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.
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Security guard critical after robbers storm Pietermaritzburg clinic on Saturday night TimesLIVE reports that a 43-year-old security guard is fighting for his life after he was shot and injured by two men who stormed Caluza clinic in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday night to rob staff. Two armed assailants reportedly stormed the clinic and opened fire, before fleeing with stolen cellphones. The guard, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds, is reported to be in a critical condition at an undisclosed health-care facility. KwaZulu-Natal health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Mngadi condemned the attack and said: “This kind of brutality has no place in our society. An attack on health workers and security personnel is an attack on the entire health system and on the community itself.” Simelane-Mngadi expressed concern for the emotional toll on staff members who witnessed the incident and confirmed that trauma counselling would be provided. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mlungisi Mhlophe-Gumede at TimesLIVE Two policemen shot dead, robbed of their guns in Ivory Park on Friday night TimesLIVE reports that a team of detectives and specialised units have been tasked with the finding two armed men who shot, killed and disarmed two on-duty policemen in Ivory Park on Friday evening. The officers – a sergeant and constable – who were attached to the Ivory Park police station were conducting crime prevention duties in extension 9 when they were fatally shot. The suspects fled the scene with the officers’ pistols, a police rifle and two cellphones. Police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said national commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola directed Gauteng commissioner Lt-Gen Tommy Mthombeni to ensure “mobilisation of maximum resources to hunt down the two criminals”. Mthombeni visited the scene on Friday night. Masemola indicated: “Between 01 April to 30 September, we sadly lost six police officers that were killed in the line of duty. We are doing everything possible as management to ensure members are always operationally ready to respond to the call of duty by providing them with resources and ensuring they attend refresher courses and regular maintenance shooting exercises.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard at TimesLIVE. Read too, Manhunt underway after two police officers killed in Ivory Park, at SABC News Community mourns as Inxiweni school principal Ruth Tabu, who was shot dead at school, is laid to rest TimesLIVE reports that the community of Daveyton in Ekurhuleni gathered on Saturday to bid farewell to Ruth Nozibele Tabu, the principal of Inxiweni Primary School who was shot dead along with an administrative clerk at the school the week before last. Tabu, 56, and Nobantu Njomboni were found inside the administrative block. Emergency services were called but both women were declared dead at the scene. Police said 26-year-old school employee Mokgadi Hope Shongwe and Tuki Benjamin Maditsi, 35, a pastor at an Apostolic church, and a DJ were arrested in connection with the murders. They made their first court appearance at the Tembisa Magistrate’s Court last Monday. At Tabu’s funeral on Saturday, family members were still trying to comprehend their sad loss. Njomboni’s funeral will be held on 6 December in the Eastern Cape. The Gauteng education department condemned the attack and renewed calls for security measures in schools to be strengthened. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Khodani Mpilo at SowetanLive
How former RAF boss Collins Letsoalo made his bodyguards labour as farmhands on his estate Sunday Times reports that damning photos and video evidence have sharply reinforced claims by former Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO Collins Letsoalo’s bodyguards that they were made to work as labourers on his plush estate outside Pretoria. “We were there to protect him, but we were forced to work like his personal farmhands,” one source claimed. According to the guards, they were required to attend to goats and chickens, haul materials for a new boundary fence and slaughter livestock. The footage shows the men – paid by the taxpayer for high-stakes protection – performing menial, exhausting chores and working a drilling machine. Sources close to the bodyguards describe a regime marked by fear and exhaustion. Letsoalo has insisted that the millions spent irregularly on bodyguards were necessary to protect his and his family’s lives from death threats. Last week, despite being presented with the physical evidence of the guards mending fences at his Pretoria farm, Letsoalo maintained this was not the case. He claimed the pictures were taken illegally and said he would take action against the guards. The claims were first heard during a RAF hearing under way in parliament by the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa), which Letsoalo continued to boycott last week. Earlier in 2025, the Sunday Times revealed allegations that Letsoalo had spent more than R10m in public funds on his security detail over three years, including a R4m armoured BMW X5. But, no evidence was provided by Letsoalo to the RAF, the state security agency (SSA) or the department of transport of any security threat to his or his family’s lives. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thanduxolo Jika at Sunday Times (subscriber access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Unions conclude wage agreement with Sibanye-Stillwater’s SA gold operations Mining Weekly reports that trade union Solidarity reported last week that unions representing employees at Sibanye-Stillwater’s SA gold mines have accepted the final wage offer from the company. After five months of negotiations, the parties managed to reach a multi-year agreement for a period of three years, with the agreement to be implemented retroactively from 1 July. The agreement provides, among other things, for wage increases over the next three years, comprising 4.5% in year one, 4.8% in year two and 5% in year three, or a consumer price index- (CPI-) related increase if the CPI exceeds the aforementioned percentage in the final year. “We are disappointed that the increase in year one in particular is not as beneficial to workers, given the good price at which gold is trading, but it is a long-term agreement that brings labour stability and CPI-related increases that represent our contribution to the sustainability of the company,” Solidarity general secretary Gideon du Plessis commented. Read the original of the short report in the above regard at Mining Weekly Impala Platinum not required to disclose to DMRE its report on deadly 2023 disaster IOL News reports that Impala Platinum Mines (Implats) does not need to disclose its own report to government, which was undertaken after the 2023 disaster when 16 miners died and scores were injured when a lift carriage crashed at the bottom of the shaft. The Johannesburg Labour Court (LC) found that the report, commissioned by the mine shortly after the incident, was privileged and that the company was not obliged to share it with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE). An investigation was done by DRA South Africa Projects, on behalf of the mine. The DMRE sought an order compelling Implats to produce the report, arguing that it was necessary for its inquiry under the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA) and that it was not protected by privilege. Implats’ legal advisors, ENS Attorneys, advised that the limited function of the DRA was to prepare an expert report for ENS so that it could advise Implats about impending litigation. But, the DMRE argued that the DRA report was brought into existence for the purpose of the investigation, not for the purpose of legal advice in the face of impending litigation. The LC noted that under law, legal privilege was recognised as sufficient cause to refuse disclosure of a document. It ruled that the DMRE had not proved that Implats had waived the privilege which attached to the DRA report. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Zelda Venter at IOL News Deadly Jagersfontein dam collapse deemed ‘foreseeable and preventable’ SowetanLive reports that an independent investigation into the collapse of the Jagersfontein mine tailings dam in the Free State that killed three people in September 2022 found that it was foreseeable and preventable after years of visible instability along the dam wall. The report by the universities of Pretoria and the Witwatersrand was released on Friday. It found that the collapse was the result of long-term engineering failures, ignored warning signs, and critical lapses in regulatory oversight. Five individuals, including engineers, a compliance officer, and an operations manager, face serious charges in the high court next year, including murder, malicious property damage, and contravention of the Health and Safety Act. The report said satellite images showed signs of structural distress at the dam beginning in February 2019, with weakening of the southern wall. The investigation found the dam wall was built over unstable, saturated tailings without a working decant system, causing chronic weaknesses. The report also found that oversight by the water and sanitation department (DWS) was inadequate. The report recommends that the government overhaul its tailings dam regulations by clarifying legal authority, enforcing stricter licensing, requiring independent audits, and mandating global standard engineering practices. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Koena Mashale at SowetanLive. Read too, Report shows Jagersfontein mine may have known of dam instability since 2019, at IOL News
Solidarity alarmed at government’s ‘disconnect from reality’ as smelter closure crisis risks 800,000 jobs News24 reports that Solidarity has expressed alarm over the government’s “complete disconnect from reality” and “lack of empathy” amid a smelter closure crisis, which is set to claim as many as 800.000 jobs. In a briefing on Thursday, the organisation’s CEO Dirk Hermann said that, in the absence of cut-price power tariffs or other relief from the government, ferrochrome and other smelters were expected to start issuing retrenchment notices at the end of this week. As many as 300,000 direct and indirect jobs could be at risk from December to early 2026 at smelters and other related heavy industries, with another estimated 500,000 jobs at risk in the steel and manufacturing industries. The outcry from the trade union followed a final, failed mediation process between Solidarity and the government at Nedlac earlier last week over the wave of retrenchments hitting the country. Solidarity general secretary Gideon du Plessis commented that government officials were found to lack urgency and empathy for the dire situation. The Nedlac mediation process was initiated by Solidarity is in terms of Section 77 of the Labour Relations Act, and the council is now expected to issue a certificate confirming an official dispute within two weeks. The union is planning several protests to highlight the seriousness of the problem. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisa Steyn at News24 (subscription / trial registration required). Read too, Solidarity concerned about government inaction as widescale retrenchments loom, at Engineering News
Fifth suspect arrested in Hawks' investigation of South Africans recruited for Russia-Ukraine war IOL News reports that the Hawks have arrested a fifth suspect in connection with the ongoing probe into how several South Africans were facilitated into involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war. On Saturday, four people were arrested for the alleged recruitment of South African nationals to join the Russian military. The arrests followed a tip-off from OR Tambo International Airport police regarding four suspects travelling to Russia via the United Arab Emirates. The suspects were stopped at the boarding gate and handed over to the Hawks’ Crimes Against the State (CATS) unit for further investigation. On Sunday morning, that a fifth suspect was arrested and will join the four others in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Monday to face charges under the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act of 1998. Last week, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former President Jacob Zuma, resigned from her position as an MK Party MP amid allegations of involvement in recruiting South Africans to join Russian forces. Preliminary investigations suggest that the recruitment network includes at least one South African woman who allegedly helped coordinate travel for citizens to join the Russian military. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mthobisi Nozulela at IOL News. Read too, ‘Bring back our boys from war-torn Russia', desperate families plead, at Sunday Tribune. And also, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla resigns as an MP after allegedly duping party members to fight for Russia, at Daily Maverick
CCMA to use WhatsApp chatbot for labour dispute referrals ITWeb reports that the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) plans to deploy a WhatsApp chatbot for labour dispute referrals, as it eyes tapping into generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. This was revealed by Nkosikhona Nkosi, chief information officer of the CCMA, in an interview with ITWeb TV. He discussed the statutory body’s digital transformation strategy, the impact of emerging technologies on its processes and the labour market, SA’s labour law landscape, discrimination in the workplace, the gig economy and remote workers. Nkosi explained how the organisation’s IT functions went from “sitting” in the office of the GM for operations, to having a dedicated department with a CIO and team of 25 people overseeing its cyber security needs, establishing a disaster recovery plan and an IT strategy that addressed business needs. Nkosi revealed the CCMA did have digital platforms for referrals, but nothing like the instant messaging platform. The WhatsApp chatbot will form part of ensuring the referral process is agile and less intensive. Nkosi explained that, driven by generative AI (GenAI), the WhatsApp chatbot “will enable a user that brings a matter to the CCMA to capture their referral via their WhatsApp, track the case, receive notifications and arbitration, and chat to a case management officer should questions arise.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Simnikiwe Mzekandaba at ITWeb
Bafana players hold Safa to ransom with 50% Afcon bonuses demand Sunday World reports that a standoff is looming between Bafana Bafana players and the SA Football Association (Safa) over the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) match bonuses. The negotiations between the players and Safa started two weeks ago. The players’ delegation is led by captain Ronwen Williams and senior players. Safa’s bone of contention is that the players are demanding way above budget. Well-placed Safa insiders have revealed that Bafana players are demanding 50% of what the team will accomplish at Afcon, which will take place in Morocco from 21 December until 18 January. Safa has apparently offered the players between 30% and 35% of their winnings. SA has been placed in Group B together with Angola, Egypt and Zimbabwe and will open their campaign against Angola on 22 December. This time around, Bafana players are negotiating from a strong position after their incredible rise and remarkable performances in the 2025 Afcon and 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers. Normally Bafana players each get R60,000 for a win, R30,000 for a draw and nothing for a loss. But with tournaments, they negotiate with Safa according to how far they are able to progress. A well-placed insider indicated: “If the players take more than 50%, that will cripple the association financially. Their demands have increased significantly from the last tournament in the Ivory Coast. If they get this, Safa will not be able to cover all its expenses, and there will be no benefit for the association.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kgomotso Mokoena at Sunday World
Over 30,000 teachers have left public schools in past five years TimesLIVE Premium reports that more than 30,000 teachers either resigned or were dismissed from public schools over the past five years. Gauteng had the highest number of teachers who resigned, at 8,333, followed by KwaZulu-Natal at 5,994 and the Western Cape with 4,700. Gauteng also led with the number of teachers who were dismissed, at 298, followed by KwaZulu-Natal at 295. This was revealed by Department of Basic Education (DBE) Minister Siviwe Gwarube in a written reply to parliamentary questions posed by Build One SA (Bosa) leader Mmusi Maimane. According to the department, there were 30,995 resignations and 1,245 dismissals from 2020 to 2024. Gwarube commented that resignations among educators were influenced by factors such as retirement eligibility, career changes, migration to other sectors or countries, and workload pressures, while dismissals arose from disciplinary proceedings instituted in terms of the Employment of Educators Act. Bosa spokesperson Roger Solomons said the numbers confirmed the extent of the teacher shortages and went on to say: “Classrooms are overcrowded and our teachers are overworked and underpaid. Burnout, lack of professional support and deteriorating working conditions are pushing educators out of the system faster than they can be replaced.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jeanette Chabalala at TimesLIVE (subscriber access only). Read too, SA’s public schools hit by massive teacher exodus, at Newsday Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Deputy EMPD chief returns to work despite sexual harassment probe News24 reports that in April, the City of Ekurhuleni placed deputy chief of police, Ndumiso Gcwabe, on precautionary suspension over sexual harassment allegations, but despite charges being drafted months earlier, a labour relations official allegedly failed to serve him with a charge sheet. Gcwabe ultimately returned to work on 13 November, in violation of his suspension conditions, raising further concern that the metro was failing to enforce its own disciplinary measures. Labour relations officials are alleged to have obstructed the disciplinary process and protected Gcwabe from accountability. Gcwabe is accused of sexually harassing chief superintendent Masabata Penelope Motsile, a 51-year-old EMPD officer who has served the metro for 27 years. According to her statement, the alleged harassment began in October and November 2024, when she and Gcwabe attended an online meeting together in his office. Further alleged instances followed. Motsile reported the matter formally on 22 April and submitted a written statement to HR. But despite submitting evidence, WhatsApp communications and multiple requests for updates, she says her case has been stalled for months within the city’s labour relations division. After months of internal delays, Motsile opened a criminal case. Ekurhuleni faces further scrutiny over claims that Gcwabe was irregularly appointed, with a Public Protector complaint unresolved for more than two years. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Vusuthando Percyvil Dube at City Press (subscription / trial registration required)
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