Today's Labour News

ESKOM NEWS REPORTS

Eskom may soon have its first female CEO if Ayanda Noah is appointed

City Press reports that according to sources within Eskom reckon that the state-owned power utility may soon have a woman as group CEO for the first time. According to them, Ayanda Noah, who was previously at the helm of Eskom’s client services and distribution divisions, is on the short list, along with Dan Marokane and Vally Padayachee.   Noah, an engineer with decades of experience, is currently chairperson of the Central Energy Fund (CEF). Eskom has been without a CEO since February, following André de Ruyter’s departure.   Marokane is also a former manager at Eskom and Padayachee, who has experience at both Eskom and Johannesburg’s City Power, is a special adviser to the Association of Municipal Electricity Utilities. Energy expert Chris Yelland said about Noah: “She’s the most credible candidate I’ve heard of so far – black, a woman and an engineer with experience in Eskom at management level, who currently reports to [Mineral Resources and Energy Minister] Gwede Mantashe.” He believes it is a strong possibility that she will land the appointment.   According to information on the CEF’s website, Noah is the managing director of her own engineering consulting company, AN Duke Solutions, and CEO of Utility Coach, which provides training and support to power utility companies in Africa.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Antoinette Slabbert at City Press (subscriber access only)

Unions reject Eskom's third and 'final' 5.25% wage offer

Fin24 reports that the three representative unions at Eskom have rejected what the power utility has characterised as its third and 'final' offer of a 5.25% wage increase. This as Eskom, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and Solidarity concluded the third round of wage negotiations at the Centralised Bargaining Forum (CBF) last week.   Numsa and NUM had both initially wanted a 15% hike, among other demands, while Solidarity had aimed at 10.1%.   Eskom initially offered a 3.75% hike, and increased it to 4.5%, which was subsequently rejected by all three unions. During last week's negotiations, NUM dropped its demand to 11%, Numsa to 12% and Solidarity to 9.5%, before rejecting Eskom's 5.24% "final offer".   However, all parties reached a settlement on the amendment of Eskom's grievance and disciplinary procedures.   There is still one last round of negotiations left, which is expected to start in mid-June. Solidarity’s Helgard Cronje commented on Friday that the trade union viewed the fact that Eskom moved twice in a very positive light.   He added that Solidarity was still committed to finding a solution within the negotiation process, but warned that Eskom had been losing critical skills at an alarming rate over the last few years and said that a way needed to be found to retain those employees “and a 5.25% increase will not achieve that."

Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Ahmed Areff at Fin24

ELECTRICITY CRISIS

Energy procurement powers transferred from Mantashe to Ramokgopa

BL Premium reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa has transferred the authority to direct the procurement of new electricity generation capacity and ensure security of supply, from minerals resources and energy minister Gwede Mantashe to electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. Public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan remains the government’s shareholder representative at state-owned power utility Eskom. Ramokgopa, however, would work full-time with the board of Eskom to ensure that the government’s energy action plan was implemented, Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, indicated. “The minister of electricity will, as the president indicated in the state of the nation address, oversee all aspects of the electricity crisis response, including the work of the National Energy Crisis Committee (Necom). This will provide a single point of command for the government’s efforts to close the shortfall in electricity supply,” Magwenya advised in a statement on Friday.   “Other powers and functions contained in the Electricity Regulation Act – including those related to the implementation of determinations made in terms of section 34 – will remain with the minister of mineral resources and energy.” This is in line with Ramokgopa’s appointment to the cabinet earlier in 2023 where he, together with Mantashe and Gordhan, have been tasked with managing the country’s energy sector.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thando Maeko at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Lees ook, Kragminister se magte, funksies eindelik bekend, by Maroela Media

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• Wat doen kragminister nou eintlik? Presidensie antwoord, by Maroela Media
• Life without power: How South Africans are coping, at Mail & Guardian

NURSING STUDENTS’ PROTEST

Gauteng health department obtains court order preventing nursing students from protesting

News24 reports that the Gauteng Department of Health has obtained an interim court order restraining R171 Diploma in General Nursing final year nursing students from participating in or encouraging, facilitating and promoting any unlawful protests at the Gauteng College of Nursing campuses. According to the department, last week the final year students disrupted and interfered with the first and second-year’s exams, restricted access to the SG Lorens campus and prevented the free movement of student nurses, employees, lecturers and service providers. "The unlawful protests and activities are due to the students’ demand that their bursary stipend they have been receiving while studying must continue to be paid between June and November 2023, while they wait for their licentiate exam with the SANC (SA Nursing Council), even though they are now done with their studies," the department indicated in a statement.   Spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said the department did not have over R8 million to cover the costs of extending the period of the 167 students currently on bursary contracts. The health department said the students’ demand was over and above the fact that their bursary benefits, including monthly allowances, were extended previously as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The parties will present arguments in court on 27 June on whether a final order should be granted or not.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ntwaagae Seleka at News24. Read too, Gauteng health department obtains court order restraining final-year nursing students from protesting, at TimesLIVE

MINING LABOUR

Mining community trusts should have no direct benefit for traditional leaders, new study concludes

BL Premium reports that getting real and lasting benefits to flow from community trusts that are often used as the vehicle for BEE transaction deals between mining companies and communities that live on mining land has long been a thorny issue for miners in SA. Poor governance that threatens the financial sustainability of these trusts, and instances where a large share of the benefits would go directly to traditional leaders and their families instead of the whole community, have been some of the issues undermining the success of these structures.   A new benchmarking study of community trusts, by investment fund manager Tshikululu Social Investments and commissioned by Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), recommends that best practice is “to have no direct or preferential benefit for any special interest group, including government and traditional leaders”. The study advised: “Mechanisms can be explored where the Amakhosi (and their families) could still get a share of the dividend, but there is a separation between the interests of the Amakhosi and that of the community trust itself.”   Werner Duvenhage, MD of RBM, said at the launch of the benchmarking study on Thursday that they commissioned the research to build a better understanding of the various challenges faced across the industry with community trusts, and the best practices.   The researchers interviewed trustees and managers from 11 community trusts or non-profit companies.   “Ultimately, community trusts may be a problematic structure, but they remain a viable model for broad-based community ownership as long as they have good governance and the ability to operate effectively in a community context,” the report concluded.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Denene Erasmus at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)

Sibanye shareholders rebel against executive pay, including Froneman's R190m payday

Fin24 reports that Sibanye-Stillwater shareholders holding almost half of the company's shares have demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the generous pay packages dished out to the mining company's executives, including a R190 million payday for its CEO, Neal Froneman. At the company's AGM on Friday, shareholders holding 47.92% of company stock voted against Sibanye's remuneration implementation report, while 52.71% voted in favour of it. When shareholders holding more than 25% of shares vote against such a non-binding advisory vote, companies are required to engage with shareholders over their concerns. This was the case last year too when just over 26% of shareholders voted against executive pay packages, which included Froneman's jaw-dropping R300 million remuneration package. Sibanye's James Wellsted explained that the remuneration questions posed by shareholders at Friday's AGM sought to understand how the remuneration worked. "But there were one or two questions about – in the instance where we've had fatalities or safety incidences – how do we still justify paying incentives?" he said. The company recorded five fatalities in 2022, compared with 21 in 2021.   Following last year's AGM, Wellsted said Sibanye had met with main shareholders to engage them on their concerns, and this resulted in the board making amendments to the remuneration policy.   "But there's still some pushback, so we'll go on the road again and try and engage and get some sort of agreement," he said.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisa Steyn at Fin24

APPOINTMENTS

Jeanette Marais to be Momentum’s first female CEO

BL Premium reports that Momentum Metropolitan Holdings has appointed Jeanette Marais as group CEO, making her SA’s first female leader of a large, listed life insurance and asset management group.   Marais will take over on 1 August from Hilgard Meyer, who will retire on 30 September after being in the role since February 2018. “After undergoing a rigorous, robust and thorough selection process, Jeanette emerged as the best candidate. I am pleased that this appointment represents a significant breakthrough in diversity, and I am proud that we found the best person for the job inside our company. This ensures leadership continuity and a continued focus on strategy execution,” said Paul Baloyi, Momentum Metropolitan chair. Marais first joined the group in 1990 before leaving for PSG in 1999. She worked at 20Twenty Financial Services, Stanlib, Old Mutual and Allan Gray before rejoining Momentum Metropolitan in 2018 as deputy CEO. She holds a BSc in mathematics and mathematical statistics from the University of the Free State as well as an MBA (cum laude) from the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland. Marais said in an interview that her appointment was “an incredible opportunity to be a trailblazer for women because there are not that many of us around in the industry.”

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Garth Theunissen & Nico Gous at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)

Justice Molemela’s appointment as President of the Supreme Court of Appeal welcomed

News24 reports that opposition parties have welcomed the appointment of Justice Mahube Betty Molemela as the new President of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) with effect from 1 June 2023. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the appointment on Friday. The Presidency said Molemela boasted an illustrious judicial career spanning over 15 years, having served as a Judge President of Free State Division of the High Court for a period of three years before her elevation to the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2018. She also served as a Judge of the Labour and Labour Appeal Court, Acting Judge of the Competition Appeal Court and Acting Judge of the Constitutional Court for two terms in 2015.   Ramaphosa said Justice Molemela was an outstanding jurist and her appointment added impetus “to the continuing transformation of key institutions of our democracy, including the judiciary.” The DA congratulated Judge Molemela on her appointment. GOOD said that with her impressive judicial career, Molemela would add strong, credible leadership to the judiciary in SA and the political party also noted that she would be the second woman to lead the SCA, after Justice Mandisa Maya who was now serving as the Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Cebelihle Mthethwa at News24. Lees ook, Nuwe regter-president ‘ideaal vir pos weens sterk agtergrond’ – DA, by Maroela Media

GENDER PAY GAP

Momentum urges sponsors to bridge the gender pay-gap in sport

Sunday Independent reports that with women earning less than men in sports and making it almost impossible for women to become financially independent, Momentum's head of marketing Charlotte Nsubuga-Makusa says that her company is taking a bold journey towards influencing change.   Speaking ahead of the recent Sports Seminar in Durban, Nsubuga-Makusa noted that women in sport were underpaid, and she urged sponsors to develop a different mindset when it came to bridging the gap. According to Nsubuga-Makusa, only 0.5% of the total commercial investment went to women while men’s sports received 61%. “Momentum is an official sponsor of the Proteas Women’s team and we are entering our eleventh year on a year-to-year basis. Our experienced has taught us to encourage other sponsors to invest and put money into women’s sports, because we believe that women athletes who have good stories of excellent work in sports are not getting the recognition they deserve,” Nsubuga-Makusa said. She reported that Momentum had developed the #OneMoreFan campaign aimed at encouraging fans to watch women's sports as “the lack of interest and the minimum media visibility of women also impacts negatively on the availability of sponsors as there is no exposure of these women in sports.”   Nsubuga-Makusa added that “Momentum has journeyed into more than just throwing money into the Proteas but also engaging different stakeholders who can come together to educate these amazing women to sustain their lives using their talent, including speaking to other companies to support women in sports.”

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thabo Makwakwa at Sunday Independent

SKILLS SHORTAGE

Vet crisis is a risk to food security

Saturday Star reports that SA faces yet another threat to its food security – a critical shortage of veterinarians to keep the nation’s livestock healthy. According to SA Veterinary Council (SAVC) president Dr Nandipha Ndudane, the crisis could have “a devastating effect” on livestock health and food safety and she has asked the government to add the profession to the country’s critical skills list. Just one institution – the University of Pretoria – offers the qualification and “alarming recent statistics show high numbers of vets leaving the country”.   Ndudane noted: “This means South Africa faces a severe skills shortage in a profession that is deemed critical to ensuring food safety and security. We need to curb the brain drain and ensure our country has enough vets to meet its current and future animal health care and food production needs.” SA only has 60 to 70 veterinarians per million citizens compared to the international norm of 200 to 400 vets per million.   Ndudane advised: “Already, there is anecdotal evidence that some veterinary positions, in both the private and public sectors, cannot be filled.   Such a shortage can have an adverse effect on the availability and provision of veterinary services, especially to rural communities, with a devastating impact on livestock health and food safety.” NSPCA veterinary consultant Dr Bryce Marock said a recent poll by the SA Veterinary Association (Sava) showed that emigration was a major reason for the shortage of veterinary professionals in the country.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ntuthuko Mlondo at IOL

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• With millions of young South Africans jobless, imparting ‘soft’ skills like networking improves prospects, at Moneyweb

HIGHER EDUCATION

‘I’m not a slay queen’, vice-chancellor tells Unisa senate

City Press reports that criticised Unisa principal and vice-chancellor Professor Puleng LenkaBula last week allegedly went on a tirade, telling members of the university’s senate that she was not “a slay queen (a woman who likes to show off her luxurious lifestyle), devil and have never misused the university’s money”.   She was addressing the senate during a special meeting on Monday, a week after the release of damning findings by independent assessor Professor Themba Mosia against LenkaBula and the university council. In his 309-page report, Mosia revealed a “cauldron of instability characterised by a culture of fear, intimidation, bullying, maladministration, financial irregularities, poor student services, academic malpractices, leakage of confidential records, and questionable management and council decisions”. He recommended that LenkaBula and the university council be fired. The senate meeting was called by LenkaBula to table the Mosia report, which also recommended that Unisa be placed under administration. Professor Khehla Ndlovu, Unisa’s vice-principal for strategy, risk and advisory services, chaired the meeting, but LenkaBula allegedly dominated the proceedings. Instead of letting the senators deliberate over the report, LenkaBula addressed them first and indicated that the senate was a “friend of council”. Her remarks were seen as an attempt to sway the senators so that they would defend her and the council. One insider said LenkaBula spoke about how black women leaders at universities were under attack. She cited former University of Cape Town vice-chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, Walter Sisulu University vice-chancellor Professor Rushiella Songca and Tshwane University of Technology vice-chancellor Professor Nthabiseng Ogude as examples.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Msindisi Fengu at City Press

DISMISSALS / SUSPENSIONS

Free State maths teacher fired for asking grade 8 pupil to kiss him

TimesLIVE reports that a Free State maths and physical sciences teacher who wanted a grade 8 pupil to kiss him has been fired with immediate effect and declared unfit to work with children. Lawrence Letolo lost his battle to keep his job on Thursday after an Education Labour Relations Council arbitrator found him guilty of contravening the Employment Educators Act. Letolo was accused of conducting himself in an “improper, disgraceful or unacceptable manner”. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. The learner testified that on 11 October 2022, she was on her way from the toilet when she met Letolo on the stairs. She said Letolo asked her to accompany him to his classroom. Letolo then asked her to kiss him. The ruling goes on to indicate: “She stated she then kissed [Letolo] on the cheek. The learner stated that the employee said no and told her that he wants it on the mouth. She stated that at that point, [Letolo] became distracted by a lady who called him from downstairs.” The pupil stuck to her version under cross-examination. She added that Letolo also pinched her and another learner under their armpits earlier on the same day for having laughed at another learner, but said she was not angry about the pinching incident. In his evidence, Letolo denied having ever asked the learner for a kiss on that day or having kissed her, but the arbitrator found Letolo’s version “problematic and not plausible”. “Not only did [Lotolo] commit acts of corporal punishment on that day, but so too did he commit an act, which has sexual connotations attached to it. It is clear from the evidence that [Letolo] cannot be trusted around children, children whom he is expected to protect,” the arbitrator found.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Philani Nombembe at TimesLIVE

Mahikeng Provincial Hospital's nursing manager suspended after newborns placed in cardboard boxes rather than cribs

News24 reports that the North West Department of Health has placed the "Nursing Manager" of the Mahikeng Provincial Hospital's (MPH) neonatal section under precautionary suspension after newborn babies were placed in cardboard boxes at the hospital. According to the department, the manager had failed to report that the section had to place newborn babies in the boxes due to a lack of resources at the hospital. The incident came to light after a photo posted on Facebook went viral showing babies in brown cardboard boxes, and wrapped in purple hospital blankets, with nasogastric tubes.   An investigation revealed that the photo was from MPH and had been taken on Saturday at around 11:00. On that day, 56 babies were delivered in the ward, but only 16 incubators and 31 cribs were available. MEC Madoda Sambatha said he had since instructed management to find extra incubators and cribs for the hospital from the available ones in the province. The MEC has also set up a task team to investigate the entire nursing division at the hospital. "The MPH management will activate a redress process with the affected families. The process of what will happened from precautionary suspension will be determined by relevant labour relations processes," the department indicated.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Cebelihle Mthethwa at News24