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 Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
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Signing of Public Service Amendment Bill into law ‘will interrupt cadre deployment' EWN reports that a bill that could transform governance in SA has been approved by both houses of Parliament and now awaits the President's signature. The Public Service Amendment Bill is considered one of the most significant reforms since the 1996 Constitution was adopted. According to Dr Ivor Chipkin of the New South Institute, the legislation is a 'historic turning point'. It would establish in law for the first time the difference between political office and administrative office and would prevent, in law anyway, politicians from having administrative powers. "Currently, what we have is a situation where our politicians, the President, cabinet ministers at a national level, and MECs at a provincial level, have powers over administrative decisions, the appointment of public servants, but even discretion over day-to-day decisions about how the department or the office should be run. These are traditionally administrative areas. The amendment takes away those powers from politicians, essentially, to meddle in the administrative functions of government departments,” Chipkin explained. He added that it would interrupt cadre deployment as appointments into the public service would have to go through a professional route, where people were selected based on merit, their experience, their skills and knowledge to do the job. Read the original of the report in the above regard by Celeste Martin and listen to a podcast at EWN
‘Unhygienic’ Midoroni clinic in Limpopo has not had running water for over two years GroundUp reports that Midoroni Clinic, located outside Louis Trichardt in Limpopo, has been without running water since mid-2023. It serves the villages of Midoroni, Tshikhodobo, Maebani and Ha-Makhitha. The problem would appear to be simple to fix as here are three water tanks which are regularly filled. But the booster pump to pump the water to where it is needed does not work. Instead, staff must fill buckets from a tap next to the tanks. Nurses use an inside toilet, which they flush with buckets. They also fetch water for the delivery ward in buckets. The outpatient bathrooms have not worked for two-and-a-half years and patients use chemical toilets in the yard. No toilet paper is provided and there is nowhere to wash hands. There is only one person to do daily maintenance of the whole clinic infrastructure and it is impossible for him to cope with the amount of work at the clinic. Limpopo secretary for the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa), Jacob Molepo, said the situation made it difficult for nurses to work and was unhygienic for patients. Beyond the water challenges, the clinic is in poor shape. Broken windows are patched with cardboard and the roof leaks. Denosa says it will escalate the issue to the provincial health department since the Vhembe District Municipality has failed to help. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bernard Chiguvare at GroundUp
Banner battle between Solidarity and Lesufi continues The Citizen reports that the battle between Solidarity and Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi continues following the removal of a 70-meter-long billboard banner alongside the M1 in Joburg on Monday. The message on the banner welcomed G20 summit leaders to what it described as the most racially regulated country in the world. The trade union’s CEO Dirk Hermann said court papers naming Lesufi and the Johannesburg Metro as respondents over the removal of the Solidarity banner had been served on them. “The metro unlawfully removed the banner. We should be in urgent court on November 18. The fact is, South Africa is the most racially regulated country in the world,” he said. The urgent case was brought against the City of Joburg, the Joburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), Lesufi and the advertising agency, listed as Kwaito Trading Company. Solidarity said it had contracted for the banner to be displayed on a section of the wall along the M1 South, close to the Smit Street offramp. It further said the billboard was erected pursuant to a valid commercial agreement with Kwaito. To the best of Solidarity’s knowledge, the billboard fully complied with applicable requirements, but, if any non-compliance allegedly existed, the city had been obliged to issue notice, identify the defect and allow an opportunity to respond. Solidarity further argued that the removal was therefore unlawful. Meantime, Lesufi, blocked Hermann on X. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Marizka Coetzer at The Citizen. Read too, Solidarity takes billboard fight to court, at News24. En ook, Solidariteit sleep Lesufi, JMPD hof toe, by Maroela Media
Harmony Gold celebrates fatality-free quarter Mining Weekly reports that gold and copper producer Harmony Gold Mining Company delivered a solid operational performance for the three months ended 30 September 2025, which CEO Beyers Nel said was driven by an improvement in safety, consistent operational excellence and a higher gold price received. "We are encouraged to report a loss-of-life-free quarter – affirming that safe mines are profitable mines," he said, adding that the company's long-term improvement in its safety performance reflected the success of proactive programmes and robust safety infrastructure. "As operators of some of the world’s deepest mines, we know this demands excellence at all times. We remain committed to zero harm through a culture of accountability and continuous improvement," he indicated. During the September quarter, Harmony's lost-time injury frequency rate improved to 4.29, from 5.57 in the first quarter of the 2025 financial year. Other notable safety achievements for the quarter included that its SA gold operations achieved three-million loss-of-life-free shifts for the period under review, while five of the company's underground mines achieved millionaire status during the quarter, with Masimong recording over four-million loss-of-life-free shifts. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly
New 24-hour visa scheme on the cards for filmmakers to work in South Africa TimesLIVE reports that the creative industry has been given a stimulus with a new visa scheme that partners production companies with an online Department of Home Affairs system to speed up the issuing of permits. Minister Leon Schreiber wants to cut turnaround times to 24 hours instead of film companies waiting weeks or even months for an outcome. While SA is already equipped with the infrastructure required for creative productions, visa inefficiencies have prevented it from achieving its full potential as a destination of choice. In one recent case, SA lost a R400m Netflix production to Mexico. The new Screen Talent and Global Entertainment Scheme (Stages) intends to position the sector to grow the economy and create jobs. A digital platform will process visa applications for international film and creative production companies who are accredited by the department. Companies with a demonstrated track record of operation in the creative sector have been invited to submit expressions of interest to join Stages. An adjudication team has been established to oversee the applications and permissions to cut through the red tape. Read the original of the report in the above regard at TimesLIVE
Ahead of listing, Cell C CEO gets bonus and retention payments equal to 99% of his salary Moneyweb reports that the CEO of Cell C, Jorge Mendes, was paid bonuses and retention payments equal to 99% of his R14.8 million salary in the year to 31 May. This means he received total remuneration of R29.4 million in the year, nearly double the R14.5 million he was paid in the 2024 financial year. This disclosure comes ahead of the listing of the mobile operator on 27 November. Presumably, these bonuses were due to Cell C having achieved its turnaround, with revenue up 6% between end-May 2024 and end-May 2025 to R12 billion. Profit before tax increased from R9 million to R280 million. Mendes joined Cell C from Vodacom in July 2023, with 27 years of telecommunications experience. His R29 million salary compares very favourably with other mobile operators in the market, despite Cell C being the smallest. Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub received remuneration (excluding long-term incentives) of R39 million in the 2025 financial year. MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita was paid a total of R64.7 million in 2024. However, Vodacom and MTN are both significantly larger and more complex operators than Cell C and are active in multiple markets across Africa. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Hilton Tarrant at Moneyweb
KZN principals secure interdict to stop education department’s ‘witch hunt’ disciplinary action TimesLIVE reports that dozens of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) school principals have secured an interdict to stop the provincial education department from taking disciplinary action against them. They say that allegations that they somehow committed fraud in compiling their head counts for learners with disabilities are baseless. While not using the word, the principals strongly suggest that they are being subjected to a “witch hunt”. They are preparing court papers to review and set aside the decision by the director-general to subject them to disciplinary hearings. On 10 November, Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Mokgere Masipa granted an interim interdict at the principals’ behest, staying the hearings pending the finalisation of the review application. Many of these schools and the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of SA (Naptosa) were involved in related litigation against the department a year ago. This after the department, in an 11th-hour circular sent out at the end of November, indicated it would in 2025 no longer provide the usual teacher salary funding relating to Learners with Special Needs. In other words, it had excluded these pupils from the head count it used in its funding formula. In the latest application before Masipa, the principals and governing bodies noted that the department had failed to file any opposing affidavits in these matters, in spite of court-imposed deadlines. Laddsworth SGB chair Caryn Porritt said that to suggest that principals had acted fraudulently was “defamatory and uncalled for in the extreme”, and the decision to subject them to disciplinary hearings was “arbitrary and capricious”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tania Broughton at TimesLIVE (subscriber access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
AMCU’s appeal against dismissals for refusal to work new shift system rejected by Labour Court IOL Business reports that the Labour Court in Cape Town has refused to overturn a decision that the dismissal of some 15 employees by SA Steelworks, a division of SA Metal, was procedurally fair. The employees, known as the Blue team, were dismissed in January 2019 after refusing to work a new shift system introduced by the company in the Melt Shop, which operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Members of the Blue Team faced disciplinary charges including unauthorised absence, breach of company policy, and gross insubordination. The company had consulted employees over several months and introduced a new system aimed at reducing injuries and absenteeism, while giving staff more rest between shifts. Intending to follow the old roster, the employees refused to work on 11 and 12 January 2019 without notifying the employer and in breach of company policy. In arbitration proceedings before the Metal and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council, the dismissals were found to have been both procedurally and substantively fair. The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Workers (AMCU) challenged that finding in the Labour Court. The union argued that the arbitrator had failed to properly consider factors such as the employees’ length of service, whether dismissal was a proportionate sanction, and whether the employees genuinely believed the new shifts were unlawful. The Labour Court rejected these arguments and found that the employees’ actions had constituted gross insubordination and that dismissal was a fair and appropriate sanction that was grounded in the evidence Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nicola Mawson at IOL Business
Gqeberha family found guilty of defrauding the UIF of R500,000 ten years ago Cape Times reports that a Gqeberha family has been found guilty of defrauding the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) ten years after committing the crimes. The matter was marked by medical delays, technical challenges, and legal wrangling. Dimitri Jantjies, 48, Barbara Jantjies, 77, Thomas Jantjies, 77, Virsinese Jantjies, 42, and Tania Jantjies, 49, were convicted in the Gqeberha Commercial Crime Court on one count of fraud and twelve counts of money laundering. The fraud, which ran from May 2009 to March 2011, involved the manipulation of official documents, including employer declaration forms (UI-19s), to divert UIF funds into bank accounts controlled by the accused. This resulted in an actual loss of approximately R500,000 and a potential prejudice exceeding R110,000. A total of 16 witnesses testified during the trial. They were either known to or related to the accused, or had been approached by them through family connections, social circles, and even their domestic worker. None of the claimants was aware that their accounts were being used to channel fraudulent UIF funds, underscoring the calculated and concealed nature of the operation. The matter was adjourned for pre-sentence reports in January. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jolene Marriah-Maharaj at Cape Times
Ekurhuleni amended its regulations to shield EMPD’s Mkhwanazi from disciplinary proceedings IOL News reports that the City of Ekurhuleni’s municipal regulations were allegedly changed to shield Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) Deputy Chief, Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi, from disciplinary proceedings. This happened after Mkhwanazi signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) illegally with companies linked to Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala. Mkhwanazi’s MoUs would have resulted in the outsourcing of blue light services, legal, health, mayoral VIP Protection Services, and the administration of the Workmen’s Compensation Fund to Matlala, a tenderpreneur accused of attempted murder. This was revealed to the Madlanga Commission by Xolani Nciza, the former Divisional Head of Employee Relations at the City of Ekurhuleni. Nciza said that the City Manager, Dr Imogen Mashazi, sent out an internal memo changing the rules on the handling of disciplinary proceedings. Mashazi’s letter read: “Request for allegations to be investigated must be submitted to HOD Corporate Legal Services (Advocate Kemi Behari). Upon determination of a prima facie case, the HOD Corporate Legal Services (HOD CLS) will confirm the allegations, consider the evidential material, and then submit a report to HOD Human Resources (Linda Gxasheka).” Nciza explained that Mashazi’s instruction and modifications to the Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures were “illegal, inappropriate, and against the best interests of the City". Nciza said that he submitted a detailed analysis of the implications of the changes to the City Manager. Mkhwanazi has since been suspended amid allegations aired publicly during the commission’s proceedings. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Gcwalisile Khanyile at IOL News. Read too, How Ekurhuleni officials shielded Brig Mkhwanazim, at SowetanLive. And also, City of Ekurhuleni 'rooted in corruption, irregularities', Nciza tells Madlanga Commission, at EWN A ‘criminal enterprise’ operates at the EMPD, Madlanga Commission hears TimesLIVE reports that there was a “criminal enterprise” operating in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD), its former deputy police chief Revo Spies said this week at the Madlanga Commission. Last week the commission heard about how a senior EMPD officer, Brig Julius Mkhwanazi, had registered vehicles belonging to alleged cartel leader Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s security companies as belonging to the City of Ekurhuleni and of letters, addressed to “to whom it may concern”, that these vehicles were working with the EMPD. The commission heard that Matlala’s security company, Cat VIP Security, had unlawfully been brought in to secure the State of the City event in March 2022. This week, it was claimed that a group of officers reporting to Mkhwanazi were suspected of serious crimes — including murder, robbery, kidnapping and extortion. Yet to date, they have not been prosecuted or subjected to internal disciplinary processes. Efforts to hold Mkhwanazi to account were blocked by city manager Imogen Mashazi, the commission heard. “My firm belief was that this is a criminal enterprise within the municipal police. It is a core group of officers, specifically within the Specialised Services [the division that was headed by Mkhwanazi], that are involved in serious crimes,” Spies said on Tuesday. On Monday, Spies listed seven criminal cases allegedly involving Mkhwanazi and several officers who reported to him. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Franny Rabkin at TimesLIVE (subscriber access only). Read too, Revealing the Misuse of Power: The Ekurhuleni City Manager's Involvement in the EMPD Scandal, at The Star
Eastern Cape teacher fired for sexually assaulting pupil at matric camp News24 reports that a Grade 12 pupil had to deal with the trauma of being sexually assaulted by her accounting teacher while studying at a matric exam camp in 2024. The Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) dismissed Asiphe Mhana, a teacher from Bazindlovu Senior Secondary School in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, with immediate effect last Friday (7 November) after finding him guilty of sexual misconduct. The victim, known as ZM, and her peers, who had been quarantined at school for the duration of the exams as part of a school camp, were using the classrooms as a makeshift hostel at the time of the incident. Allegedly, Mhana called ZM to the library, where the teachers slept, and touched her inappropriately. ZM testified that she had cried throughout her ordeal in the library. Other pupils went to ZM’s rescue at the library. They witnessed the employee forcing himself on ZM. His hand was on the pupil’s private parts, and his pants were down. Mhana pleaded not guilty to the charge. But, slamming Mhana’s actions, ELRC commissioner Siziwe Gcayi said: “The misconduct he committed goes beyond mere sexual exploitation of a pupil. It was criminal conduct, and such characters have no place in the schooling environment.” Gcayi also found Mhana unsuitable to work with children and directed the ELRC to notify the Department of Social Development to include his name in the National Child Protection Register. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Prega Govender at News24 (subscription / trial registration required)
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