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.
Festive bonanza for 25,000 Tshwane workers despite metro’s R4.4bn deficit
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Pretoria News reports that the cash-strapped City of Tshwane will disburse millions of rand to its estimated 25,000 employees this festive season as part of the payouts linked to a benchmarking agreement.
Cops investigate after policewoman's body retrieved from river near Port St Johns
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SowetanLive reports that the body of a missing police detective, Warrant Officer Nosipho Mphakathi, was found floating in Umzimvubu River on Saturday afternoon.
What CCMA budget cuts of R6000m over three years will mean for workers
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Mail & Guardian reports that the caseload of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has increased 14.36% in the last year, but the money it gets from the government has increased by only 1.32%.
With 150 ‘house grabs’ over the past year, mining town of Rustenburg ‘in a crisis’
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Saturday Star writes that the over the last year, 150 properties in the North West mining town of Rustenburg belonging to the big three mining groups in town, namely Impala Platinum, Anglo American Platinum and Sibanye-Stillwater, have allegedly been illegally occupied.
Woman who fabricated credentials for acting magistrate position found guilty of fraud in Bloemfontein
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TimesLIVE reports that a 38-year-old woman who fabricated her credentials for an acting magistrate position was found guilty of fraud on 10 December.
Nearly half of SA’s live music workers may quit the industry for good after a ‘devastating’ 2020
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Gwen Ansell writes that for people working in SA’s live music sector, 2020 has been “devastating” according to responses to the country’s largest-ever live music and Covid-19 survey, published in November.
Covid-19 outbreak at Stats SA training session at St George's Hotel in Pretoria
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TimesLIVE reports that Statistics SA (Stats SA) employees and contract workers from Gauteng attending a training course at a Pretoria hotel have been asked to stay in their rooms after four people in the group tested positive for Covid-19.
Roundup on Monday, 14 December 2020 of weekend labour reports
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In our roundup of weekend news, see
summaries of our selection of South African
labour-related stories that appeared since
Friday, 11 December 2020.
SAA staff salaries a point of contention as Solidarity makes new proposal
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City Press reports that employees of SAA, who have not been paid for eight months, may receive their salaries for three months this week if trade unions accept a new proposal made by Solidarity.
Western Cape welcomes 120 graduate agricultural interns
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Engineering News reports that about 120 graduate agricultural interns took up their two-year internship within the Western Cape agriculture sector on 9 December.
Eastern Cape health MEC Sindiswa Gomba tests positive for Covid-19
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News24 reports that Eastern Cape Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba has tested positive for Covid-19, her office announced on Sunday evening. “The MEC is at home for isolation as per the protocol of Covid-19," department spokesperson Judy Ngoloyi indicated.
Pensions of 1,600 municipal employees lapse due to non-payment by councils of employer contributions
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News24 reports that a parliamentary reply has revealed that several municipalities across the country have defaulted on paying over employer contributions to workers’ pension funds.
KwaZulu-Natal sees a significant rise in Covid-19 infections among healthcare workers
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News24 reports that there has been a significant uptick in Covid-19 infections among health workers in KwaZulu-Natal, Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu indicated on Sunday.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Thursday, 10 December 2020
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In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Thursday, 10 December 2020.
Workers, community members protest against KwaSizabantu Mission after 20 workers fired
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News24 reports that disgruntled workers at the controversial KwaSizabantu Mission, supported by dozens of members of the community of KwaMxhosa and surrounds, have embarked on a strike against the mission over the alleged unfair dismissal of around 20 Emseni Farming workers.
Covid-19 masks being used by SA health workers fail UCT safety tests
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TimesLIVE reports that masks being used by thousands of SA health workers to protect themselves from Covid-19 infection have failed safety tests.
Supreme Court lambasts KZN judge for taking four years to rule on ‘riot’ damages case relating to Numsa
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GroundUp reports that the Supreme Court of Appeal has lambasted a KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) judge for taking four years to deliver a judgment involving a civil claim for damages emanating from a strike.
Police's national crime intelligence division in crisis after suspensions of five more senior cops
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News24 reports that the police's national Crime Intelligence (CI) division has been plunged deeper into a leadership crisis with the suspensions of five high-ranking officers on Wednesday and Thursday.
Three injured in Germiston factory 'explosion' on Wednesday
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TimesLIVE reports that according to paramedic service ER24, three people were injured in an “explosion” at a Germiston factory on Wednesday afternoon.
SIU still probing Ters issues that led to suspension of top UIF officials
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EWN reports that the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) on Wednesday said that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) was still looking into the issues that led to the suspension of the entity’s top executives in September.
Another two mining fatalities brings SA’s 2020 total to 58 deaths so far
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Mining Weekly reports that the Association of Mineworkers & Construction Union (Amcu) has lamented another two mine fatalities, one at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Rowland shaft, in the North West, and another at the Blyvoor gold mine, on the West Rand.
Killer sentenced to eight years in jail for murder of off-duty Cape Town cop in 2013
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News24 reports that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) has secured the conviction and sentencing of a cop killer for a murder in 2013.
Covid-19 relief funds efforts hampered by weaknesses in state systems, says auditor-general
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BL Premium reports that according to newly appointed auditor-general Tsakani Maluleke, if it were not for weaknesses in the government’s systems, Covid-19 relief funds would have reached more people, although she also noted that there has been some improvement in the controls.
Samwu to decide at CEC meeting early in 2021 whether or not to support ANC in local government elections
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BL Premium reports that the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) has threatened to withdraw its support for the ANC in 2021’s local government elections.
Moves finally made to fill top Treasury posts, but overall vacancy rate at senior management level still high
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BL Premium reports that in a sign that the government is finally moving to fill key positions and address concerns about capacity at the National Treasury, it has made two permanent leadership appointments in recent weeks.
Sadtu in court move to interdict education department’s decision that leaked matric papers must be rewritten
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BL Premium reports that the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) says in a court application that the decision by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to order matric pupils to rewrite two leaked matric examination papers is unlawful and must be interdicted.
Afternoon roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 9 December 2020
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In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Wednesday, 9 December 2020.
Former crime intelligence CFO gets 10 years behind bars for slush fund corruption
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The Citizen reports that the Pretoria Regional Court on Wednesday sentenced Major-General Solomon Lazarus to 10 years behind bars in the “abuse of the Secret Service slush fund” case involving former senior crime intelligence personnel.
Western Cape records 68 attacks on medical emergency officials this year
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EWN reports that there have been 68 attacks on medical emergency officials across the Western Cape this year, which is a marked increase from last year when 20 incidents were recorded.
Auditor-General says R3.4bn of wrongly distributed Covid-19 relief funds returned to UIF coffers
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Independent News reports that on Wednesday Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke released the updated findings on the second audit of Covid-19 relief funds.