credits would first be phased out for high-income earners, but the threshold has yet to be determined. The next stage would involve scrapping the medical scheme subsidies provided by the state to civil servants, redirecting the funds spent by correctional services on health, and moving the money that currently resides in the Road Accident Fund and Compensation Fund to NHI. Last of all would be raising new taxes, which the presentation suggested would only start in 2033/34. Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has said in court papers that NHI could take 10 to 15 years to implement. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessDay (subscriber access only). Read too, NHI: Government plans to cut tax perks of richest medical aid members, at News24 (subscription / trial registration required). En ook, Motsoaledi wil NGV steeds met ‘onbekragtigde’ taks financier, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Lifestyle audits led to 24 public servants being flagged for hidden wealth The Citizen reports that the Presidency identified 24 public servants suspected of undeclared income, hidden assets and living beyond their means during lifestyle audits in the 2025 reporting cycle. This was advised by Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) Minister Mzamo Buthelezi in the National Assembly on Tuesday. Buthelezi said the department developed and implemented a lifestyle audit framework in alignment with a directive from President. He explained that an integrated lifestyle audit system had been introduced, leveraging existing digital platforms for cross-verification of financial disclosures. Data submitted by public servants was compared with third-party sources such as companies, the Intellectual Property Commission, and the Deeds Office to identify potential unexplained wealth and conflicts of interest. But, Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana questioned that only 24 public servants had been identified and expressed skepticism about the real situation when many public servants lived beyond their means. He asked what triggered a lifestyle audit and whether it was only on senior managers or if it also included junior employees. Buthelezi clarified that the system focused on senior management due to their potential to commit fraud and corruption, but acknowledged that junior employees might also be involved. He indicated that the goal was to ensure that those found corrupt were prosecuted and received appropriate sentences. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Chulumanco Mahamba at The Citizen
|
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page