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.
eThekwini Municipality grapples with severe staff shortages in water and sanitation units
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The Mercury reports that as the eThekwini Municipality battles to supply water to communities, it has emerged that more than half of the positions in the unit responsible for the delivery of water and sanitation to communities are vacant.
Knysna official arrested for allegedly selling municipal jobs
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The Herald reports that a Knysna municipal employee was arrested by the Hawks on Wednesday in an early morning raid. The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (Hawks) raided the municipal building and arrested the general assistant for allegedly selling municipal jobs.
Old Mutual pushes for overhaul of SA’s pensions industry and introduction of collective defined contribution schemes
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BL Premium reports that insurer Old Mutual is pushing for an overhaul of SA’s pension regime and has called on authorities to follow the UK’s route in ensuring better retirement outcomes for retirees.
Morning roundup of labour news on Thursday, 5 June 2025
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In our Thursday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
Morning roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 4 June 2025
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In our Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
National security alarm bells ring over SA Air Force flight engineers shortage
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IOL News reports that a brewing crisis within the SA Air Force (SAAF) is putting national security at risk, with a shortage of Flight Engineers (FEs) hamering the operational capacity of the SA National Defense Force’s (SANDF’s) most vital aircraft.
Married couple, who were both top KZN police officers, fired over R330,000 tender corruption
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City Press reports that two high-ranking police officers, a married couple in KwaZulu-Natal, were fired after being found guilty of corruption and defeating the ends of justice in connection with a R330,000 tender.
Presidential Youth Employment Initiative delivered over 76,000 job opportunities in Q4 — but it’s a drop in the ocean
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Daily Maverick reports that according to the deputy minister in the Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli, the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) continues to deliver meaningful change in the lives of SA’s young people.
Death threat that ‘One bullet is waiting for you’ left on Mbenenge accuser’s desk at court
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News24 reports that Andiswa Mengo, the judges’ secretary who lodged a claim of sexual harassment against Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge, has received a chilling handwritten death threat on her desk at the Eastern Cape High Court in Makhanda.
Morning roundup of labour news on Tuesday, 3 June 2025
- Details
In our Tuesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
AMCU reports about another fall-of-ground fatality at Harmony Gold
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Mining Weekly reports that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) indicated in a statement last week that it had learnt of the death of another worker in a fall-of-ground (FoG) accident at gold producer Harmony Gold’s mines.
Frustration as silicosis payouts for former gold mineworkers stall because of mines’ lack of proper recordkeeping
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Sunday World reports that thousands of former gold miners suffering from lung diseases such as silicosis and tuberculosis are still waiting for compensation years after applying to the Tshiamiso Trust.
Shortage of detective a national crisis for crime investigations
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Weekend Argus reports that SA’s investigative ability is facing a serious crisis with a backlog of 1,9 million case dockets and detectives sitting with 300 to 500 dockets each.
Roundup on Monday, 2 June 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.
Hospital officials ‘did not believe his sick note’, says medical intern’s mother at his funeral
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News24 reports that officials at the Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal allegedly wanted another medical practitioner’s opinion when Dr Alulutho Mazwi presented them with a sick note.
Morning roundup of labour news on Friday, 30 May 2025
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In our Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
Unions demand crackdown on non-compliant KZN security firms
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The Witness reports that union workers on Tuesday called for the termination of the contracts of all security companies that were not in compliance with National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector (NBCSS) requirements.
Business rescue practitioners tell MPs they've turned SAPO around and are preparing to exit business rescue
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EWN reports that the SA Post Office's (Sapo’s) business rescue practitioners (BRPs) say they've managed to turn the ailing state-owned entity around. The team of BRPs is now preparing to exit the business rescue process and hand control of the entity back to management after almost three years.
Mpumalanga education department head suspended over R2m laptop tender
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SowetanLive reports that Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu has placed the head of the province’s education department, Lucy Moyane, on suspension in connection with the investigation into the R2m laptop saga.
Take-home pay fell in April for second month amid economic uncertainty
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BL Premium reports that despite a favourable inflation backdrop, SA salary earners experienced another dip in take-home pay in April 2025, marking the second consecutive month of decline amid mounting global and domestic uncertainty. However, 2025 is still on track to deliver a second year of real wage growth.
Road Accident Fund CEO placed on special leave pending SIU probe into R79m contract
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BL Premium reports that Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO Collins Letsoalo has been placed on leave pending a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) inquiry into multimillion-rand contracts and tenders at the fund.
Another wage strike by EMPD cops on cards for next week
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News24 reports that the Municipal Employees and Civil Servants Union (Mecsu) has served the City of Ekurhuleni with a seven-day notice of its intent to strike if the City does not respond to wage demands by its metro police officers.
Morning roundup of labour news on Thursday, 29 May 2025
- Details
In our Thursday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
No change to legal position in respect of retirement age in South Africa
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Daily Maverick writes that South Africa’s retirement age has not been changed. Some online articles have claimed that sweeping pension reforms are being implemented – most notably a uniform retirement age of 65 for all citizens regardless of gender or employment sector, and effective from 30 May 2025.
Intoxicated eThekwini municipal worker involved in multiple collisions, arrested in Verulam
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Daily News reports that an intoxicated municipality employee's erratic driving culminated in a dramatic series of events in Temple Valley, KwaZulu-Natal, on Tuesday afternoon.
Morning roundup of labour news on Wednesday, 28 May 2025
- Details
In our Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
Two Mpumalanga police officers sentenced to prison for attempted murder during high-speed chase
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IOL News reports that two police officers – one currently serving and the other a former member – have been sentenced to prison by the eMalahleni Regional Court for attempted murder and assault related to a high-speed chase incident that occurred in 2020.
Business rescue begins at Daybreak Farms as 2,800 jobs hang in the balance
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News24 reports that state-owned chicken producer Daybreak Foods has confirmed the appointment of a business rescue practitioner (BRP), with the crisis-hit company aiming to save 2,800 jobs and provide a turnaround plan to save itself from financial ruin.
Plastics industry employers table above-inflation multi-year wage offer to unions
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BL Premium reports that employers in SA’s plastics industry have tabled a multi-year wage proposal to unions in the sector’s bargaining council aimed at bringing stability to businesses employing nearly 40,000 workers nationally.
Morning roundup of labour news on Tuesday, 27 May 2025
- Details
In our Tuesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.