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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Pan African Resources arrested about 4,000 illegal miners over past year BL Premium reports that gold producer Pan African Resources (PAR) arrested about 4,000 illegal miners at its underground operations in Mpumalanga over the past year. The mining group was recently in the headlines after police detained 494 illegal miners as they resurfaced from its Sheba mine in Barberton. “We’ve had an ongoing problem with illegal miners in Barberton because of the terrain and the nature of the ore body. It’s a mountainous area with visible gold and over 140 years of legal mining, so access for illegal miners was easy to look for,” explained PAR’s Hethen Hira. He indicated that PAR had arrested between 150 and 200 people every week over the past year. Regarding last week’s operation, he said the local police just could not cope, so the company asked the SA Police Service (SAPS) to extend its Vala Umgodi (‘close the hole’) operation to Barberton. When presenting its interim results in May, PAR said that increasing gold theft, including by employees colluding with illegal miners and community members, had made operating costs at some of Barberton’s business units unsustainable, resulting in the retrenchment of 244 mineworkers and a reduction in gold production. With a direct workforce of 3,759, the PAR mines are the largest employer in the region. Gold theft has escalated across the SA mining industry over the past 18 months due to record gold prices. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jacob Webster at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) Twenty-six alleged illegal miners granted bail in Barberton court SowetanLive reports that twenty-six out of more than 480 people arrested in a major illegal mining crackdown in Barberton have been granted bail. The Barberton Magistrate's Court on Monday released the 26 on R2,000 bail each after the court considered they had no previous convictions, had fixed addresses and had no pending cases. They are among hundreds arrested during a joint operation between Sheba Mine and police on Friday, as part of the ongoing Vala Umgodi operation targeting illegal mining syndicates. The arrests included four juveniles. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said “they face charges, including trespassing, theft of gold-bearing material and contravention of the Immigration Act”. She indicated that the state intended to oppose bail for those with previous convictions and pending cases. The remaining accused were remanded in custody. The case was postponed to 11 and 12 August for address verification and possible further bail applications. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mmatumelo Lebjane at SowetanLive Two more illegal miners resurface from Sheba Gold Mine EWN reports that two more illegal miners have resurfaced from Sheba gold mine in Mpumalanga, bringing the total taken into custody since Friday to over 550. The latest resurfacings come amid continued searches underground as officers monitor entrances and tunnels into the mine's shafts. Police said one of the two men had a serious arm injury and both were being treated before they were formally processed. Since Friday’s operation that netted 494 illegal miners, another 24 were detained on Monday, 28 on Tuesday, and now two more have come up from the mine's tunnels that stretch for kilometres under the Barberton hills. Four of the illegal miners arrested at the mine are juveniles. With unemployment pushing 50% in parts of Mpumalanga, many locals turn to illegal mining for survival. The mine said it was trying to tackle that problem by investing in job creation projects, but illegal mining was strangling those efforts, reducing revenue, jeopardising community programmes and putting even more jobs at risk. The company said the constant resurfacings showed the scale of the challenge and it warned that if the problem persisted, Sheba’s future and local livelihoods would be in jeopardy. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mongezi Koko at EWN. Read too, Community members in Barberton claim illegal mining will thrive due to bribery, at EWN Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Taxpayers have spent almost R170m on VIP protection services by police since 2020 TimesLIVE reports that the police have spent more than R169m on VIP protection services for members of the legislature, judiciary and ad hoc VIPs in the past five financial years. This was revealed by suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu in response to a written parliamentary question by Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana. Mchunu advised that there were three categories of persons who have received VIP protection, other than members of the executive and diplomats. Category one covers members of the legislature including speakers and deputy speakers of the national and provincial legislatures, and chairs and deputy chairs of the National Council of Provinces. The department spent about R71m a year for 22 VIPs, excluding basic compensation of SAPS close protection officers and travel expenditure. Category two are identified members of the judiciary such as the chief justice, deputy chief justice, judge presidents, Supreme Court of Appeal judge president and judge president of the Labour Court. Fourteen VIPs cost the department about R45m a year, excluding basic compensation of the SAPS close protection officers and travel expenditure. Category three are ad hoc VIPs, who are protected based on a positive threat against their physical security as confirmed by the intelligence community. The department spent about R53m on 82 VIPs over the past five years excluding basic compensation of SAPS close protection officers and travel expenditure. Gana argued that the figure for each ad hoc VIP was too high. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Innocentia Nkadimeng at TimesLIVE Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Petrol price drops in August, but cost of diesel climbs Moneyweb reports that motorists who drive petrol-powered vehicles got some relief at the pumps from Wednesday, as the price of petrol decreased by 28 cents per litre. However, this reprieve did not extend to diesel users, who saw a notable increase in fuel costs. The price adjustments took effect at midnight on Tuesday. According to a statement issued by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources on Tuesday, the wholesale price of diesel with 0.05% sulphur content rose by 65 cents per litre, while diesel with 0.005% sulphur rose by 63 cents per litre. Both 93ULP and 95ULP petrol saw a 28-cent per litre decrease in price. The cost of illuminating paraffin increased 32 cents per litre. The department attributed the decrease in petrol prices to a drop in the average international price, which tracked a slight downward movement in crude oil prices during the review period. On the other hand, diesel and paraffin prices increased due to constrained global supply. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Moneyweb. Read too, Petrol price relief from Wednesday, but diesel hiked, at News24 (subscription / trial registration required). And also, Here is the official petrol price for August, at BusinessTech Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Just Share slams Woolworths’ staff benefits as inadequate amid CEO pay gap concern BL Premium reports that activist group Just Share has dismissed Woolworths’ new staff healthcare benefits as insufficient, saying the initiative, while important, does not make employee pay fair or reasonable. This criticism reignites scrutiny over whether retailers are doing enough to close the gap between top executives and frontline workers. The retailer recently rolled out a first-of-its-kind employee benefits package that gives more than 24,000 frontline workers access to private healthcare. The company said the new benefits reflected its commitment to employee wellbeing and were part of a broader “Just Life” initiative, which also includes its R120m “Just Wage” programme to raise minimum salaries. The company pays a minimum hourly rate of R45, which it says is 56% above the national minimum wage. But Just Share, which last year revealed Woolworths had the highest CEO-to-worker pay gap in the retail sector, said the core issue of extreme wage inequality remained unaddressed. “The Just Wage initiative is commendable and Woolworth’s pays its employees more than some of its competitors. But the question to ask is whether the minimum wage that Woolworths’ pays its staff is sufficient to allow them to afford a decent standard of living, including schooling, transport, food, utilities etc,” Just Share stated. In its 2024 analysis, Just Share found that Woolworths’ CEO earned 1,308 times more than the company’s lowest-paid worker. Woolworths is not alone. Just Share found that, on average, CEOs in the retail and wholesale sector earned 597 times more than the lowest-paid workers. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nompilo Goba at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
KPMG SA taps insider Joelene Pierce as its new CEO BL Premium reports that KPMG has picked an insider to take over as CEO of the SA division, betting on institutional memory for the firm that faced an existential reckoning after being engulfed in the state capture scandal. Joelene Pierce’s appointment follows the planned retirement of Ignatius Sehoole, who led the firm through a reputation overhaul. “I am extremely grateful and honoured to take on this new role and build on the strong foundations created during Ignatius’ tenure. I am committed to remaining focused on transformation and ethical practice, as well as embedding critical thinking into the business,” said Pierce. KPMG’s crisis stemmed from the state capture investigations in 2017 and 2018, which exposed ethical lapses and governance failures. As confidence collapsed, the firm lost hundreds of staff and suffered revenue losses when blue-chip clients turned their back on it. When Sehoole assumed the reins in 2019, he inherited an organisation in free fall, compounded by its involvement in the collapse of VBS Mutual Bank. Pierce, who starts next March, leads the KPMG financial services division and sits on the firm’s policy board. She has a 26-year tenure with the company – 19 of those years as a partner. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tiisetso Motsoeneng at BusinessLive
GEMS under pressure from unions to contain 2026 premium increase to single digits BL Premium reports that after this year’s controversial 13.4% hike, unions are pressuring the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) to keep its 2026 contribution increase to single digits. The double-digit premium increase was implemented despite opposition from the Public Servants Association and the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union, and came after several years of modest increases. GEMS is the biggest medical scheme for public servants and their dependants. Confirming that unions did not want another double-digit increase, GEMS principal officer Stan Moloabi said: “We will work hard to come up with an increase that takes the interests of the member into consideration while we protect the financial sustainability of the scheme.” Members have indicated they would like next year’s premium increase to be no higher than medical price inflation, which is likely to be about 8.5%, he advised. Gems is projecting that its contribution income will be R65.5bn instead of R66.7bn. It expects claims expenditure to be R66.4bn, rather than the R65.7bn it budgeted for. The lower-than-anticipated contribution income is due to a slight decline in membership, combined with buy-downs, as some members have switched to cheaper options. The increase in claims expenditure is due to multiple factors, including an ageing population with a growing burden of disease, supplier-induced demand, and ongoing problems with fraud, waste and abuse. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
More than 440 Post Office workers fired in past 25 months – mostly for ‘self-enrichment’ News24 reports that the SA Post Office (Sapo) has dismissed 442 employees since being placed under business rescue in July 2023. “Most employees were dismissed for financial misconduct, in which they acted dishonestly for self-enrichment,” Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi indicated in a written reply to a parliamentary question. The minister said Sapo’s business rescue practitioners (BRPs) had held 926 disciplinary hearings in the past 25 months, which culminated in 442 dismissals. To recoup losses, Sapo has begun deducting money from the employees’ final salary payments and retirement benefits. “In the future, Sapo will be able to report on the funds recovered through these processes and retirement benefits,” Malatsi indicated. Yet, whatever the struggling state-owned entity is able to claw back will likely be only a drop in the bucket compared with the R3.8-billion cash injection the BRPs have been arguing for Sapo to upgrade its business and IT systems. Last month, Malatsi’s deputy, Mondli Gungubele, told MPs that meetings with the Treasury to plead for the funds had been unsuccessful. As matters stand, Sapo’s BRPs look set to hand the entity back to the state to run without the injection of funds. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jan Cronje at News24 (subscription / trial registration required)
Gauteng premier suspends two community safety bosses amid financial irregularities probe News24 reports that Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has suspended the provincial community safety head of department, Nontsikelelo Sisulu, and the department’s chief financial officer, Mduduzi Malope. In a statement, Lesufi announced that the suspensions, effective immediately, were due to financial irregularities uncovered by the provincial Forensic Audit Unit, which operates within the premier’s office. He explained that the suspensions were a precautionary measure to enable fair and impartial investigations. On Sunday, Lesufi announced that he had reshuffled certain heads of departments in the Gauteng government due to under-expenditure, underperformance, lifestyle audits, and failures to meet performance targets in some cases. The shake-up followed recommendations from the Gauteng Ethics Advisory Council and the Gauteng government’s failure to spend about R1.3 billion of its own funding. Lesufi further released 39 out of 177 forensic reports examining serious offences and improper behaviour across multiple departments. The reports cover a wide range of misconduct, from criminal acts to minor breaches of conduct. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Noxolo Sibiya at News24 (subscription / trial registration required). See too, Premier Lesufi suspends two officials from Gauteng Department of Community Safety, at EWN Pretoria Girls High deputy principal suspended for standing in for suspended principal when signing gardener’s contract City Press reports that the deputy head of the Pretoria High School for Girls, Danica Stoffberg, has been suspended without pay for a month because she signed an employment contract for a gardener last year. At the time, she was the acting principal because Phillipa Erasmus, the school principal, had been suspended pending an investigation at the school. The Gauteng Department of Education (DOE) found Stoffberg guilty of appointing someone without following the correct procedure. According to the DOE, Erasmus was supposed to sign the contract, even though she had been suspended. Stoffberg has chosen not to appeal her suspension. It was reported last week that Erasmus was suspended without pay for three months after being found guilty on two of the three charges against her. These involved her husband voluntarily maintaining the school’s gardens, which “could create the impression of nepotism” and her failure to adequately support the school governing body in appointing a financial manager. Erasmus has lodged an appeal. In a circular sent to parents on Thursday, Craig Hezlett, chairperson of the school governing body (SGB), said both the SGB and the school felt that Stoffberg’s suspension was inappropriate because the gardener’s appointment had been approved. Hezlett said the gardener’s three-month probation period had ended and the SGB decided to appoint him full-time. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ruhan Friedrichs at City Press (subscription / trial registration required) Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Gauteng premier waiting for outcome of lifestyle audit before deciding on future of health department head TimesLIVE reports that Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi says the lifestyle audit of Department of Health head Lesiba Malotana is still outstanding and he will decide on Malotana’s future as soon as it is finalised. “I act on evidence. The evidence I have now is insufficient and the institution conducting lifestyle audits has requested an extension and I've granted that extension. When they conclude that report I'll be in a position to take action,” Lesufi explained. Gauteng MPLs engaged MECs during question time at a sitting in Selbourn Hall, Johannesburg, on Tuesday. On Sunday, Lesufi reshuffled and removed several heads of department after a damning report revealed about R1.8bn in underspending, including missed service delivery performance targets. He pointed out that some department heads had missed their performance targets. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Shonisani Tshikalange at TimesLIVE
Bail applications to continue on Wednesday for 10 EMPD, SAPS members charged with theft EWN reports that ten Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EDPD) police and SA Police Service (SAPS) officers charged with theft will spend another night in prison as their bail applications are set to continue on Wednesday. The officers made their first appearance in the Germiston Magistrate’s Court for their bail applications on Tuesday. As the officers walked into the court with their faces covered, each was asked to remove his mask to allow the court to identify him. The officers have been charged with theft for taking stock and a large sum of money from a shop in Edenvale during a spaza shop compliance operation. A spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority said the state did not intend to oppose bail. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Ntokozo Khumalo at EWN. Lees ook, Tien polisie- en metropolisielede vas ná hulle glo steel, by Maroela Media
Rea Vaya back on track on Tuesday after one-day service halt due to protest action on Monday SowetanLive reports that Rea Vaya buses operated as normal on Tuesday morning after the company sent messages via social media at around 6am indicating that they would be back on the road. “Passengers are informed that buses are operating as normal today, August 5 2025, we apologise for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience,” said Rea Vaya’s statement on social media platform X. This followed Monday’s disruption, when drivers blocked the exit at the Meadowlands depot using one of the buses and preventing others from leaving. According to the drivers, they have been forced to transport passengers in buses with expired licence discs, with some dating back as far as 2022, and that their repeated complaints have been ignored. “How are we supposed to work with buses that don’t have brakes or headlights? Yet somehow, they pass roadworthy tests in Lenasia,” said one driver Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Nandi Ntini at SowetanLive Other internet posting(s) in this news category
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