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 Friday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Labour and business decry the impact of the destruction on Transnet’s Gauteng-Durban line BL Premium reports that labour and business are counting the cost of the rise in theft and vandalism on state-owned railway operator Transnet Freight Rail’s (TFR’s) line linking Gauteng and Durban. TFR blames the escalation of theft and vandalism along the 740km-long container corridor, which links the Port of Durban with City Deep station in Johannesburg, for the 75% reduction in operating capacity over the past week. However, unions and businesses say continuous and desperate pleas to the state entity to halt the destruction of the rail network, particularly in the container corridor, have yielded minimum results. TFR is used by its customers to transport crucial commodities such as coal and iron ore from rail to port in SA and its neighbours. The container corridor is used to transport agricultural and automotive goods, grain, fuel, chemicals, coal, manganese and chrome. John Perreira of the United National Transport Union (Untu) pointed out that TFR was already operating below capacity due to a shortage of locomotives, poor maintenance and vandalism and theft of infrastructure, costing its customers billions of rand in potential revenue due to throttled shipments. “The workers are a bit unsure of what the future is ... there is a bit of uncertainty if the container is not profitable then job security is a concern,” Perreira indicated. Representing 24,992 members at the Transnet bargaining council, Untu raised the alarm earlier in May over the continuous copper cable theft on the container rail corridor. On Thursday, furniture chain Lewis CEO Johan Enslin noted frequent problems on the Durban-Johannesburg line and said: “It would be great if we can get better service delivery and some return for the taxes that we are paying.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thando Maeko & Katharine Child at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, South Africa’s crucial ‘Container Corridor’ rail line crippled by cable theft, at BizNews
Three SAPS trainees at Hammanskraal training academy test positive for cholera TimesLIVE reports that three trainees at the SA Police Service (SAPS) training academy in Hammanskraal, north of Tshwane, have tested positive for cholera. One was hospitalised and the others treated for minor symptoms. Police confirmed 71 trainees were tested last Thursday for cholera by the Department of Health. “Academy personnel are monitoring the situation closely for any other infections,” said police spokesperson Mathapelo Peters. Hammanskraal was thrust into the spotlight over the weekend when seven people died after being admitted at Jubilee district hospital with diarrhoea, stomach cramps and vomiting. The number of deaths has since increased to 17. National police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola has directed SAPS management to put extra measures in place to protect trainees at the academy against the outbreak. Peters indicated that 469 police trainees were undergoing various detective training programmes at the academy. She said a water purification system had been installed for trainees and personnel. Masemola gave the assurance that the SAPS would provide bottled water to everyone at the academy while long-term measures were sought to augment the capacity of the water purification system. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Shonisani Tshikalange at SowetanLive Nurses whose contracts expired protest against staff shortage at Hammanskraal hospital treating cholera patients GroundUp reports that almost 100 former nurses at Jubilee District Hospital in Hammanskraal have called on the Gauteng Department of Health to employ them permanently. Originally contracted in July 2020 to deal with the Covid pandemic, their employment contracts were periodically renewed, but terminated at the end of March 2023. According to the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa), the Gauteng health department was supposed to have given the nurses new contracts for 1 April 2023 to March 2024. The nurses have been sitting outside the hospital since Monday. One of them commented: “They want us to work under agencies, and we don’t want that. This hospital is very understaffed, but they are being stubborn. Inside the wards there are only two nurses working, and they are overstretched. They are struggling but the department doesn’t want to employ more nursing staff.” In a statement on Monday, Denosa said as a result of the cholera outbreak “Jubilee Hospital is now experiencing an influx of patients, which is stretching the facility to breaking point.” The trade union added: “Nurses in the facilities in the area will also be made to perform duties that are outside their scope of practice where they may be expected to carry water buckets to the water tankers. Denosa does not encourage that nurses perform duties that are outside their scope.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Chris Gilili at GroundUp Hunt for suspects launched after home affairs official gunned down in Tongaat on Thursday TimesLIVE reports that a Department of Home Affairs official has died after she was shot six times in Tongaat on Thursday afternoon. According to Reaction Unit SA (Rusa), the incident happened on Gopalall Hurbans Road at around 4:12pm. The organisation reported: "On arrival (at the scene), Rusa members discovered paramedics from a private ambulance service examining the driver of the vehicle. The department of home affairs employee sustained approximately six gunshot wounds to her body and one shot to her head. She was pronounced deceased at the scene. Initial reports indicated that a male passenger disembarked from the vehicle while it was in motion. The man drew a firearm and fired multiple shots at the female. Her vehicle veered off the road and crashed into construction barriers. The suspect thereafter fled on foot." Other witnesses claimed that the shooter was walking along the centre median when he suddenly opened fire at the victim. Neither version could be immediately confirmed, Rusa said. The motive for the murder has not been confirmed at this stage. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khanyisile Ngcobo at TimesLIVE Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Gold Fields to engage shareholders over remuneration report that gave ex-CEO Chris Griffith a $3m golden handshake Fin24 reports that a resolution for the endorsement of the remuneration implementation report of Gold Fields, including a golden handshake for former CEO Chris Griffith of three years' pay, garnered less than two-thirds shareholder support on Wednesday at the AGM. The report got just over 64% of the vote, while over 35% voted against it. According to JSE requirements, a vote against of more than 25% requires the company to begin engagements on the concerns. As such, dissenting shareholders have been called on to email the company secretary before 23 June. According to Gold Fields’ 2022 annual report, Griffith's total remuneration was almost $5.1 million (about R83 million using the then-average exchange rate) with almost $3 million (R49 million) of this made up of "other payments," including his termination agreement. Griffith's contract with Gold Fields included a two-year restraint of trade – or a clause which prevents him from working for competitors. Griffith was also not required to work his 12-month notice period and received payment in lieu of that. Griffith joined the company in April 2021 but stepped down in December last year after a deal to acquire Yamana Gold, a Canadian precious metals company, soured. All other resolutions at Wednesday's AGM were passed with the requisite amount of votes, including the remuneration policy itself – which outlines how total remuneration is structured - and was endorsed with 91% of the vote. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisa Steyn at Fin24 Other community posting(s) relating to mining
Reserve Bank raises repo rate by 50 basis points to 8.25%, the highest level since 2009 Sunday Times Daily reports that the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) has raised the repo rate by another 50 basis points (bps) to 8.25% as the country battles myriad problems including rolling blackouts, a stagnant economy and a currency at a record low. The decision on Thursday by the Bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC) puts the repo rate at levels last seen in the aftermath of the 2007-2008 global financial crisis. The move sees the prime interest rate, which commercial banks use to lend to customers, rising to 11.75%, which is likely to put further pressure on already overburdened South Africans. All five members of the MPC voted for the 50 bps increase. SARB Governor Lesetja Kganyago commented: "In the long term, South Africans will benefit from this tight stance, because the stance will bring down inflation. And the cries of South Africans had been that inflation is eroding their incomes. Does it hurt? Yes in the short term. But we have got to take the short-term pain in the interest of long-term gain." The bank now expects SA’s economy to record growth of 0.3% this year. This is expected to rise to 1% in 2024 and 1.1% in 2025. Consumer inflation, which has been sticky since economies opened up following the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, is now forecast to average 6.2% in 2023. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Andrew Linder at Sunday Times Daily (subscriber access only). Read too, 'We've reached restrictive territory.' Interest rate hiked by 50 basis points, at Fin24. En ook, Rentekoers wéér skerp verhoog, by Maroela Media Interest rate hikes are sentencing millions to poverty, say livid union protesters City Press reports that livid workers affiliated with various trade unions staged a picket outside the SA Reserve Bank's (SARB’s) offices in Pretoria ahead of the 50-point basis interest rate hike on Thursday. The SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) along with the General Industries Workers Union of SA (Giwusa) took to the streets to oppose the Reserve Bank's adjustments of interest rates to combat inflation. The SARB Monetary Policy Committee’s 50-point basis interest rate hike raised the repo rate to 8.25%. Saftu's general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi reacted: “Government has turned its back on the working class and the poor in favour of the direction of the rich class in our society, so we will not tire. That is the message we are trying to send; we will not run out of steam. We are here to mobilise the unemployed until such a time that their level of consciousness rises to meet the level of the oppressors.” Vavi conceded that Saftu was protesting a decision that had already been taken, but argued that many people stood to lose their jobs and houses. Meanwhile, Giwusa’s Mametlwe Sebei said the constant repo rate increases were aggravating the cost-of-living crisis and added: “The rate hikes have also destroyed countless jobs, small businesses and investments. Many businesses are falling into insolvency and are retrenching workers due to the punitive costs of debt service.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Noxolo Majavu at City Press Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Litigation threats fly following adoption by health portfolio committee of NHI Bill BL Premium reports that parliament’s portfolio committee on health has adopted its amendments to the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, marking a milestone in the ANC-led government’s plans for achieving universal health coverage. The committee made only minor changes to the bill, prompting a warning from SA’s biggest medical scheme administrator, Discovery Health, that the legislation would be open to constitutional challenge, and eliciting an immediate threat of legal action from trade union Solidarity. The ANC-dominated committee has been considering the bill for the past four years, and has made no substantive amendments despite concerns raised by parliament’s legal advisers, issues raised by opposition parties and input received from stakeholders ranging from private healthcare providers to patient advocacy groups. While the government has said it intends the fund to be based on social solidarity principles, with the rich and healthy subsidising the poor and the sick, it has yet to indicate how it will be financed. Discovery Health does not support the single funder model proposed by the bill, nor its restriction on medical schemes to only offer cover for services not included under NHI. Solidarity said it would take the government to court if the bill were accepted. “In the run-up to next year’s election, and in order to canvass cheap votes, the ANC government insists on pushing through this law while they are fully aware that their own system cannot support it,” Solidarity’s Peirru Marx stated. The department of health’s deputy director-general for NHI, Nicholas Crisp, said the government was ready to defend the legislation. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read Solidarity’s press statement on this matter at Politicsweb. Lees ook, NGV: Regstappe sal volg, by Maroela Media Gauteng Health MEC to include reduction in medico-legal claims as a key performance indicator in hospital CEOs’ contracts News24 reports that the Gauteng Department of Health (DOH) was facing medico-legal claims worth R20.8 billion as of the end of March this year. Delivering her department's budget vote in the Gauteng Legislature on Thursday, MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko commented: "Medico-legal claims are still a major concern for the department. However, we have managed to bring down the rand value of medico-legal claims and the contingent liabilities to R20.8 billion as of the end of March." She said the work of verifying the cases would continue under a legal intervention strategy developed to address the negligence claims. She went on to advise: “We will further undertake reforms when contracting the CEOs of the hospitals to ensure that their employment contracts include the reduction of medico-legal claims as a key performance." Nkomo-Ralehoko said the department was working hard to strengthen governance systems internally and ensure greater accountability on how limited state resources were used. She advised further: "We have subjected almost 1,600 senior managers and officials in supply chain management (SCM) and human resources (HR) to a vetting process. Our 106 senior services employees have now submitted their documents for processing by the State Security Agency (SSA)." A further 1,487 SCM and HR employees have also submitted completed forms for the SSA to process. DA Health spokesperson Jack Bloom said the corruption machine in the department was very efficient indeed and commented: "Madam MEC, you are surrounded by snakes and will only progress once they are identified and dismissed. I am sure the lifestyle audits you mentioned this week will be a revelation." The DOH’s adherence to clean governance has been in the spotlight in the last two years following the murder of its acting chief director: financial accounting Babita Deokaran in August 2021. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Yoliswa Sobuwa at News24
Seri seeks court interdict against Operation Dudula and police “collusion” with the anti-immigrant movement GroundUp reports that the Social Economic Rights Institute of SA (SERI) is seeking an interdict against Operation Dudula on behalf of various immigrant organisations, including Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia, South African Informal Traders Forum, the Inner-City Federation and Abahlali BaseMjondolo. In court papers the organisations seek to stop the anti-immigrant movement from xenophobic and racist speech and conduct, and violating the rights of foreign nationals living in SA. Relief is also being sought against various state authorities for failing to execute their duties in the face of actions by Operation Dudula. The respondents are Zandile Dabula and Dan Radebe of Operation Dudula. Also included are the SA government, the ministers for police, justice, health, basic education, and the SA Human Rights Commission. The interdict would prohibit Operation Dudula from intimidating and harassing people, demanding to check identity documents, forcing businesses to close, preventing informal traders from operating, evicting people from their homes without a court order, wearing uniforms resembling those of the police and army, denying people access to healthcare, and removing students and teachers from schools because of their nationality. The application asks the court to declare that only an immigration officer or police officer has the power in terms of the Immigration Act to demand that a person produce documents to demonstrate their right to be in the country, and that no private person has the power to do so unless expressly so authorised by law. The applicants moreover want to interdict the police and Department of Home Affairs from working with Operation Dudula in conducting raids on immigrant communities. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kimberly Mutandiro at GroundUp. Read too, Groups take Operation Dudula, government to court over xenophobia, violence concerns, at News24
Paying ‘cool drink’ bribes to corrupt cops is making public trust in police in SA worse AFP writes that casually leaning into the side window of a car stopped at a routine checkpoint on a congested Johannesburg road, a policeman tells the driver he needs “a cool drink”. The sun is shining, but it's not really a refreshment that the officer is after. As most South Africans know all too well, a cool drink is code for bribe money. Across the road, the number for an “anti-corruption hotline” is emblazoned on the side of a parked police van. In a country with one of the highest crime rates in the world, SA police have a reputation for being both ineffective and corrupt. Low pay does not seem to be the issue. Constables earned up to R213,000 per year in 2018, and warrant officers could make almost twice as much – a decent salary in a country where more than one in three people are unemployed, according to the Institute for Security Studies. ‘’It's simply opportunistic tendencies from some people wanting more,’’ an officer with the local watchdog Ipid said. Corrupt officers are equitable in their extortionary efforts – targeting poor and wealthy business districts alike. Bribes can go from a few dozen to a few hundred rand and the amount depends on ‘’the greed of the cop’’. Drivers are more likely to be asked for a drink towards the end of the working week, according to Uber driver Lwando. ‘’They want money for the weekend. They want to drink,’’ he claimed. A 2021 survey by Afrobarometer found that South Africans' trust in the police was at ‘’historically low levels’’ with three in four respondents saying they had no confidence in law enforcement, up from one in two in 2011. Cool drinks undermine public trust in law enforcement, threatening to ‘’bring the whole organisation and all of its members down,’’ a senior policewoman complained. Police spokesperson Brenda Muridili says all graft allegations were promptly investigated and the majority of officers were hard working. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Claire Doyen & Gersende Rambourg at IOL
EMPD puts brakes on officials misusing municipal vehicles for school run The Citizen reports that the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) recently laid down the law on some of their own, nabbing three municipal officials found using EMDP vehicles to run their own personal errands. According to EMPD spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Kelebogile Thepa, three municipal vehicles were seized from a high school in Benoni on Tuesday. Thepa said city officials were using the vehicles to chauffeur their children to school. “The EMPD’s Security and Loss Control Unit, acting on a reliable tip-off about this misuse of resources, made a beeline for a Benoni high school,” said Thepa. In the school parking lot, they discovered a marked BMW belonging to the EMPD, a marked Ford Ranger from the Disaster & Emergency Management Services Department (DEMS) and an unmarked white Ford Ranger from the Parks Department. The arrested officials now face internal investigations. Thepa emphasised: “Council resources are for public service, not personal use. We urge all to respect this”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Cheryl Kahla at The Citizen Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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