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 Wednesday morning roundup, see
summaries of our selection of recent South
African labour-related reports.
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Xenophobia flare-up as hundreds of foreign migrant workers evacuated from Addo after murders Daily Maverick reports that the Valencia community near the town of Addo in the Eastern Cape remained tense on Tuesday night after three foreign nationals were killed. Hundreds of foreign nationals have been evacuated from the area. Valencia is in the heart of the Sundays River Valley’s citrus district. Every year, thousands of migrant workers, most of them foreign nationals, come to the small town to assist with the citrus harvest. Valencia resident Gerald September’s son Juanne was fatally stabbed, allegedly by foreign migrant workers, in the early hours of Saturday morning. He said on Tuesday as he grieved: “For many years we have been living in peace. This year, bad people came with the workers. Now we have decided that we won’t want one of them here anymore.” He said the community became enraged when one of the murder suspects, who had been handed over to the police, was released. On Sunday, three foreign nationals who lived in Valencia were beaten and stabbed to death. Ali Sablay from Gift of the Givers reported: “Three foreign nationals were brutally murdered after the death of a local person, sparking xenophobic attacks. Foreign nationals have been given a 24-hour notice to vacate Addo by the local community; the area remains highly tense, with foreign nationals escaping with minimal belongings.” He went on to report: “Arrangements have been made to bus 350 women and children to two local churches in Gqeberha, while the men have been accommodated in Addo.” A police spokesperson said: “The situation is still tense, and there is a heavy police presence in the area, with other law enforcement agencies assisting as force multipliers.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Estelle Ellis at Daily Maverick. Read too, Hundreds of women and children chased from their homes in deadly xenophobic attacks, at News24
Shooting on bus in Redcliffe in KZN leaves driver dead and conductor pregnant woman injured IOL News reports that a bus driver was killed and two other persons, namely a conductor and a five-month pregnant woman, were injured in a shooting incident in Redcliffe, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), on Tuesday evening at approximately 18h18. According to Reaction Unit SA (RUSA), two suspects boarded the bus on the corner of Orchid and Redcliffe Drive, produced firearms and randomly opened fire before fleeing on foot. They did not steal anything of value. Members of RUSA and the Verulam SAPS Crime Prevention Unit responded swiftly to the scene. The victims were rushed to hospital, but the driver was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at the medical facility. The extent of his colleague's injuries is unknown. The 26-year-old pregnant woman, who was seated on the side of the road at the time of the incident, sustained a gunshot wound to her right thigh. She was stabilised at the scene before being transported to hospital in a stable condition. Authorities have yet to establish a motive for the attack. Investigations are ongoing. Read the original of the report in the above regard by Wendy Dondolo at IOL News Three life terms each for two men who murdered two policemen, CPF member in Boksburg in 2022 TimesLIVE reports that South Gauteng High Court on Tuesday sentenced Njiki Hlulani Mabuza and Savenore Sihle Ntuli to three life terms each for the murders of two police officers and a community policing forum (CPF) member in Boksburg in 2022. In addition, Mabuza, 31, and Ntuli, 29, were sentenced to a further 59 years’ imprisonment for other offences, including attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition. In July 2022, the accused ambushed and shot dead CPF member Tommy Masuku in an informal settlement after accusing him of working with the police. In October 2022, they ambushed and killed two police officers, Phillip Kgotso Malahlela and Vusimusi Innocent Batsha, who were retrieving a dead body and stole their firearms. During the attack, one of the deceased's girlfriend was also shot twice, suffering permanent abdominal damage. Senior state advocate Zarina Pack emphasised that the murders of the two police officers were premeditated and targeted, occurring during a routine task. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at TimersLIVE. Read too, Cop killers sentenced to triple life terms for murdering two officers, CPF member, at News24 (subscription / trial registration required)
Hundreds of security guards marched on Tuesday through Pietermaritzburg The Witness reports that Pietermaritzburg’s Langalibalele Street was brought to a standstill as at least 200 security officers and union members marched to the Premier’s Office on Tuesday to submit a memorandum of demands. The demonstrators, who had travelled from as far away as Pinetown and KwaDukuza, called for access to health insurance and provident funds for all security officers, as well as a decent and fair basic salary. Dressed in red, yellow and black, the protesters carried placards directed at KwaZulu-Natal Premier Ntuli, with messages such as: “Premier Ntuli, tighten tender requirements. No more tenders for non-compliant companies.” The protest was organised by the Democratised Transport Logistics and Allied Workers Union (Detawu), in collaboration with the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), and supported by other organisations, including the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa). Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Zama Myeza and view a video clip at The Witness
Racial redress is not stunting growth, Ramaphosa asserts Mail & Guardian reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa said in the National Assembly on Tuesday that racial redress was not a hindrance to economic growth, but an essential step towards broadening black participation in the economy to spur growth. He told Freedom Front Plus leader Corné Mulder that the latter failed to understand that real problem was that black people did not own a big enough share of the means of economic production in the country. “I am rather surprised and taken aback when I hear that policies of black economic empowerment militate against the growth of our economy. That, I find quite surprising because I work from the starting point that our economy was held back over many years by the racist policies of the past,” Ramaphosa said. Mulder had suggested that the government should rewrite economic policy to create growth, and in that process abandon affirmative action and the concept of expropriation without compensation because it was not serving the country. Ramaphosa countered that the reality of apartheid, including the wholesale exclusion of black South Africans from the economy, could not be forgotten as if it were merely “a bad dream”. In Tuesday’s question session, MPs from the Patriotic Alliance (PA), uMkhonto weSiswe party and African Christian Democratic Party challenged the president about the racial classification in SA 30 years after the end of apartheid. Ramaphosa said it was regrettable that racial classification endured, but that the very aim of redress was creating a society where it no longer had any place. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Emsie Ferreira at Mail & Guardian. Read too, Ramaphosa says BEE not an impediment to growth, at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Construction of new Suzuki SA headquarters at Longlake Logistics Park in Gauteng commences BusinessLive reports that Suzuki Auto SA, in partnership with real estate group Fortress, has officially broken ground on its new head office and distribution centre at Longlake Logistics Park in Gauteng. The sod-turning ceremony was held on 21 May, marking a milestone for the Japanese carmaker, and reinforcing its long-term commitment to the SA market. The company will relocate from its headquarters at Linbro Business Park to a custom-designed, 24,507m² facility that will accommodate operations and workforce. Construction is scheduled for completion by mid-2026. The new facility will include 2,900m² of new office space and 19,100m² of warehousing, along with advanced training facilities, boardrooms, a workshop and a 100-seater canteen. Local Suzuki sales have been rising steadily and impressively, with the brand netting 5,977 unit sales in April 2025, claiming the number two best-seller spot below Toyota’s 10,363 sales. “This move marks a significant chapter in our journey. Our new headquarters will allow for further improvements in our current operations and support the growth we foresee in the coming years,” said Berto van der Lith, vice-president and CFO of Suzuki Auto SA. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Gold mining shed 80% of its workers in past 35 years Engineering News reports that SA’s gold mining industry has shed 80% of its workforce over the past three-and-a-half decades. In 1988, more than 536,000 people worked in the sector. By 2000, that number had more than halved to 217,000, while by 2023 it had fallen to 94,000. Several factors have driven this decline. Many gold mines have closed as accessible reserves became depleted, forcing miners to dig ever deeper and at greater costs. Global economic shifts and competition from other gold-producing nations have put pressure on SA mines. Gold has been overtaken by platinum and coal in terms of employment numbers. The number of people working in platinum mining doubled from 85,000 in 1988 to 183,000 in 2023. Just over 96,000 people were employed in coal mining in 2023. Mining was once a pillar of SA’s economy. In the early 1980s, it contributed about 20% to the GDP, but by 2023 its contribution had dropped to 6.3%. Read the original of the short report in the above regard at Engineering News Other general posting(s) relating to mining
Urgent intervention by KZN Cogta as Mpendle Municipality fails to pay full salaries The Mercury reports that the Mpendle Local Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Midlands has failed to pay full salaries and benefits to its workers this month. The revelation has angered labour union federation Cosatu which said it hoped this situation would not occur in other municipalities. The KZN Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) department advised as follows: "Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs department MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi has assigned senior officials to engage with the leadership of the Mpendle Local Municipality. This action follows reports indicating the municipality's inability to fully compensate its employees." It said the department had received concerning information regarding the municipality's financial standing, including partial salary payments to workers and failure to remit third-party deductions, such as UIF, pension fund contributions, and medical aid payments. The department said these actions have caused unnecessary hardship for the workers in the municipality. It said Cogta's senior officials would meet with the municipality's leadership to ascertain the root causes of the financial irregularities and the steps being taken to correct them, as well as to implement consequence management. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thami Magubane at The Mercury
Joburg City taken to court over single medical aid broker for employees SowetanLive reports that the City of Johannesburg has been served with court papers over its decision to appoint a single medical aid broker for all municipal employees, councillors and pensioners. Independent brokers argue that the move is unconstitutional and threatens their businesses. In an urgent application filed at the South Gauteng High Court, the Independent Financial Advisors Forum (Ifaf), a nonprofit organisation representing accredited healthcare brokers, is seeking to interdict the city from processing, evaluating or awarding any bids under the tender. The matter was set to be heard on Tuesday. According to a 22 May 2025 advert, the city seeks to acquire a medical aid broker that will assist with medical aid scheme management, employee support, regulatory compliance, and cost optimisation. The contract will be for three years, and bidders must be registered with the Council for Medical Schemes and meet other administrative and technical criteria. However, Ifaf says in court documents that the city’s tender process infringes on employees' legal right to choose and retain their own brokers. It also argues that implementing the tender would unlawfully strip existing brokers of their clients within the city’s workforce, forcing workers to use a single appointed intermediary. Ifaf further requested that the city be barred from interfering with any current broker arrangements between employees and their selected providers. An independent broker reiterated that the Council for Medical Schemes allowed members to choose their own brokers. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Koena Mashale at SowetanLive
No change to legal position regarding retirement age in South Africa 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. This gained traction through WhatsApp forwards and Facebook reposts, and further asserted that the government has confirmed new phased retirement options and that older workers would be able to draw partial pensions while continuing part-time employment. None of this is supported by any gazetted legislation, parliamentary record or regulatory announcement. National Treasury dismissed the claims, saying: “There is no standard retirement age that is set by government in South Africa. Employees in formal employment… have a retirement age that is determined by the employer and the relevant retirement fund, which is not prescribed by government.” In the private sector, retirement age is defined by employment contracts or pension fund rules. In the absence of such terms, section 187(2)(b) of the Labour Relations Act provides that dismissing someone for age is only legally fair if they’ve reached the “normal or agreed retirement age” for their role. In the public sector, the governing legislation is the Public Service Act of 1994, which sets the normal retirement age at 60 and allows early retirement from 55. These provisions remain unchanged. Labour lawyer Avi Niselow commented: “If there’s no agreed age in the contract or fund policy, forcing someone out at 65 could amount to automatically unfair dismissal.” Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Yeshiel Panchia at Daily Maverick
Acting district manager reassigned after blowing whistle on private hospital being run inside Uitenhage Provincial Hospital Daily Maverick reports that the acting district manager for Nelson Mandela Bay’s clinics and Uitenhage Provincial Hospital, Sonia Lupondwana, has been removed from her position. Lupondwana claimed on Tuesday that she was being “silenced” because she blew the whistle on a scam at the hospital, inside which she claimed state officials were running a private hospital for payment using resources from the Eastern Cape Department of Health. The department’s spokesperson, Siyanda Manana, said Lupondwana’s claims were false. He confirmed that a rogue private hospital was being run from inside the hospital, but said that staff members, not Lupondwana, had informed the department of what was happening. The head of the department, Dr Rolene Wagner, wrote to Lupondwana to advise that she would be reassigned as the director of primary healthcare – a position that reports to the district manager. Before this, staff at the district health office had lodged a litany of complaints against Lupondwana at the provincial legislature in an unsuccessful attempt to have her removed. The allegations included that Lupondwana had failed to act during a life-threatening strike at the Uitenhage Provincial Hospital this month. Lupondwana said she failed to intervene because she had been suffering from raised blood pressure and could not deal with an emotionally charged issue like the strike. In a letter to Wagner, Lupondwana alleged that road accident files at the hospital were sold for R600 each, that car tyres were bought for private individuals using the hospital’s budget and that parts of the hospital were run as a private hospital using state resources. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Estelle Ellis at Daily Maverick
Intoxicated municipal worker involved in multiple collisions, arrested in Verulam 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. The incident began around 17:43 when a concerned motorist reached out to the Operations Centre for assistance after witnessing a hit-and-run involving a white Toyota Hilux bakkie and his own vehicle on Ireland Street, Verulam CBD. The motorist detailed how the bakkie’s driver, a 32-year-old male, stopped after the collision but sped off when quizzed about his sobriety. The motorist followed the bakkie while reporting the situation to Reaction Unit SA (RUSA) for help. The intoxicated driver continued to navigate the streets erratically, eventually colliding with a RUSA response vehicle after failing to stop at a stop street in Temple Valley. The driver attempted once again to escape, but was boxed in by backup officers who had arrived on the scene. Upon apprehension, the driver identified himself as a plumber employed by the eThekwini Water & Sanitation Department and revealed that the bakkie was a municipal vehicle. The RUSA officer involved in the collision was unharmed. The intoxicated driver was subsequently arrested and handed over to the Verulam police for further investigation. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Daily News ‘I was the victim of a political witch hunt’, says ex Cape Town housing boss after the dropping of charges against him Cape Times reports that former Cape Town human settlements mayoral committee member Malusi Booi has implicated two senior city officials in what he described as a witch hunt leading to his arrest over tender collusion charges. The National Prosecuting Authority withdrew the charges on Friday. Booi was arrested last year, one year after his offices were raided and his electronic equipment seized. The charges against him related to alleged tender collusion linked to construction companies owned by alleged underworld figures such as Stanfield and his wife Nicole Johnson. On Monday, Booi commented: “I do think it was (a political witch hunt), it has been confirmed on a number of platforms because in the first place there was no R1 billion tender fraud. Even if something happened at the supply chain, I don't have any control on who gets to be appointed or not being appointed. I've got no role in appointing contractors … The company in question was never appointed by the City, they were appointed by the provincial government in 2014. I was not even working for the City at the time, so there was no way I could have championed the appointment.” Noting that no money had been lost by the city during his tenure, Booi said he knew who was behind the orchestrated move against him. One of the officials had made statements saying he was the one who gave police information about Booi, while another made remarks in a CCMA case that “he wanted to deal with me harshly”. Asked why he would be the target of these attacks, Booi said he was not in favour and did not support the re-appointment of one of the officials. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nicola Daniels at Cape Times Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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