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 Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
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Labour department compiling ‘hit list’ of companies that repeatedly break labour laws BusinessTech reports that Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya says SA needs to take a far more aggressive stance against companies that repeatedly break labour laws. Speaking during an inspection blitz in Gauteng this week, he said the department would be compiling a ‘hit list’ of serial offenders to ensure they received special attention from inspectors. Sibiya said the Inspection and Enforcement Services branch must urgently identify the companies that consistently ignore labour regulations so inspectors can get ahead of ongoing violations. He added that it was becoming increasingly clear that some employers were intentionally cutting corners and simply factoring fines into their operating costs. Sibiya stressed that the DEL must be “agile and a step ahead” to prevent companies from treating labour laws as optional. According to Sibiya, violations continue to rise across critical pieces of legislation, including the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Compensation for Injuries and Diseases Act, the Unemployment Insurance Act, the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, and the National Minimum Wage Act. As part of its response, the DEL is implementing Project 20K, a plan to significantly expand the visibility and reach of labour inspectors by adding 20,000 intern inspectors over the current Medium-Term Strategic Framework period. The goal is to strengthen enforcement capacity so that repeated offenders can no longer slip through the cracks. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Malcolm Libera at BusinessTech
Three arrested after off-duty Eastern Cape policeman stabbed to death on Sunday DailyDispatch reports that three suspects have been arrested in connection with the brutal murder of an off-duty Eastern Cape police officer, who was stabbed multiple times and had his throat slit. The Mthatha-based Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit, in partnership with various SA Police Service units in Ngcobo, nabbed the suspects, aged between 16 and 24. The detective sergeant, whose body was found on Sunday morning, has been identified as Luxolo Ndaba. Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana reported on Tuesday: “At about 5am, the lifeless body of Sergeant Luxolo Ndaba, attached to the Ngcobo detective section, was discovered next to his motor vehicle. Preliminary investigation at the scene revealed a profoundly violent attack. The officer had suffered a fatal incised wound on the throat and 14 stab wounds to the upper back and neck.” He went on to say: “The callous nature of the killing has deeply unsettled the policing community and underscored the inherent risks faced daily by law enforcement officers.” Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Vuyolwethu Sangotsha at DailyDispatch Safety concerns after attack on official force closure of Petrusburg Labour Centre SABC News reports that the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) in the Free State has closed down its Petrusburg Labour Centre following an attack on one of its officials. The DEL declined to provide further details on the attack. According to the department’s spokesperson Tshego Mogapi, staff members have been traumatised, and they are concerned for their safety. She said the centre would resume operations on Wednesday, and police were investigating the incident. In October, the Petrusburg Labour Centre was temporarily closed down following community threats directed at staff. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Palesa Matshane at SABC News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Tech jobs market in South Africa bounces back TechCentral reports that SA’s tech jobs market is showing signs of strong recovery after a three-year slump that began in 2022. This is according to the November 2025 Pnet Job Market Trends Report, which shows that technology-job vacancies increased 18% year-on-year for the year to end-October. Anja Bates, head of data at Pnet, indicated: “We are recording a notable shift in the market following several years of local and international headlines about large-scale layoffs across IT companies. The need for experienced and specialised tech professionals stabilised at a lower level for a while. Now, the latest job market data points to renewed growth in technology, spurred by cloud and AI adoption.” Hiring activity in the tech job market in October 2025 increased 3% year-on-year, with vacancy advertising rising 1% year-on-year and 6% month-on-month. Candidate database searches increased 6% year-on-year and 9% month-on-month. Pnet said different tech jobs were growing at different rates, with business analysts and data analysts showing the highest demand. The Western Cape has the highest levels of demand for IT sector talent and in-province demand rose 10% year-on-year in October. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nkosinathi Ndlovu at TechCentral. Read too, SA tech hiring rebounds after three-year slump, at ITWeb
Workers, unions accuse Ekurhuleni of not delivering on promised R8.2bn insourcing plan City Press reports that the City of Ekurhuleni is under fire with outsourced workers, trade unions and municipal insiders accusing the municipality of failing to implement its long-promised insourcing programme. This despite R8.2 billion having been allocated in the 2023/24 financial year to bring cleaners and security guards into permanent employment. According to insiders, many contractors have been brought in through irregular or emergency processes without documentation or verification. Internal schedules show the city relies on 5,881 contracted workers across 11 security and 25 cleaning companies. Contracted cleaners earn R5,500 per month with no benefits, while municipal general assistants doing identical work start at R18,000 with full benefits such as medical aid, UIF and pension contributions. Unions are demanding full insourcing, citing unfair hiring practices, political interference and long-term job insecurity for contractors. Meantime, a strike by the Municipal Employees and Civil Society Union outside the Boksburg Civic Centre continues and has now surpassed 60 days. The union wrote to the city manager on 1 December, accusing HR officials of conducting unadvertised job interviews, using lists allegedly “submitted by councillors”, and bypassing formal recruitment processes. The SA Municipal Workers’ Union intensified the pressure during a march on 27 November. Regional secretary Tshephang Langa indicated: “Our members must enjoy full benefits, medical aid, UIF, everything. Council resolved on insourcing and no court has overturned that decision.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Vusuthando Percyvil Dube at City Press (subscription / trial registration required)
Vodacom boss Shameel Joosub is the top earning telco CEO ITWeb reports that Shameel Joosub, CEO of Vodacom, which is SA’s largest mobile network operator, is the top telco earner this year, with a total income of R71 million, inclusive of various benefits. Joosub’s remuneration is tied to several of Vodacom’s metrics, as well as gross pay, which is adjusted for inflation each year. Vodacom notes that this pay is benchmarked against the rest of the industry, considering the role’s size and complexity. The operator also considers job-specific competencies, skills, industry knowledge and experience that contribute to achieving Vodacom’s strategy. Vodacom’s CEO is followed closely by MTN Group president and CEO Ralph Mupita. However, there’s a caveat when it comes to comparing remuneration for the telecoms bosses because MTN’s 2025 annual report isn’t out yet, so it is not yet known what Mupita earned last year. Following MTN’s CEO are those of Telkom, Blu Label Unlimited and then Cell C, in order of market capitalisation. But, there’s another caveat here because it is not known what Cell C CEO Jorge Mendes earned because the company is newly-listed on the JSE and has yet to issue an annual report. ITWeb pulled numbers from the latest annual reports for the highest-value telecoms companies on the JSE to see what their CEOs earned in their most recent financial year. This is indicated in an informative table in the news report. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nicola Mawson at ITWeb
Labour Appeal Court rules Covid-19 child minder job cuts at Emnotweni Casino were fair IOL Business reports that a Covid-related retrenchment of child minders at a Tsogo Sun Casino has been found, mostly, to have been done in all fairness. The Labour Appeal Court found that the dismissals of three crèche attendants from Emnotweni Casino were largely fair, except in respect of one employee, Nonhlanhla Mavuso, whose dismissal was deemed procedurally unfair. She is to receive three months’ remuneration. The crèche shut during lockdown in March 2020. Although the casino reopened in July, the childcare service stayed closed. Tsogo Sun continued paying benefits, then 18 months later issued retrenchment notices, stating the service was unlikely to resume. Consultations ran from late September to mid-November 2021. Tsogo Sun reviewed the proposals received, but concluded that most were not feasible given the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on its operations. A voluntary severance package was offered on 18 October 2021, but only one employee accepted it. The remaining three employees, who rejected the package, were formally dismissed on 17 November 2021. The Labour Court that initially dealt with the matter had found the process had been predetermined and alternatives rejected too quickly – effectively a tick box exercise by Tsogo Sun. Tsogo Sun argued on appeal that it was unaware the workers had union representation. The exception was Mavuso, who claimed procedural unfairness because her union was not consulted after she had engaged them. In determining fairness, the court noted that the affected parties were allowed to make use of outside consultation, yet chose not to do so. Tsogo Sun’s appeal was upheld in part. Only Mavuso was entitled to compensation; the other two crèche attendants’ dismissals were held to be substantively and procedurally fair. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nicola Mawson at IOL Business
Nine KZN schools retain teacher posts after court challenge News24 reports that nine schools in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) will be allowed to retain the same number of teaching posts they had in 2024 into 2026 after they successfully challenged the provincial education department’s teacher post allocations in court. On Monday, the KZN High Court in Pietermaritzburg interdicted the department from implementing the so-called Post Provisioning Norms (PPN) that it had determined for these schools for 2026. The PPN refers to the number of teaching posts allocated to a school annually by provincial education departments. The interdict was granted, pending the finalisation of a dispute resolution process and/or the finalisation of a review of the outcome of an appeal lodged by the schools with KZN Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka. The schools hauled the department to court as a last resort after discovering that their teacher allocation for 2026 was incorrect. Initially, they attempted to contest their teacher allocation through an internal departmental process. After this failed, they declared a formal dispute with the department’s head, Nkosinathi Ngcobo, who was unable to resolve the issue. Warren Smith, chairperson of Maritzburg College’s governing body, said that the department’s determination of the teacher post establishment for 2026 had “serious implications for schools and governing bodies”. He pointed out that the schools had not made provision for the appointment of additional educators in their respective budgets to replace educators they stood to lose. Smith added that if the department’s 2026 teacher post establishment were to be implemented, “it would mean that the affected applicants will have to redo their entire school timetable for 2026”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Prega Govender at News24 (subscription / trial registration required) Parents and staff alarmed as security withdrawal leaves Gauteng schools vulnerable The Star reports that the Gauteng Department of Education has come under fire for removing trained security guards from high-risk schools, leaving students and staff vulnerable to gang violence, theft, and even fatal attacks. With schools already battered by vandalism, fires, and shootings, critics are calling the decision reckless and dangerously shortsighted. Just last month, a principal and administrator at Enxiweni Primary School in Tembisa were shot dead on school grounds. In a written response to questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, GDE MEC Matome Chiloane admitted that the department did not assess the financial or safety implications of withdrawing security guards. He explained that security interventions were always intended to be temporary and that additional measures, including patrollers, wardens, the Adopt-a-Cop Programme, and trained SGB safety committees, had been implemented to stabilise schools. He opined that future budgets could allow longer-term security interventions. Michael Waters, DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Education, slammed the department’s decision as “gross negligence,” vowing to demand the immediate reinstatement of accredited security guards at high-risk schools. He also criticised the replacement of trained guards with unaccredited patrollers who were not deployed after hours, on weekends, or during school holidays, leaving schools dangerously exposed. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Masabata Mkwananzi at The Star
Makhanda police captain wins R80,000 for defamation in fallout after controversial ‘monkey’ remark Daily Maverick reports that a police captain, formerly the acting head of Visible Police Support at the Joza police station in Makhanda, has won R80,000 in damages against the SA Police Service (SAPS) after posters describing her as a ‘white racist bitch’ were distributed in the police station. The posters at the station followed a comment she made stating that ‘If you pick up the monkey, you need to feed it’ when referring to taking responsibility for crime prevention vehicles. This comment was construed as racist. While Judge Avinash Govindjee found that the police had not acted with malice in investigating charges brought against Captain Henrietta du Preez, he ruled that the subsequent distribution of posters in the police stations, with many fixed to Du Preez’s office door, describing her as a racist white bitch constituted defamation for which the SAPS was vicariously liable. It was the police’s case that once the posters were noticed, they were removed. But Govindjee found that the posters were defamatory. He indicated: “What the posters imputed to Du Preez was both demeaning and expressly suggestive of the conclusion that she was racist. The statement that a person is a racist on its own carries a meaning that can defame. As the Labour Court has noted, it is hard to conceive ‘of any place or circumstance or country where, if a person is told that he is racist, it will not be experienced by such person as him or her being insulted and abused’.” He found that the posters had exposed Du Preez to contempt and animosity and made her less worthy of respect by her colleagues. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Estelle Ellis at Daily Maverick
SIU gets order freezing Eskom official’s luxury home and vehicle in R54m tender fraud investigation The Citizen reports that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has obtained a preservation order to freeze a luxury property and a vehicle linked to an Eskom employee and his family following an investigation into bribery and corruption. Intensive investigations revealed that Eskom surveyor and project manager Johannes Seroke Mfalapitsa and his family received about R8 million from companies unlawfully favoured in a tender valued at R54 million. The Special Tribunal granted an order preventing Mfalapitsa, his wife Ndiyafhi Denge and others from selling or dealing with a luxury property valued at R3.9 million in Bendor, Polokwane, and a Nissan NP200. In 2016, Eskom advertised a tender for high-definition surveying services. The contract was awarded to a panel of 10 service providers for five years. Mfalapitsa occupied multiple conflicting roles in the tender process, in direct violation of Eskom’s conflict of interest policy. SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the investigation revealed that a close-knit network of family and friends facilitated alleged corruption. The Eskom employee’s spouse, Denge, received over R2.2 million from the scheme, while his brother, David Mfalapitsa, received over R228,000 from a service provider’s director. The network also involved Mpho Negondeni, who Denge “raised as her own child” and her company. The SIU also made a referral for disciplinary action against Mfalapitsa. He is currently suspended. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Chulumanco Mahamba at The Citizen. Read too, SIU gets freeze order on R3.9m house in Polokwane over Eskom tender, at TimesLIVE Other internet posting(s) in this news category
TVET college lecturer fired for sexual harassment fails to get his job back The Citizen reports that a Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college senior lecturer dismissed for sexual harassment has failed in his bid to be reinstated. The Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) confirmed that his sacking had been fair. Central Johannesburg College Langlaagte Campus lecturer John Vike was dismissed by the Gauteng Department of Higher Education and Training following a disciplinary hearing in May 2024. He appealed the outcome, but the sanction was upheld in July this year. Vike then challenged the outcome at the ELRC, arguing that the hearing chairperson was biased and that the dismissal was too harsh. The case stemmed from an incident in April 2023 involving Zinhle Mkhize, a 31-year-old business management student, who testified that while walking together, Vike asked whether she was available over the upcoming long weekend. Before she responded, he asked whether the cellphone number on her student file was correct for contacting her. When she questioned why he wanted this information, Vike became annoyed and walked off. Vike later approached her, pleaded with her not to report the matter, and stood uncomfortably close, prompting her to push him away. Mkhize stressed that she had never had a personal relationship with Vike and felt violated by his questions. She also claimed that afterwards, he avoided her, mocked the incident in class, made comments that forced her to leave lessons, and even encouraged other students to persuade her to drop the case. The arbitrator acknowledged that Vike had not touched Mkhize, had not attempted a second advance after she rejected him, had not used profanity, and had not made an explicitly crude suggestion when asking to see her over the weekend. She also noted that Mkhize was an adult and that the two were of similar age. However, she emphasised that none of these factors changed the fact that intimate or romantic relationships between lecturers and students were strictly prohibited. The arbitrator also concluded that Vike “was not truthful during his testimony about how the conversation actually went”. She concluded that his dismissal was both “substantively and procedurally fair”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Molefe Seeletsa at The Citizen
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