In our Thursday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South African
labour-related reports.
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Sita board to consider PSA proposals to end wage strike that commenced on Wednesday BL Premium reports that the board of the State Information Technology Agency (Sita) is expected on Thursday to discuss some of the options tabled by the Public Servants Association (PSA) to end a wage dispute that has disrupted network connectivity and online services at government departments and state agencies. This is as Sita said it was preparing to unilaterally implement its final 5% offer to all employees on 25 October, a move the union said would create “long-lasting resentment, animosity and distrust among all parties involved”. The union is demanding a 7.5% increase. Other demands include an increase in data allowances from R500 to R700, an increase of voice allowances from R350 to R500 and insourcing of private cleaners and security personnel as permanent employees. Sita officials and the leadership of PSA were involved in a marathon meeting – called a special bargaining forum – on Wednesday to try break the deadlock and end the industrial action, which commenced with lunch-hour pickets on Monday. The PSA, which represents 80% of about 3,400 staff at Sita – the provider of IT services to national, provincial and local government departments – said it had intensified the industrial action by embarking on a “national shutdown” on Wednesday. The special bargaining forum will apparently resume on Friday morning. The PSA said that in the interim the industrial action would continue. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). See too, PSA strike will hurt Sassa grant beneficiaries and government departments, at The Star
Areyeng bus operations in Tshwane suspended indefinitely after stoning incidents on Tuesday TimesLIVE reports that Areyeng bus operations have been suspended indefinitely after its buses were pelted with stones in the Pretoria CBD on Tuesday. Sam Matabane, spokesperson for the bus operator TRT, said the first incident happened at about 2.20pm at Church Square. “The bus had passengers but there were no injuries [to passengers] or to the driver. The second one was at 3.35pm, in the city centre between Bosman and Boom streets. The bus had no passengers and the driver was not injured,” he said. Both incidents were reported to the Pretoria Central police station. Matabane said their operations in Mamelodi were not affected. He pointed out that TRT was an independent company “and we are getting caught between the challenges of the city and its employees.” An ongoing illegal strike by City of Tshwane employees over salary increases has left the metro in disarray. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Shonisani Tshikalange at TimesLIVE
KZN cop as well as criminal of most wanted list killed in Durban shootout on Tuesday TimesLIVE reports that five people, including a police officer and a wanted suspect, were killed in a shootout outside Durban on Tuesday. KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda advised that national intervention unit member W/O Sthembiso Mazibuko was killed when suspects at a house in Ntuzuma C Section fired at police. “After the shootout, two men and two women in the house were found fatally wounded. Another police officer sustained gunshot wounds and was rushed to hospital,” Netshiunda reported. The suspects had robbed a store at Bhamshela in Nsuze and were spotted at Maphephetheni. One of the deceased suspects was on the police list of most wanted suspects in connection with at least 12 murders which he allegedly committed from September last year onwards in the Durban North areas. A firearm and suspected stolen cellphones and other gadgets were found in possession of the suspects. Two vehicles were seized. Four injured suspects, who are allegedly linked to business robberies in Durban North, are under police guard in hospital. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at SowetanLive. Read too, Policeman and one of KZN's most wanted suspects killed in Ntuzuma shootout, at News24 Fire at Parliament could have been prevented had security staff not been put on leave News24 reports that had Parliament not placed its own security staff on leave during the holiday season of 2021/22, the fire that razed the National Assembly and destroyed much of the Old Assembly wing would never have occurred. The parliamentary buildings are now being repaired at a cost of R2 billion. The man currently standing trial on charges of arson, Zandile Mafe, was allegedly in the parliamentary buildings for nearly 30 hours, setting off dozens of alarms as he made his way through various parts of the buildings before setting fire to a pile of boxes almost 26 hours after he first gained entry. Two police officers on duty in a nearby control room noticed nothing when he entered Parliament – one was caught on camera sleeping, while the other had headphones on. In the aftermath of the fire, Parliament's presiding officers requested a comprehensive report detailing the circumstances surrounding the security breach and the consequential fire. On Wednesday, Secretary to Parliament Xolile George briefed the press corps on the findings of the report, which, upon legal advice, will not be made public. George said: “The report emphasised that the fire incident could have been prevented, or its extent limited if certain critical measures had been in place. One such measure was the decision not to deploy Parliamentary Protection Services officers at night and on public holidays and weekends during the 2021/22 compulsory leave period, which left Parliament vulnerable." Furthermore, the investigation identified a range of systems and maintenance failures that "significantly contributed to both the security breach and the failure to prevent and contain the fire". Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jan Gerber at News24 (subscriber access only). Read too, Five Parliamentary officials to face disciplinary proceedings for January 2022 fire incident, at Cape Times Joburg Metro Centre workers still working from home after fire in September, while council speaker has no idea what going on News24 reports that City of Johannesburg's Speaker, Colleen Makhubele, says she still does not have a clear picture of what is happening at the Johannesburg Metro Centre building after it was evacuated last month. The building hosts many of the 48,000 municipal employees, including the City leaders. On 16 September, a fire caused by faulty transformers led to the closure of the centre after an evaluation of the building in Braamfontein found that Blocks A and B – as well as the wings and two parking levels – had to be evacuated after the fire. The building has no electricity – and some municipal workers, including some councillors, still do not have access to their emails. This has affected service delivery. Property valuation objections were meant to have been finalised in mid-September but are now expected to be completed by 30 November "due to email issues." A report on the work needed to refurbish the building, which was meant to be released in September, is still being finalised. Meanwhile, employees using the Metro Centre building are still working from home. FireOps SA fire chief Wynand Engelbrecht said he warned for years that the Metro Centre was a "fire death trap." Makhubele said she was hoping to find out this week whether the council sitting set for 31 October could occur in the Constance Connie Bapela Council Chamber, a newly built wing of the metro building. She added: “I can't tell you if there will be an October sitting … We just don't know. I've written to the City manager [Floyd Brink], and he hasn't responded.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Alex Patrick at News24 (subscriber access only) SANDF only now starts inquiry into soldier who went missing three months ago while training News24 reports that the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has established a board of inquiry to investigate the mysterious disappearance of one of its soldiers, Private Isak Thompson, from an SA Army Infantry School training area in Oudtshoorn in July this year. The 50-year-old father of four vanished without a trace, along with the state's R4 rifle that had been issued to him. Both the SAPS and the SANDF, assisted by choppers and dogs, immediately launched a manhunt for the soldier, but to no avail. After a day's search drew blanks on 18 July, the SANDF opened a missing person's and rifle theft case. On Tuesday, SANDF spokesperson Brigadier-General Andries Mokoena Mahapa indicated: “The member, together with the firearm, is still not yet located and the South African Police Services (SAPS) investigations and Board of Inquiry (BOI) are still in process. The SANDF will pronounce on the developments upon the completion of the BOI which is dependent on the investigations that are afoot.” But, SA National Defence Union (Sandu) general secretary Pikkie Greeff said: "The military police must find this person - it's their job". A Western Cape police spokesperson said Southern Cape detectives had handed over the docket to Western Cape detectives for further investigation. Thompson’s family and friends have held a protest at the Oudtshoorn base demanding the "truth" about what happened to him. His wife and brother are on record as saying they feared he might have died. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Malibongwe Dayimani at News24 (subscriber access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Labour director-general Thobile Lamati quits in wake of R5bn UIF scandal Fin24 reports that Thobile Lamati, director-general of the Department of Labour and Employment (DEL), has resigned. His resignation follows reports of him having backed a controversial project to channel billions from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) into a private investment company. Lamati conveyed the news to his top management in a WhatsApp message on Wednesday. His fate has been in the balance for the past month, as President Cyril Ramaphosa considered a report on the matter submitted by DEL Minister Thulas Nxesi. Only Ramaphosa has the power to hire and fire directors-general. While the contents of Nxesi's report are unknown, it is an open secret in the department that he wants Lamati out. The scheme in question involved an R5 billion transaction – part loan and part grant funding - with Thuja Capital, owned by businessman Mthunzi Mdwaba. Under the scheme, Mdwaba would buy stakes in various companies and then use his power as a shareholder to promote job creation. Thuja Capital was hastily registered last December, shortly before Lamati and UIF commissioner Teboho Maruping pushed for the deal to happen. But the transaction was scuppered by a report in the Sunday Times that exposed the plan. Maruping's future has still to be determined. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Carol Paton at Fin24
NSFAS boss Andile Nongogo asked to motivate to board why he should keep his job TimesLIVE reports that the board of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) wrote to the organisation’s CEO, Andile Nongogo, on Tuesday to grant him an opportunity to indicate why his contract should not be terminated. This followed the release of a damning report by law firm Werksmans Attorneys and advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, who were tasked to conduct an investigation into allegations of irregularities involving a tender awarded to four companies to pay allowances to students. Board chair Ernest Khosa indicated they would advise the four companies, namely eZaga Holdings, Coinvest Africa, Norraco Holdings and Tenet Technology, that their contracts would be terminated, although the board would “ensure that this termination does not affect the students negatively.” He pointed out no feasibility study was conducted before the implementation of the direct payment system, “particularly the justification of the appointment of the four service providers”. Khosa added that they had met Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande on Tuesday to brief him on the outcomes of the investigations. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Prega Govender at BusinessLive. Read too, NSFAS CEO’s contract in question after damning investigation, at The Citizen
Management shake-up at retrenchment-hit Nissan SA Moneyweb reports that there has been shake-up in the senior management of Nissan SA, with new managing director Maciej Klenkiewicz indicating that his focus will be on unlocking the potential in Africa by expanding into new markets in the continent to increase sales. Klenkiewicz has replaced Nissan SA country director Kabelo Rabotho, who will be leaving the company at the end of this month after having been in the position since December 2020. Klenkiewicz provided more insight into the decision to reduce Nissan SA’s total headcount of 1,650 by an estimated 400 employees. He said the manufacturer’s priority was to find a second product for production at its Rosslyn plant in Pretoria. The planned retrenchments are due to its inability to secure a replacement model to its NP200 half-ton bakkie for production at the plant. It was planned that the replacement model would be built on a Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance shared platform in Russia but the geopolitical situation in Russia meant this model was no longer viable due to significantly reduced volumes. Klenkiewicz said that plan had now been completely scrapped. “Currently we are looking through the whole portfolio of our global production in trying to find what is the best model that we can fit into the South African market for Africa but to also localise in the plant in Rosslyn,” Klenkiewicz indicated. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Roy Cokayne at Moneyweb
Consumer inflation accelerates to 5.4% in September, driven by fuel and food BL Premium reports that annual consumer inflation accelerated for the second successive month to 5.4% in September, up from 4.8% in August. While the rate remained comfortably within the SA Reserve Bank’s 3% to 6% target band, it reinforced the recent hawkish language from bank officials regarding inflation risks. Annual core inflation, which excludes prices of food, non-alcoholic beverages, fuel and energy, eased to a 13-month low of 4.5% in September from 4.8% in the previous month. On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose by 0.6% in September, after a 0.3% increase in August. The fuel index increased for a second consecutive month, rising by 7.6% between August and September. The Stats SA data released on Wednesday showed that food inflation also ticked slightly higher. After cooling for the past five months, the annual rate for food & non-alcoholic beverages inched higher to 8.1% from 8% in August. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thuletho Zwane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, Consumer inflation spikes again to 5.4%, at Moneyweb. En ook, Inflasie weer aan’t styg, by Maroela Media
Auditor-General sounds alarm on public schools, highlighting dilapidated classrooms, underqualified grade R teachers BL Premium reports that spot checks at state schools have revealed thousands of underqualified grade R teachers, money siphoned from food budgets to pay for matric farewell events, overloaded school buses and dangerously dilapidated classrooms. The office of the auditor-general’s presentation to MPs on Tuesday highlighted the immensely challenging public school environment confronting many pupils. The researchers scrutinised the provision of early childhood development, the national school nutrition programme, pupil transport, construction budgets and school improvement plans in all nine provinces. Audits revealed that the education department in KwaZulu-Natal had hired 2,200 grade R teachers who did not meet the minimum qualification requirement. At a school in North West, 251 grade R children were accommodated in only two classrooms, and most of the schools the researchers visited did not have safe playgrounds for young children. Analysis of the national school nutrition programme, which provides free meals to more than 9-million pupils, revealed poor stock control and unhygienic storage and preparation facilities in many schools. The auditor-general’s office found poor management of the transport system, with many pupils having to walk long distances or travel in dangerously overloaded vehicles. Weak management in some schools meant there were no plans to continuously improve the facilities, funds were misappropriated, teachers abused the leave system and data on pupils’ performance was not being captured or analysed. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too, Half of SA teachers fail to meet Grade 4 literacy level, at The Citizen
Health department agrees to pay nurses temporary uniform allowance GroundUp reports that the Department of Health (DOH) has averted a standoff with nurses in the public sector with a last-minute agreement to pay nurses a temporary allowance to buy uniforms. Nurses threatened to work in their own clothes if the department failed to provide them either with uniforms or with an allowance by 1 October. This plan was put on hold pending negotiations between unions and the DOH. Since 2005, nurses received an annual allowance to buy their uniforms. But this ended on 31 March this year after a new agreement was signed by the Public Health and Social Development Sectoral Bargaining Council. Under the new agreement, nurses would be provided with uniforms and, as a result, nurses did not get the usual allowance in April this year. Instead, they were supposed to be provided with uniforms by 1 October 2023. At a last-minute meeting in September, the DOH told unions that it would be unable to meet the 1 October deadline. It proposed to put on hold the supply of uniforms until 2024. But a new agreement was able to be concluded and signed on 4 October. It resolved that a temporary uniform allowance of R3,153 be paid to all qualifying nurses by 30 November 2023. The DOH also agreed to provide nurses with uniforms by 1 September 2024. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Marecia Damons at GroundUp
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