In our Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
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Construction jobs helped to lower unemployment in third quarter to 31.9% News24 reports that the official unemployment rate fell by 1.3 percentage points to 31.9% in the third quarter, compared to the second quarter this year. This was due in part to the construction sector, where employment increased by more than 10% in the three months. Employment in trade, mining and agriculture also grew, helping to contain losses in manufacturing and financial services. This was the first fall in the quarterly unemployment rate so far in 2025. Of the provinces, only the Eastern Cape saw an increase in unemployment. More than a third of the 10.3 million (or 33.9%) people aged between 15 and 24 years were not in employment, education or training, Statistics SA reported. According to the latest data, unemployment among graduates fell in the third quarter from 12.2% to 10.4%, while 38% of those without matric were jobless. The unemployment rate among the black African (35.8%) population group remained much higher than other population groups. Over the past ten years, the number of unemployed people in South Africa increased from 5.4 million to 8.0 million, with those in long-term unemployment rising from 66% to 77%. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Helena Wasserman at News24 (subscription / trial registration required). Read too, Unemployment falls for first time this year, at Moneyweb. En ook, Amptelike werkloosheidsyfer daal, by Maroela Media Nearly a quarter of SA’s workforce hold informal jobs BusinessDay reports that Statistics SA has put the number of people employed in the informal economy at 4-million after definitions of formal and informal employment underwent “significant revisions” in the calculation of the third quarter jobless rate. The agency indicated on Tuesday that based on the revisions “estimates on informality cannot be compared with the previous estimates”. But, while the revisions to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey strengthened how certain aspects of the labour market were captured, they did not affect the measurement or definition of employment and unemployment. Headline unemployment figures thus remained comparable and consistent with previous quarter. SA’s informal economy is said to be worth R900bn annually. About 1.3-million people employed in the informal sector are women. The size of SA’s informal economy has been a hot topic after former Capitec CEO Gerrie Fourie said the sector was undercounted and actually accounted for a larger chunk of jobs. Capitec has put the size of the informal economy at 6-million businesses. Stats SA now identifies informal employment as people who are in “precarious employment situations, irrespective of whether or not the entity for which they work is in the formal or informal sector”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessDay (subscriber access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Potchefstroom business meeting turns deadly as former 73-year old employee opens fire News24 reports that Potchefstroom police are investigating a case of murder and attempted murder after two businessmen, who were brothers, were shot during a meeting at their business premises in Potchefstroom on Monday morning. According to police spokesperson Colonel Adele Myburgh, the meeting was between the brothers, a former employee and others when the former employee suddenly opened fire. “There were other people also present at this meeting that was held at the business premises when, suddenly, the 73-year-old suspect took out a firearm and started shooting multiple times towards the two victims. One person was declared dead at the scene by emergency and medical rescue services. He died on the scene. The other person was seriously injured and taken to hospital,” Myburgh reported. The surviving brother is in critical condition. Security personnel on the premises reacted to the gunshots, shooting and wounding the former employee, who was admitted to hospital under police guard. Myburgh said the motive for the shooting was still unknown. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Noxolo Sibiya at News24 (subscription / trial registration required). Lees ook, Skietery in Potch glo oor eiendomstransaksie, by Maroela Media Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Removal of M1 highway banner an attack on free speech, says Solidarity Maroela Media reports that Solidarity indicated in a statement on Tuesday that, should the City of Johannesburg wish to avoid legal action over the council’s removal of the trade union’s advertising banner on the M1 highway in the city, it should restore the banner with immediate effect. In a legal notice to the city council, Solidarity demanded a written explanation of the reasons for the removal and the identification of the officials responsible for it. Solidarity said it regarded this removal of private property as an illegal action by the city council, and maintained in the notice that it amounted to censorship as its removal took place simply because its message challenged government policy. According to Solidarity’s deputy chief executive Anton van der Bijl, the advertising material was erected by a recognised advertising company. “The banner’s removal demonstrates a willingness by the government to use state power to silence public voices that disagree with it. With the G20 Summit in Johannesburg just around the corner, it is clear to us that this action is politically motivated. Freedom of speech is being attacked to cover up inconvenient truths that have come to light. Moreover, it is being done in an illegal manner,” said Van der Bijl. Read the full original of the Afrikaans report in the above regard at Maroela Media. Read too, JMPD removes Solidarity banners alleging lack of city approval, at IOL News
Saftu labels 3% inflation target an attack on the working class and calls for protest outside Parliament on Wednesday IOL Business reports that the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) has slammed Treasury and the SA Reserve Bank’s (SARB’s) reported plan to lower the consumer inflation target to 3% and has called for a mass mobilisation outside Parliament on Wednesday. Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana is set to address the inflation target during his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) on Wednesday in Parliament. The SARB’s official target range is 3% to 6%, with a midpoint of 4.5%. Media reports indicate that the government is considering lowering the inflation target in an effort to curb rising prices. Saftu said the move would hurt workers, increase unemployment, and worsen economic inequality, and described it as an attack on the working class. "The Reserve Bank continues to insist that lowering the target is 'pro-poor'. But this is the logic of a surgeon who proudly announces a 'successful operation' while the patient lies dead on the table. It is the fiction of technocrats who congratulate themselves while the economy flatlines," the federation said. It added that lowering the inflation target was not a neutral "technical adjustment" but a political decision that would deepen unemployment, suppress household spending, and undermine wages. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mthobisi Nozulela at IOL Business
ArcelorMittal and IDC end their exclusive talks with no deal Bloomberg reports that ArcelorMittal SA’s (AMSA’s) exclusive talks with SA’s Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) regarding the potential sale of its local steel operation have ended without a deal, leaving the company free to seek other investors. Sources indicated that an informal proposal of about R8.5 billion from the IDC to the steelmaker failed to break the impasse. The proposed deal, which covered about R7 billion of loans and interest to AMSA, wasn’t deemed sufficient by the steelmaker and the IDC currently has little appetite to offer more, the sources said. AMSA indicated in a statement to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on 4 November: “Engagements to explore alternative solutions continue. Further announcements will be made in relation to these matters as and when appropriate.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Antony Sguazzin & Loni Prinsloo at Moneyweb
Reserve Bank takes 50% stake in payments clearing company PayInc BusinessDay reports that the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) has concluded a deal to acquire half of PayInc, the company responsible for clearing payments between the country’s largest banks. The transaction establishes PayInc, formerly known as BankservAfrica, as a national payments utility, jointly owned by the SARB and SA’s commercial banks. PayInc processes bank card, ATM and EFT transactions between SA’s banks as part of the SA National Payments System. “This unique public–private partnership provides the foundation for building a digital payments ecosystem that is more secure, efficient and inclusive – enabling greater economic participation for all South Africans,” PayInc said about the SARB acquisition. Until now, the company had been a joint venture between the country’s banks. This latest transaction will result in the SARB holding a 50% stake, with the other 50% held by the banks. PayInc began its life in 1972 as the Automated Clearing Bureau (ACB), SA’s first payments clearing house. The name was changed to Bankserv in 1993 and then to BankservAfrica in 2010. In August, the company rebranded, changing its name to PayInc. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mudiwa Gavaza at BusinessDay (subscriber access only) No SA bank has a minimum monthly pay rate of less than R20,000 a month The Citizen reports that Investec has given its minimum pay for employees a bump, but also decreased its group CEO’s remuneration package. According to the bank’s integrated report for 2025, it has increased its minimum monthly pay for its employees in SA to more than R22,000, in other words to a minimum salary to R273,000 per annum, which seems to be in line with all the popular banks in SA. According to information gathered by The Citizen, there is no bank in SA that pays less than R20,000 per month. The minimum annual pay rates are as follows: FirstRand – R200,000 per year; Standard Bank – R258,390 per year; Absa – R250,000 per year; and Nedbank – R240 000 per year. Investec’s CEO Fani Titi received a remuneration package of £3,359,000 (R76,204,894 as per the exchange rate on 10 November), which was a decrease from 2024’s £5,237,000 (R118,800,402). According to the report, Titi’s decrease in remuneration package comes amidst a volatile operating environment for the group in 2025. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tshehla Cornelius Koteli at The Citizen
Order confirms that Dihlabeng municipality must permanently hire employees whose fixed-term contracts were rolled over for up to 15 years IOL News reports that the Dihlabeng Local Municipality in Bethlehem, Free State, must permanently hire a group of employees, whom it appointed for between eight and 15 years on fixed-term contracts and in the process contravened labour laws. Five workers were either appointed as part of the municipality’s graduate development programme or their contracts did not specify a position for which they had been appointed. The workers, who were represented by the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu), complained that their contracts were continuously extended or renewed by abusing their fixed-term contracts. The workers initially took the matter to the SA Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC), which ruled in their favour. The Dihlabeng municipality challenged the ruling at the Joburg Labour Court (LC). Acting Judge Coen de Kock indicated last month: “The court recognises that the applicant (Dihlabeng) has engaged in a prolonged pattern of employing respondents on successive fixed-term contracts spanning eight to 15 years. This pattern is troubling and likely in breach of section 198B (of the Labour Relations Act).” The LC dismissed the municipality’s challenge of the SALGBC’s ruling on the grounds that it was not brought within a reasonable time and that the interests of justice did not favour it being heard. De Kock also ordered that the municipality must comply with the arbitration award within 30 days from 29 October 2025. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Loyiso Sidimba at IOL News
Arbitrator rules 23-month suspension of KZN principal an ‘unfair labour practice’ TimesLIVE reports that a KwaZulu-Natal school principal, who was suspended for 23 months after allegations of misconduct, has won his case, after an arbitrator ruled that the lengthy suspension constituted an unfair labour practice. The Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) awarded Happy Sishange compensation equivalent to two months’ salary, after a ruling was made on Monday in his favour. Sishange, principal of Dloko High School in Umlazi, was suspended on 2 June 2023 pending an investigation and disciplinary inquiry into alleged acts of misconduct. He was eventually found not guilty of the allegations on 20 November 2024, and the provincial department of education’s subsequent appeal was dismissed. However, his suspension was only lifted months later, on 5 May 2025. The basis of Sishange’s claim for compensation was that his suspension, lasting more than 23 months instead of the prescribed three, was unreasonably long and therefore constituted an unfair labour practice. The department, however, argued that Sishange had suffered no prejudice since he had received full pay during his suspension. Sishange’s representative argued that the prolonged suspension caused him severe psychological stress, frustration and strain on his family life. Arbitrator Protas Cele ruled as follows: “In the circumstances, it is my finding, on a balance of probabilities, that the protracted disciplinary process constituted an unfair labour practice against the applicant.” As a result, Cele found it just and equitable to award Sishange compensation equivalent to two months’ salary, calculated at his current rate of remuneration, for the stress, frustration and emotional harm for the unfair conduct by the department. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLIVE (subscriber access only) EMPD deputy chief Mkhwanazi suspended following Madlanga commission allegations The Citizen reports that Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) Deputy Commissioner Julius Mkhwanazi has been suspended from his position. He was at the centre of the testimonies of two colleagues over the last five days at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. Mkhwanazi had been on special leave since at least 25 September after choosing to step away from his position after he was linked to controversial businessman Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala. The Madlanga commission had heard that Mkhwanazi facilitated the installation of blue lights on Matlala’s security vehicles, something later corroborated by two EMPD officials before the commission. The municipality stated on Tuesday that it had been conducting its own audit investigation into the allegations levelled at the city as a whole. “The suspension is an administrative measure intended to safeguard the integrity of the disciplinary process and should not be construed as a finding of guilt,” the city indicated. It added that EMPD operations would continue unaffected as interim leadership structures had been established. Ekurhuleni City Manager Kagiso Lerutla commented: “The testimony emerging from the Madlanga commission is both shocking and deeply concerning. It points to systemic issues that this administration will not tolerate.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jarryd Westerdale at The Citizen. Read too, Ekurhuleni’s acting police chief, Julius Mkhwanazi, suspended, at SowetanLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Almost 300 EMPD officers with criminal records remain in service BusinessDay reports that the Madlanga commission heard on Tuesday that the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) has almost 300 officers with criminal records in service – including for murder and rape – without any disciplinary action having been taken against them. Former EMPD deputy chief Revo Spies told the commission there was a systematic failure of disciplinary procedures in the department, which enabled convicted criminals to serve as police officers without providing proof of expungement of their criminal record. He told the commission about the findings of an SA Police Service (SAPS) fingerprint analysis on EMPD officers, which was compiled after EMPD police chief Isaac Mapiyeye issued a directive in 2022 that officers be checked for criminal records. According to the SAPS report, 275 EMPD officers were found to have criminal records, and others were also awaiting trial. That included four officers convicted of murder, four convicted of rape and 58 convicted of assault. Other crimes included robbery, kidnapping, theft and driving under the influence. Spies told the commission some of the officers had been convicted before joining the service, but he did not know how they had managed to get into the service, because candidates were screened for criminal records. He also indicated that a police officer who had been convicted of murdering his wife had been allowed to return to the EMPD after his release from prison. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sinesipho Schrieber at BusinessDay (subscriber access only). Read too, Madlanga Commission: Ex-official reveals 275 EMPD officers have criminal convictions, at News24 (subscription / trial registration required)
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