In our afternoon roundup, see summaries
of our selection of South African labour-
related stories that appeared thus far on
Monday, 29 January 2018.
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Security guard at Umlazi clinic kills two supervisors after argument about absence on duty The Mercury reports that a security guard has shot dead two supervisors allegedly following an argument after he was absent while on duty at an Umlazi clinic. He fired at his superiors who had had arrived at the clinic looking for him on Saturday night. "They could not find him as he was not at his post. When he eventually appeared, an argument ensued and the security officer allegedly shot both men,” the Department of Health indicated in a statement. Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo said he was "deeply pained by the fact that they demised at one of our health facilities, allegedly at the hands of someone who was tasked with looking after state property and the safety of the public, including that of the people that he allegedly killed." Expressing his condolences to the families of the supervisors, he called for the law to take its course against the security guard. In a separate incident on Friday night, an alleged would-be burglar was shot dead after a stand-off with security guards at King Dinuzulu Hospital. Read this report at The Mercury Deputy sheriff of court dies in fall from ladder into sea while trying to execute warrant The Herald reports that police and the SA Maritime Safety Authority are investigating the death of a deputy sheriff of the court‚ who plunged at least 8m into the ocean while climbing a steep ladder to execute a warrant of arrest on Liberian vessel the Blue Marlin I. The paperwork authorising the arrest was lost when Port Elizabeth North deputy sheriff Henry Kemp fell into the sea on Saturday night. Kemp had boarded a Port of Ngqura pilot boat to make his way out to the Blue Marlin and had almost reached the top of the ladder in his quest to board the ship “when he paused for about two minutes before falling backwards.” The ship was four nautical miles from the Port of Port Elizabeth‚ about halfway between the two ports. Read this report by Angela Daniels at Timeslive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Repairing weak leadership at mine level crucial in saving SA’s mining sector, says Gideon du Plessis Solidarity’s general secretary, Gideon du Plessis, writes about the call made by Chamber of Mines CEO Roger Baxter in a New Year’s message for “collaborative leadership among interested parties” to “make mining matter” in 2018. Du Plessis notes that, although the Chamber committed itself to playing a key leadership role in 2018, collaborative leadership will be difficult because the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) and the large mining unions have been compromised precisely owing to unethical leadership. Moreover, although most mining houses have competent CEOs, their leadership problems lie at mine level, where the obsolete autocratic management style is still prevalent, resulting in conflict with unions. For example, it was accepted initially that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union’s (Amcu’s) militant approach was the cause of the regular unprotected industrial action at Harmony Gold’s Kusasalethu Mine. But on closer examination it was found that management’s obsolete management style of ‘I say, you do’ was the major factor in the regular conflict. Assertive union regional leaders were consequently fighting fire with fire. Du Plessis says that mining houses will have to urgently address their mid-level leadership problem, because this is the level where labour relations are being exercised. Participative leadership and cajolery at executive level is useless if not embraced at all levels. Apart from this, the weakest link in the sector’s leadership chain is argued to be Mosebenzi Zwane, Minister of Mineral Resources. Read this interesting analysis in full at Miningmx
Amid strike, Numsa to meet Wits University to discuss new wage offer ANA reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) said on Monday it would be meeting with management of the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) to discuss a new wage offer for striking workers. The union is demanding a 12% increase across the board, increasing wages for the lowest earners to R9,000 a month from R7,500, a rise in the night shift allowance from R360 to R800, and for the university to directly employ 85 workers currently outsourced. After an initial 8% salary offer, Wits’ new proposal includes an increase of at least 7% for higher earners and an increase of 9.2% for the lowest paid workers in grade 16 and 17. It has also proposed to end the low wages which were paid to workers whose employment was facilitated by labour brokers. In that regard, the university has proposed establishing a task team to integrate those workers fully into grade 15 by July, bringing the lowest paid workers closer to achieving a “living wage”. Read this report in full at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
No work for SA’s youngest heart specialist aged 32 City Press writes that, unbelievable as it may sound, Dr Viwe Mtwesi (32), South Africa’s youngest cardiologist, is unemployed. Mtwesi completed her cardiology training at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (Bara) in Soweto in October. She worked at the hospital for seven years as a trainee cardiologist, but her contract ended last month. Mtwesi asked Bara to sponsor her to further her studies in electrophysiology so that she would be able to return to work in public hospitals. But her request was rejected, apparently because the government did not have the administrative ability to assist her. Mtwesi has since been unable to find a job. She has now taken up an offer to study further in Canada where she managed to secure a private sponsorship to study electrophysiology at Queen’s University for two years. She will leave for Canada in June, but in the meantime she is staying at home and focusing on other things such as her medical tourism business. Read this report by Lubabalo Ngcukana in full at News24 Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Cash-strapped Denel faces management clean-up BusinessLive reports that cash-strapped Denel, under intense pressure from lenders to improve governance, looks set to become the next state-owned entity after Eskom to undergo a management clean-up, starting with a new board. In December, the state-owned arms maker conceded it faced "severe liquidity challenges" and was forced to rely on government guarantees for emergency loans to pay salaries and suppliers. Large bonuses and raises for executives, reputational damage from an aborted partnership with the notorious Gupta family and lenders refusing to refinance debt unless a credible board was chosen have been blamed for the cash crunch at Denel. In 2017, the Denel board apparently approved salary increases of 16%-60% for top executives, while the average increase for other employees was 4%-7%. The company said the executives’ salary increases were justified because it needed to safeguard "key capabilities" as it embarked on its growth phase that urgently required "creative solutions to get itself out of the liquidity problem". Its employee-retention plan seemingly entailed a "benchmarking exercise" in which "severe discrepancies" were identified that the company had to tackle with affected employees. Read this report by Stephan Hofstatter in full at BusinessLive
English teachers needed at Overvaal‚ not protests, says Angie Motshekga Timeslive reports that Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says practical steps need to be taken before English classes can be considered at the Hoërskool Overvaal in Vereeniging. Tensions flared this month at the school during protests against its Afrikaans language policy. She encouraged those demanding the immediate enrollment of black and English speaking pupils to calmly discuss the matter. Addressing a media briefing on Sunday, Motshekga said: “Let’s not go and fight with ourselves on matters that we can resolve because it creates unnecessary tension and animosity.” The row erupted after the school refused an instruction by the Gauteng education department to accept 55 English-speaking pupils. The school said it had no capacity to admit the learners‚ and could not set up a parallel stream in the timeframe it was given by the department. Its decision was backed by the North Gauteng High Court. Motshekga emphasised the need to deal with the administrative issues raised by the court, such as the need to have English books and English teachers. Read this report by in full at Timeslive. Read too, Hoërskool Overvaal about resources not Afrikaans, says Motshekga, at eNCA Gauteng education department to ask SACE to strike sex scandal principal off teachers’ roll SowetanLive reports that Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) was due on Monday to formally ask the country's professional body for teachers, the SA Council of Educator (SACE), to strike off the roll a principal implicated in a sex scandal. Videos and photographs‚ believed to be of the headmaster of Reiger Park NR 2 Secondary School in Boksburg on Gauteng's East Rand‚ show explicit sexual images. The ex-headmaster has apparently denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the videos and pictures were "photoshopped". GDE spokesman Steve Mabona confirmed that officials would be visiting the school on Monday to‚ among other things‚ determine the identities of the girls and women in the videos and pictures. Counselling would also be provided to all affected pupils at the school. According to GDE records‚ the principal resigned in October last year and his last day at school was 15 January. Parents were expected to march to the school on Monday to demand answers and an in-depth investigation by the department. Read this report by Prega Govender in full at SowetanLive. See too, Motshekga urges SACE to hold teachers to account for sex abuse, at EWN. And also, Social workers visit Reiger Park school rocked by sex scandal, at SowetanLive Reiger Park principal’s resignation ‘hastily processed’ on Friday and backdated The Star reports that it has emerged that the resignation of a Reiger Park principal was hastily processed on Friday as allegations of sexual abuse against him increased. Though the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) says the principal’s termination started in October, The Star has seen documents that indicate the man's resignation was hurriedly processed on Friday and backdated to 15 January. The principal has been accused of sexual abuse after videos and pictures emerged of him allegedly raping and sexually assaulting pupils in his office. According to a source at the provincial GDE offices, the district office processed the principal’s papers on Friday only and falsely informed the department that he resigned last year. The source said the principal went to the district offices on Monday to inquire how much he would get if he resigned from his position. Asked about the matter on Sunday, GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona said the department stood by its original statement that the principal resigned last year. The department had apparently planned to place him on suspension when the videos emerged, but discovered on Friday he was no longer an employee. Read this report by Tebogo Monama in full at The Star Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Mixed reaction to proposal of community service by students in exchange for free education The Sunday Independent reports that proposals by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) that students would be required to commit themselves to 80 hours of community service in return for free education has been met with mixed feelings. While the EFF Student Command rejected the proposal outright, the ANC-aligned SA Students’ Congress (Sasco) and the DA Students Organisation (Daso) said they were amenable to the idea. EFF’s Student Command president Peter Keetse said they were against the proposal as it would “demoralise the spirit of voluntarism” among young people, while it was not necessary for students to do work in return for free education which was rightfully theirs. Dasco referenced DA’s shadow education MEC in Gauteng, Khume Ramulifho, who said the proposal would give students work experience. Sasco’s Buthanani Goba agreed, saying, “The issue of community service is not a problem because we believe that students should be integrated into society and we must teach them patriotism. But it should not just be those who benefit from free education. All students must be required to give back to the community.” Read more of this report by Lesego Makgatho at SA Labour News
Two employees in Joburg City’s finance department suspended for being part of fraud syndicate Timeslive reports that two employees working in the City of Johannesburg’s group finance department have been suspended for allegedly fraudulently transferring R800‚000 to attorneys. Mayor Herman Mashaba said the pair were part of a “syndicate of internal and external individuals‚ who swindled money from a customer’s account to an attorney’s trust account.” Chief among our priorities has been the process of recovering this money from the attorneys. Additionally‚ we will be laying criminal charges against both the internal and external individuals in this syndicate and ensure that everyone involved faces the full might of the law‚” he said on Monday. Mashaba added that he was disappointed that officials were still engaged in corruption‚ despite the city making it clear that corruption would not be tolerated. A short report is at Timeslive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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