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.
|
Capitec CEO argues SA’s jobless rate is as low as 10% as huge informal sector isn’t counted BL Premium reports that Capitec CEO Gerrie Fourie has called on SA to rethink its unemployment metric and contends that when the vast informal sector is taken into account, the headline figure of 32.9% could be closer to 10%. “What is interesting is when you look at the unemployment rate, we talk about 32%. But Stats SA doesn’t count self-employed people. I really think that is an area we must correct. The unemployment rate is probably actually 10%. Just go look at the number of people in the township informal market, who are selling all sorts of stuff, who have a turnover of R1,000 a day,” Fourie said. He went on to explain Stats SA ignored the country’s large “emerging market”, describing entrepreneurs in this space as “discouraged” job seekers. Fourie’s comments tap into the national conversation about the role of the informal economy, potentially reframing discussions around economic policy. They also invite scepticism that such redefinition risks glossing over deep structural issues that should serve as a catalyst for meaningful policy reform. Fourie’s comments are likely to face pushback, with SA regarded as one of the most unequal societies in the world. SA is regarded as the most unequal society in the world, with unemployment, particularly among the youth, at astonishing levels. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kabelo Khumalo at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Stats SA stands by its jobless data as calls for review of methodology mount BL Premium reports that Statistics SA has defended its methodology in determining employment in SA’s informal sector after criticism from Capitec sparked a national debate. The bank’s CEO Gerrie Fourie said SA’s high unemployment rate was inflated to some extent because activity in the informal market was not fully accounted for in Stats SA’s calculations. Statistician-general Risenga Maluleke responded that the unemployment figures the agency published were based on what people said when it conducted regular surveys in society, and its data on the informal economy aligned with requirements of the International Labour Organization (ILO). “Let us be unequivocal: Stats SA does measure the informal sector. It follows the guidelines set by the ILO for defining the informal sector, which is characterised primarily by the registration status and size of enterprises or businesses,” Maluleke advised in a statement. He went on to explain: “To qualify as part of the informal sector, employees must be unregistered for income tax and work in establishments with fewer than five individuals. This category also encompasses employers, own-account workers, and those providing unpaid assistance in household businesses who do not register for income tax or VAT. This is measured through the quarterly labour force survey (QLFS).” But, investment research firm Primaresearch suggests low-income households could underreport their employment so as to retain the social assistance they receive from the government in the form of grants. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kabelo Khumalo at BusinessLive (subscriber access only). Read too Risenga Maluleke’s full response on this matter at BusinessLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
DA calls for immediate release of Navy report into 2023 Kommetjie submarine disaster Daily Maverick reports that Chris Hattingh, the Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) defence spokesperson, has called on the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) and Defence Minister Angie Motshekga to immediately release an internal report into the disaster near Kommetjie in the Western Cape in which three submariners died in 2023. The submariners were conducting a vertical transfer using an SA Air Force Maritime Lynx helicopter when they were swept overboard. On Tuesday, Hattingh said he did not understand the reasons for keeping the report, which was finalised in 2023, secret. Hattingh said the Navy’s report had been “censored by Defence Intelligence” and was being “withheld from the victims’ families, their legal representatives, and even the Hawks. Hattingh said all his attempts to obtain the full report had been met with “bureaucratic resistance and legal evasion. Even a direct appeal to Minister Angie Motshekga has failed to secure its release.” He has called on Parliament to establish an inquiry into the SANDF’s “ongoing practice of withholding vital information and failing to safeguard its own personnel”. The findings of a board of inquiry into the incident were made public. The inquiry concluded that the submariners died in an accident caused by freak waves and that they had followed all protocols. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Estelle Ellis at Daily Maverick Teachers face burnout as austerity measures spark crisis in education Cape Times reports that teacher unions are warning of burnout and mental health challenges among educators as a result of being overloaded with work due to the thousands of vacancies across provinces. The unions blamed the vacancies on the austerity measures imposed by the national government. According to the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) and the National Teachers Union (Natu), the austerity measures are damaging the quality of education and putting lives at risk. Natu said during the 2023/24 financial year, over 23,000 posts in provincial education departments across the country were cut, with the total number of unfilled but funded vacancies exceeding 46,000. The unions said teachers were burdened with increased administrative work, leading to burnout and mental health challenges. Sadtu said in a statement: “Teacher burnout is a significant issue, with 44% of teachers in Grade R – 12 reporting that they very often or always feel burned out at work. This figure is even higher among female teachers, with 55% experiencing frequent burnout. Teaching staff report the highest rates of work-related stress, depression, and anxiety compared to other professions.” A Grade 5 teacher in Gauteng said she worked late into the night preparing lesson plans and grading assignments, leaving her exhausted and stressed. Thirona Moodley of the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of SA (Naptosa) in KwaZulu-Natal said the province “is in a state of crisis”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thami Magubane at Cape Times. Read too, Minister Gwarube asks provincial Education MECs to submit recovery plans amid sector's financial challenges, at The Mercury. En ook, Gwarube wil weet waar is elke sent van onderwysbegroting, by Maroela Media
Mass burial of unclaimed bodies of Stilfontein illegal miners commenced on Tuesday SowetanLive reports that on Tuesday the North West government started mass burials of the unclaimed bodies of illegal miners recovered from an old Stilfontein mine in January. “The bodies have been in the mortuary for a long time now, and the law does permit us to keep them for 30 days,” said provincial department of health spokesperson Lucas Mothibedi. He went on to explain: “The bodies we are burying are the ones where we are certain that families are not going to come through any time soon, and we need to make space for other bodies. We have been calling families to come forward but nothing yet. It has been four or five months and we do not have hope they will come but we extracted DNA so that at a later stage if someone comes then we are able to check if they match.” It is expected that all the bodies would be buried by the end of July in either Rustenburg or Madibeng. The graves will be marked so that if anyone comes forward and they are positively linked, then the authorities will know where to find their bodies. The provincial department of health's director of media and communications Tebogo Lekgethwane said that so far 25 of the 78 bodies recovered had been identified and released to families. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jeanette Chabalala at TimesLIVE Path cleared for Lily and Barbrook gold mines to emerge from business rescue with creditors voting in favour of plan Moneyweb reports that after nearly a decade of tragedy, stalls, and litigation, Vantage Goldfields appears to be on its way out of business rescue. Some 99% of creditors voted last week and accepted proposed amendments to business rescue plans that grant Hong Kong-based Ultra Concept majority control of the mines. Part of the rescue plan includes payment of about R320 million in creditor claims, including nearly R32 million for former workers. Vantage’s two Mpumalanga mines, Barbrook and Lily, were placed in business rescue in 2016 after an underground pillar collapse claimed the lives of three workers. They remain buried there awaiting the resumption of operations that will allow their bodies to be retrieved and returned to their families for burial. Families of the three buried workers have maintained a vigil for more than 2,000 days outside the Lily mine gate. Ultra Concept was the only bidder to provide a fully funded proposal for the rescue of the companies. Business rescue practitioner Rob Devereux said the path was now cleared for Vantage to be taken out of business rescue. All that remains is for Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe to approve the change in ownership under the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ciaran Ryan at Moneyweb Other labour / community posting(s) relating to mining
SAB says ‘all viable alternatives’ on the table as it mulls job cuts News24 reports that South African Breweries (SAB), the local unit of the world’s largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), is considering a restructuring process that could affect jobs, but will explore alternatives to avoid retrenchments. SAB confirmed in a statement that it has held talks with trade union representatives regarding a “contemplated restructuring process” but that “no final decision” had been made about any retrenchments. Responding to questions following an eralier statement from the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) on the matter, the company did not disclose how many jobs would be possibly affected. Saftu said in a statement on Monday that a Section 189A retrenchment notice had been issued targeting 233 warehouse employees across SA. It added that after Saftu, led by its general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, joined the Food and Allied Workers’ Union in meeting with SAB on Monday, the company had agreed to put the retrenchment process on hold pending further talks. SAB did not refer to any such agreement in its response and only said it was involved in a CCMA-facilitated process. “The primary objective of this process is to explore all viable alternatives to avoid or mitigate potential job losses,” it indicated. SAB added that this process was “ongoing” and that it remained committed to “engaging meaningfully and in good faith”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nick Wilson at News24 (subscription / trial registration required) Numsa laments Goodyear’s plant closure affecting more than 900 jobs Moneyweb reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has expressed deep disappointment over Goodyear’s decision to close its manufacturing plant in Nelson Mandela Bay. The closure is set to impact more than 900 jobs, while thousands of jobs in secondary industries will be threatened. Numsa confirmed that it had received a section 189 retrenchment notice from Goodyear, signalling the start of the retrenchment process. “As the region, we are deeply worried about the impact on workers and their families. It is becoming a ghost town given that ContiTech, which is part of Continental, closed down – another company in the tyre and rubber industry,” the union reacted. It stressed that it would not be easy to replace the jobs, as the Eastern Cape already has a high unemployment rate of more than 41%. Numsa said it would do everything in its power to negotiate fair severance packages for the affected employees. The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) will facilitate the retrenchment process. The dates of the first consultation will be communicated in due course. Goodyear will still maintain a sales and distribution presence in the country, as well as its Hi-Q retail operations. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tshehla Cornelius Koteli at Moneyweb
New recruitment platform Spaan aiming to protect job seekers from scams enters the market News24 reports that a new employment platform was launched on Tuesday, aiming to protect job seekers from scams that prey on unemployed job seekers in both the formal and informal sectors. Founder and CEO Afika Nontso said Spaan aimed to restore trust in the job market through verification while ensuring accessibility. As of Tuesday, the platform had 252 users. Spaan uses USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) codes and WhatsApp for registration to make the service more accessible to those without smartphones or data. Nontso previously worked for a company that assisted the City of Tshwane in implementing its Expanded Public Works Programme. He said the programme had massive growth once it implemented its USSD-based registration system. Realising that access to verifiable but accessible job opportunities was lacking in SA, he was motivated to launch the Spaan platform. The platform allows verified employers to send job offers through Spaan, which job seekers can accept via WhatsApp or USSD. Its search feature enables employers to filter candidates based on criteria including age, criminal background checks and driver’s licence status. Employers can only see candidates who have verified their ID, which costs R30. Similarly, an employer can only register on the platform by connecting a verified ID. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thato Gololo at News24 (subscription / trial registration required) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Revolving door of acting city managers flagged in failures to implement municipal audit recommendations The Herald reports that the revolving door of acting city managers in municipalities is one of the leading causes of delayed implementation of the auditor-general’s recommendations on material irregularities. The 2023/2024 financial statements revealed 446 material irregularities related to compliance breaches and suspected fraud across municipalities, which resulted in material losses totalling R8.74bn. On Monday, auditor-general material irregularities deputy head Thabelo Khangale said the issue of acting city managers was a major reason municipalities failed to respond effectively to audit outcomes. “The risk of someone who is acting is that they never take full accountability because they know they will not be there in the future,” he pointed out. Khangale went on to indicate: “Unfortunately, some of the instability can also be created by legislative provisions. The Municipal Finance Management Act tries to prevent a situation where you have, as an example, 30 managers, with a provision which says for instance you cannot act for more than three months, the whole idea being to have permanent people. However, when that does not happen there can be a situation where multiple people act for a long time.” Since the start of the 2024/2025 financial year, Nelson Mandela Bay has had three acting city managers. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ntsikelelo Qoyo at The Herald
Umzinyathi municipal manager suspended amid allegations relating to water projects never undertaken TimesLIVE reports that the municipal manager of the Umzinyathi district municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, who is implicated in fraud and corruption allegations, has been suspended. The council meeting on Tuesday resolved to suspend Ntombenhle Mkhwanazi for three months pending her disciplinary hearing. Mkhwanazi is implicated in damming corruption allegations relating to a payment of R5.7m for water projects that were never undertaken. According to a forensic report tabled in council, the municipality from 2020 had a dubious relationship with a company called Bosch Projects. The company was tasked with the compilation of an operations and maintenance plan for wastewater treatment facilities. Also for pump stations, borehole and water schemes and network, which included the Mbono Bulk Water Project in Msinga. The report details how Umzinyathi officials made irregular payments and failed to properly instruct lawyers to defend lawsuits by Bosch Projects and had to pay millions as a result of undefended lawsuits. At the time, Mkhwanazi was a CFO working closely with the former municipal manager Lethu Mthembu. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mlungisi Mhlophe-Gumede at TimesLIVE
Corruption-accused director-general in KZN premier’s office resigns News24 reports that the corruption-accused director-general in the KwaZulu-Natal premier’s office, Nonhlanhla Mkhize, has resigned. In the R38 million uMhlathuze Water Board corruption case, Mkhize is facing charges of fraud. She has also been charged with intimidation, obstruction of justice and fraud, and is accused of helping others commit fraud or theft. It is unclear whether her resignation is linked to the case. Premier Thami Ntuli accepted the resignation with what he described as “mixed emotions” and praised Mkhize for her years of service to the provincial government. “Since assuming office on 1 August 2017, Dr Mkhize has served the people of KwaZulu-Natal with unwavering commitment and professionalism,” Ntuli said in a statement. He went on to indicate: “As the first female director-general of KwaZulu-Natal, she leaves behind a powerful legacy of transformation, collaboration, and excellence in public service. Her ability to foster unity across both the political and administrative spheres will have a lasting impact on the governance of our province.” Deputy director-general Nkosenye Zulu will take over as acting director-general with immediate effect. According to Ntuli, Zulu is a highly experienced and capable public servant. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sakhiseni Nxumalo at News24 (subscription / trial registration required) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Mashatile's VIP protectors' occurrence report doesn't make mention of assault of motorist on N1 TimesLIVE reports that testimony continued in the Randburg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday in the case of eight VIP protection unit officers from Deputy President Paul Mashatile's protection team who allegedly assaulted a motorist on the N1 highway in Johannesburg in July 2023. Sgt Goodwill Rikhotso, who writes up accident and incident reports in the VIP unit, testified that one of the accused officers, W/O Phineas Boshielo, reported to him about the 2 July 2023 incident and told him that a speeding VW Polo driver had been trying to get close to the main car the day the VIP officers allegedly assaulted him. However, the incident report does not mention anything about an assault incident. The accused face 12 counts, including assault, malicious damage to property, pointing of a firearm, contravening the Road Traffic Act, reckless and negligent driving and attempting to defeat the ends of justice. The case was adjourned to Wednesday for the defence lawyer, Mswazi Makhubele, to consult the accused before cross-examining Rikhotso. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Phathu Luvhengo at TimesLIVE Hawks arrest a former police officer and a detective in George corruption bust SABC News reports that a former police officer and a detective from George in the Western Cape were arrested by the Hawks on Tuesday on charges of corruption. Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Siyabulela Vukubi, indicated that a detective constable at Thembalethu SA Police Service (SAPS), who recently resigned, was investigating a case of an alleged assault. He allegedly told the suspects to apologise to the complainant and pay an amount of R2500 to make the case disappear. Vukubi explained further: “It was alleged that the suspects paid the money to the detective for him to give the money to the complainant, but he never did. The detective, who is currently employed by SAPS, became aware of the complainant in the assault case and the complaint laid against his colleague with regards to the investigation of her case. The detective allegedly intimidated and improperly persuaded the complainant to influence her testimony against his colleague, who is an ex-detective.” The two accused will appear in the George Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tanya Krause at SABC News. Read too, Two cops arrested for corruption in George, at News24 (subscription / trial registration required) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
|
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page