Today's Labour News
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.
KPMG SA taps insider Joelene Pierce as its new CEO
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BL Premium reports that KPMG has picked an insider to take over as CEO of the SA division, betting on institutional memory for the firm that faced an existential reckoning after being engulfed in the state capture scandal.
GEMS under pressure from unions to contain 2026 premium increase to single digits
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BL Premium reports that after this year’s controversial 13.4% hike, unions are pressuring the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) to keep its 2026 contribution increase to single digits.
Third of SA steel and engineering firms expect direct hit from US tariff
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News24 reports that a 30% reciprocal tariff on SA goods into the US is expected to have a “significant and multidimensional” impact on the SA metals and engineering sector. This is according to a snapshot survey conducted by the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa).
Police arrest 24 more illegal mining suspects in Barberton, bringing total to 518
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News24 reports that police in Mpumalanga have arrested an additional 24 suspected illegal miners in Barberton, where almost 500 suspects were arrested over the weekend.
JMPD officer sentenced to six years for car crash in 2018 that claimed three lives
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IOL News reports that a Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) police officer has been sentenced to six years in prison for three counts of culpable homicide by the Lenasia Magistrate’s Court.
Letsoalo's appeal in bid for reinstatement at Road Accident Fund rejected by court
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Cape Argus reports that on Friday, the North Gauteng High Court denied suspended Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO Collins Letsoalo's application for leave to appeal his failed reinstatement bid.
Tension rises between KZN Cogta and uMkhanyakude Municipality after court ruling on salary payments
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The Mercury reports that tension between the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) and the uMkhanyakude Municipality in northern KZN is worsening, with the municipality accusing MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi of misleading the public.
Ten SAPS and EMPD officers arrested for allegedly ransacking store in Edenvale
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TimesLIVE reports that ten SA Police Service (SAPS) and Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) officers were arrested while on duty on Monday for their alleged role in corruption and fraud. They are expected to appear in the Germiston Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.
Golden Arrow Bus Services to raise fares by 4% on average from next Monday
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Cape Times reports that commuters will have to fork out more as Golden Arrow Bus Services has announced a fare increase from next Monday. While most weekly tickets have stayed under R250, most of the monthly fares have hit the R1,000 mark.
Department of Trade, Industry and Competition says 30,000 jobs at risk from Trump tariff
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Daily Maverick reports that the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) indicated on Monday that US President Donald Trump’s tariff on SA could put about 30,000 jobs at risk.
Huge admin costs threaten Tshiamiso Trust fund for miners afflicted with TB or silicosis
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GroundUp reports that six years after the creation of the Tshiamiso Trust, there are mounting concerns that the hundreds of millions of rand allocated for its operations could soon be depleted, which threatens to shut down the fund long before its mandate ends.
Rea Vaya drivers at Meadowlands depot bring operations to a halt on Monday
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SowetanLive reports that Rea Vaya drivers at the Meadowlands depot in Soweto brought operations to a standstill on Monday morning by blocking the exit point and demanding the replacement of what they said were unroadworthy buses.
Morning roundup of labour news on Tuesday, 5 August 2025
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In our Tuesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
RAF’s Letsoalo has pushed ahead with appeal to overturn suspension only days before end of term
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BL Premium reports that Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO Collins Letsoalo continued last week with his legal bid to have his suspension lifted, even though his term comes to an end on Wednesday.
Legal profession demands security reforms after second prosecutor gunned down in Eastern Cape
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News24 reports that Advocates for Transformation (AFT) have called for urgent security reforms to protect prosecutors, judges and advocates in public or private practice.
Outa and Ceta trade barbs after last week’s protest over the “rot” in Setas
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The Citizen reports that the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) and the Construction Education and Training Authority (Ceta) traded barbs on Saturday over a protest by the former organization earlier in the week.
Corruption turns municipalities into killing fields, with murders of officials on the rise
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Sunday Times reports that at least 148 local government officials have been murdered in SA since 2018 — and the attacks have ramped up in the past four years.
Independent Development Trust CEO Tebogo Malaka suspended over R836m tender irregularities
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Daily Maverick reports that the Independent Development Trust (IDT) has placed its chief executive, Tebogo Malaka, on precautionary suspension, effective from 1 August 2025.
Prasa lowers fare increases set for 1 August after public outcry
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IOL News reports that the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) revised its fare structure following strong objections from trade unions, commuter groups, and civil society organisations ahead of the planned increase on 1 August.
Bergview College and principal who was falsely implicated in child rape part ways
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News24 reports that Bergview College and its former principal, Jaco Pieterse, who was falsely accused of raping a child, have parted ways.
Roundup on Monday, 4 August 2025 of weekend labour reports
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In our roundup of weekend and recent reports,
see the following summaries of our selection of
South African labour-related articles.
National Gambling Board’s chief strategic advisor quits following forensic audit
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GroundUp reports that Caroline Kongwa, the chief strategic advisor of the National Gambling Board (NGB) for the past six years, resigned earlier this month after being informed of the findings of an independent audit.
UIF claimants at Randburg labour office haven’t been paid in three months and are surviving on handouts
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The Citizen reports that several Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) beneficiaries serviced by the Department of Labour branch in Randburg, Gauteng, claim they have not received their payments for three months.
Police operation nets over 1,000 illegal miners in Mpumalanga
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EWN reports that more than 1,000 illegal miners were arrested at a mine in Barberton, Mpumalanga, on Friday afternoon in what police described as a massive clampdown operation by law enforcement and mine security.
Pilots’ strike ends as FlySafair and Solidarity sign four-year above-inflation wage deal
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BL Premium reports that the wage strike by pilots affiliated to trade union Solidarity at carrier FlySafair ended on Friday after parties signed a four-year wage agreement for above-inflation wage increases.
Labour inspectors shut unsafe Nyanga Home Affairs office
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Cape Times reports that the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has 60 days to comply with a Department of Employment & Labour (DEL) notice issued after serious health hazards, flagged by the Public Servants Association (PSA), forced the shutdown of the DHA’s Nyanga office.
Microsoft study reveals the job types most at risk from AI disruption
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Moneyweb reports that a new study examining real-world use of Microsoft’s Copilot tool reveals that the next wave of automation will hit white-collar roles hardest, with 40 occupations identified as being at the highest risk of AI disruption.
Public prosecutor gunned down outside her Gqeberha home
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News24 reports that police are investigating a case of murder after a public prosecutor was shot gead outside her home in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape on Thursday afternoon.
Outa requests meeting with new Higher Education Minister over Setas
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Engineering News reports that following concerns of widespread governance failures in the sector education and training authorities (Setas) and the lack of action on forensic reports, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has requested a meeting with newly appointed Minister of Higher Education and Training Buti Manamela.
Cosatu vows to protect KZN e-hailing drivers from exploitation and safety threats
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The Mercury reports that the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has committed to developing a Joint Programme of Action with e-hailing drivers to push for legislative reform, improved safety protections, and international recognition of platform workers' rights.