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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Government orders physical roll call of more than one million civil servants News24 reports that the government has embarked on a drive to physically verify over a million national and provincial public service employees by the end of February. A circular sent to the heads of all national and provincial departments by the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) gives them until 28 February to submit a comprehensive report on how many ghost employees they found. Ghost employees appear on the payroll of the government but do not actually work, or do not exist. The DPSA said officials will need to conduct a “physical verification exercise” of everyone earning a salary in their departments, from long-time employees to interns, special advisors, traditional leaders, and board members. They expect officials to physically go to the desks or duty stations of employees and see if someone is there. Officials will then also check things like ID numbers, attendance records, payroll verification, and the like. Foreign workers will need to have their permits verified. Heads of department must then draw up and submit a consolidated verification report indicating how many employees were found to be at their desks working against how many are on the payroll. Once a department has done the arithmetic, it will have to tally the number of potential ghost employees identified and list the actions it has taken, such as freezing salaries or deleting posts. And the DPSA wants to see evidence, such as a list of personnel numbers with salaries frozen, or confirmation that payroll records have been updated. The verification exercise may be checked by an independent body. Municipal staff and workers at state-owned entities are not included in the exercise Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jan Cronje at News24 (subscription / trial registration required)
DA condemns ‘inhumane’ treatment of 130 navy recruits at SAS Saldanha TimesLIVE reports that the Democratic Alliance (DA) has condemned the inhumane treatment of about 130 naval recruits who have been stranded at SAS Saldanha since July. According to a City Press report, the recruits were surviving on minimal food rations and living without proper accommodation as a result of ongoing construction delays at the Simon’s Town Naval Base. The DA said that for nearly three months the young recruits, who have completed their basic military training, have endured conditions that families have described as “inhumane”. The DA argued that confined to the base without day passes, denied sufficient food and prohibited from receiving parcels from home, they have effectively been punished for the Department of Defence’s own logistical failures. According to the DA, this was not an isolated incident. “Earlier this year, SANDF members deployed to the DRC faced chronic ration shortages and delayed deployment allowances, forcing soldiers to buy their own food in a foreign operational theatre,” the DA’s Nicholas Gotsell said. He said in both cases, whether on home soil or in active deployment, the pattern was clear that budgetary and logistical failures lead to rationing and deprivation. The DA will be submitting urgent parliamentary questions to the defence minister to establish why proper accommodation and provisioning were not secured before recruiting and training the naval members. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLIVE. Read too, About 130 naval recruits stranded, hungry and without accommodation, at City Press (subscription / trial registration required) Burnout, early retirement threaten education quality, says teacher union EWN reports that education experts are warning that teacher burnout and early retirements are putting the quality of learning at risk. According to Basil Manuel of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of SA (Naptosa), many experienced teachers are opting to leave the profession early due to stress, exhaustion, and declining job satisfaction. "One of the greater tragedies is that there are good people who just feel that they're not getting enough returns, and I'm not talking about financial returns, I'm talking about happiness with the job – the happiness index is pretty low," he stated. According to Manuel, a growing number of teachers aged 55 to 59 are applying for early retirement, taking with them decades of experience that schools can ill afford to lose. He said overcrowded classrooms and mounting administrative pressures were driving younger educators to seek opportunities overseas, where pay was higher and workloads lighter. Manuel urged school principals to prioritise staff wellbeing and retention, warning that unless teachers were supported, education quality would continue to erode. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Celeste Martin and listen to an interview with Manuel at EWN. Read too, Mental health issues force teachers into early retirement, at SowetanLive
March held by EPWP workers demanding permanent jobs in Joburg on Monday GroundUp reports that more than 200 Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers marched in Johannesburg on Monday, demanding an end to short-term contracts. The march was organised by the Independent Liberation and Allied Workers Union (ILAWU). The workers marched from Joubert Park to the Joburg Social Housing Company and then to the Gauteng Premier’s office. Joining the march were former EPWP workers from the housing company, former and current community healthcare workers, workers from community policing forums (CPF), and former members of the Sawubona Mhlali Service Delivery Brigades. According to the ILAWU, some of the workers had been employed for up to seven years under the EPWP programmes, only to have their contracts terminated. “Allowing workers to work under the programme for more than three years creates false hope of permanent employment,” said ILAWU president Thapelo Mafa. At the housing company, protesters demanded a meeting with management. They said they had worked for the company as cleaners in various parts of the city for seven years with contracts renewed annually, but this year their contracts were not renewed. Mafa called for workers’ contracts to be renewed for at least a year, during which they would receive SITA-recognised training and certificates to allow them to be employable elsewhere. Representatives from the Premier’s office and the Department of Community Safety received and signed memorandums. They were given 72 hours to respond. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kimberly Mutandiro at GroundUp. Read too, Court reins in serial EPWP litigant after five-year battle with Garden Route municipality, at TimesLIVE
Somizi denies owning company accused of owing staff salaries of R165,000 The Citizen reports that celebrity Somizi Mhlongo has denied reports that he co-owns Search Light (Pty) Ltd, a company that reportedly failed to pay its employees. In a statement on Tuesday, Mhlongo said reports linking him to the company were “false and misleading”. He went on to indicate: “It has come to my attention that Sunday World has published an article titled ‘Somizi Mhlongo’s company vanishes as the sheriff comes knocking’. I would like to clearly state that the company referred to in the article does not belong to me, has never been registered under my name and I have no association with it whatsoever. The claims made are completely false and misleading.” Last week, Sunday World reported that the sheriff was pursuing Mhlongo and Search Light which allegedly failed to pay staff salaries. In July the publication reported that Mhlongo and his partners had dismissed several employees without following due process. The staff reportedly took the matter to the CCMA, which ruled in their favour for unpaid salaries amounting to over R165,000. Despite the ruling, they were allegedly still not paid. The workers later obtained an enforcement order to recover the outstanding funds. The sheriff reportedly visited the company’s former offices in Sandton three times in September but found the premises vacant. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lineo Lesemane at The Citizen
Labour department opposes its sidelining by Home Affairs on general work visa decisions BL Premium reports that the Department of Employment & Labour (DEL) is pushing back against the expedited processing of general work visa applications for foreign workers by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), which it says sidelines it from upfront decision-making. Whereas previously applications for a general work visa required a certificate from the DEL confirming that there were no requisite skills in the country to perform that job, that is no longer required for applicants intending to apply for a general work visa in terms of a waiver implemented by the DHA under the Immigration Act. The DHA adjudicates the application in terms of a points-based system. If the applicant meets the required minimum points threshold, the application for a general work visa is approved by the DHA and issued to the applicant. “The implementation of the points-based system … has also relegated the labour department from playing any role on the issuance of general work visas,” a department official said in a briefing on Tuesday to a joint meeting of parliament’s employment & labour and tourism committees. DEL officials said the revised system “has a huge impact on compliance [with] labour laws and the displacement of South Africans by foreign nationals”. Deputy DEL Minister Jomo Sibiya told MPs that South Africans needed to be prioritised for job opportunities given the high level of unemployment. The DEL recommended to the committees that the DHA should amend the Immigration Act by excluding waiver applications. A DHA spokesperson stressed that the visa reforms had “dramatically improved the efficiency of the system and had also enhanced SA’s ability to attract high-end skills Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Linda Ensor at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
KZN municipality battles skills shortage as water infrastructure collapses GroundUp reports that uMzinyathi District Municipality does not have enough skilled employees to maintain its water infrastructure, according to Mayor Thembisile Mchunu. Municipal water services have all but collapsed, leaving residents having to rely on boreholes and private water tankers. More than a dozen water infrastructure projects have stalled, and the municipality has spent millions on companies contracted to supply water with trucks. “The recent internal skills and competence research revealed that these workers are not fit,” said Mchunu at a Water Summit held in Dundee on 16 and 17 October. Sizwe Ngubane, the municipality’s Head of Technical Services, said the lack of qualified personnel was one of the main reasons for the backlog in maintenance. The municipality is due hundreds of millions of rand in conditional grants meant for water infrastructure. But the funds cannot be disbursed because of the municipality’s large number of unfinished projects, Bongiwe Msani, the KwaZulu-Natal operations director for the Department of Water and Sanitation, explained. Delegates at the summit, from the local, provincial and national governments, resolved to make renewed efforts to ensure boreholes were drilled in every ward. An indigent register will also be created to determine who should be required to pay for water. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bongane Motaung at GroundUp
Suspension of Gauteng Health HOD Lesiba Malotana was for failing lifestyle audit EWN reports that the Gauteng government has revealed that its Head of Department (HOD) for Health, Lesiba Malotana, was suspended for failing a lifestyle audit. Malotana was placed on suspension last week by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, pending an investigation. While there were reports that the suspension was linked to the R2 billion looting at Tembisa Hospital, Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko advised that Malotana was not among the implicated officials in that specific matter. Last year, the Gauteng government partnered with the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), tasking it with conducting lifestyle audits into the province’s senior managers and a report on the Health HOD was completed in August last year. Responding to a question from the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Gauteng Legislature on Tuesday, Acting Premier Faith Mazibuko said: “Mr Malotana was asked by SIU to provide outstanding information to help determine the outcome of his lifestyle audit. He subsequently supplied this information and the SIU reviewed it, and submitted a final written report on Mr Malotana, and the SIU rated Mr Malotana as high risk and recommends a full forensic investigation into his lifestyle.” The "high risk" classification suggests there is a discrepancy between Malotana’s declared income and his lifestyle. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thabiso Goba at EWN Suspended Eastern Cape municipal manager faces disciplinary action over self-approved R75,000 salary hike News24 reports that an independent investigation has recommended disciplinary action and possible criminal proceedings against the suspended municipal manager of the Eastern Cape’s Kumkani Mhlontlo Local Municipality, who allegedly increased his own salary. Lungile Ndabeni was suspended by the municipal council in August amid allegations of, among others, hiking his income without a council resolution, resulting in the municipality overpaying him by more than R75,000. Ndabeni was appointed as the municipality’s accounting officer in February 2023. Before his appointment, he served as the municipality’s senior manager for community services. The forensic report also alleged Ndabeni received a leave pay-out when he resigned as senior manager for community services, “thus resulting in him receiving an undue benefit of R52,185.75”. Another allegation against Ndabeni was the misuse of the municipal petrol card, but according to the municipality he has since repaid the money, which was around R13,900, to municipal coffers. Ndabeni was also accused of failing to cancel the municipality’s service level agreement with Vodacom, which had a contract to provide airtime to employees, after it had expired in 2023. Municipal spokesperson Mamela Mangcotywa said the municipality had received the report and was planning to take disciplinary actions against Ndabeni. Regarding the allegations of unlawfully authorising a salary increment for himself, Mangcotywa said Ndabeni made “payment arrangements a long time ago”. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sithandiwe Velaphi at News24 (subscription / trial registration required)
Corrupt attorney gets nine-year prison sentence, suspended for five years SABC News reports that on Monday the Bellville Commercial Crimes Court in Cape Town sentenced attorney Phuti Mothemane to nine years’ direct imprisonment for corruption. The sentence was suspended for five years on condition that he is not arrested on a similar charge during the period of suspension. Mothemane was also been sentenced to three years of correctional supervision, which includes house arrest and community service. Mothemane was convicted in June this year, before being sentenced on Monday. The National Prosecuting Authority proved that on 23 September 2022 Mothemane offered a state prosecutor a bribe of R50,000 to scupper the state’s case of fraud and corruption against his client. Read the full original of the report in the above regard at SABC News Other internet posting(s) in this news category
Mbenenge’s version on sexual harassment claim ‘riddled with improbabilities’, evidence leader tells tribunal TimesLIVE reports that Eastern Cape judge president Selby Mbenenge’s version before a judicial conduct tribunal investigating a complaint of sexual harassment against him was “riddled with improbabilities, evasions and contradictions”, evidence leader Salome Scheepers stated on Tuesday. Scheepers was giving her closing argument in the complaint of sexual harassment against Mbenenge. She asked the tribunal to find him guilty of gross misconduct. Scheepers said the version of the complainant, judge’s secretary Andiswa Mengo, was corroborated by the WhatsApp messages put before the tribunal. These showed that Mbenenge initiated the majority of sexually charged conversations between them, that he ignored her attempts to disengage and that he sent unsolicited sexual images. Her evidence was also supported by several witnesses, asserted Scheepers. Mbenenge’s evidence on the other hand was contradictory and improbable, she argued. “There is no evidence here of mutuality, no evidence of reciprocal affection,” Scheepers said. However, Mbenenge’s counsel argued there was not “one iota” of evidence to back up the complaint. The commission was being asked to make findings “on conjecture”, he said. If the tribunal finds Mbenenge guilty and the Judicial Service Commission agrees, Mbenenge could face impeachment. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Franny Rabkin at TimesLIVE (subscriber access only) Mbenenge's lawyers deem his conduct towards sexual harassment complainant as 'inelegant courting' EWN reports that lawyers representing Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge in his sexual harassment hearing have reduced his conduct to an "inelegant courting style". Closing arguments were heard on Tuesday in the tribunal hearing investigating his conduct. Mbenenge is accused of making unwanted sexual advances towards High Court secretary Andiswa Mengo between 2021 and 2022. If found guilty of sexual harassment, Mbenenge stands to be impeached as a judge. Arguing on behalf of Mbenenge, Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane said that while the Judge President had pursued a romantic, flirtatious relationship with court secretary Mengo, he could not be punished for it. He denied that Mbenenge’s advances were unwanted, but conceded that they "simply lacked elegance". Arguing that Mbenenge did nothing dishonourable, Sikhakhane went on to state: “Of course, I find it inelegant. But this is not a competition of how best to court.” Sikhakhane also accused Mengo of fabricating the facts. Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Kgomotso Modise at EWN Conversations Mbenenge had with secretary ‘reflect a grooming pattern’ Cape Times reports that an undeniable, clear power imbalance allegedly existed between sexual harassment complainant, Andiswa Mengo, and Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge, which he exploited despite her repeated resistance over a period of about 11 months. This was argued by Mengo’s counsel, Advocate Nasreen Rajab-Budlender, at the reconvened Judicial Conduct Tribunal, where oral arguments were heard on Tuesday relating to sexual harassment accusations made by Mengo against Mbenenge. Rajab-Budlender stated: “There is an undeniable and clear power imbalance between the complainant and the respondent. He exploited that imbalance to harass the complainant. To suggest otherwise would be to ignore not just the jurisprudence of the highest court but the views of gender experts and mostly what all of us who work in a court environment know to be true.” Throughout the tribunal hearings, Mbenenge maintained that he had not pressured Mengo and that when his conversations with her via WhatsApp took a “flirtatious” and “sensual” twist in his efforts to court her. Rajab-Budlender said: “We submit that in JP Mbenenge’s case, there is no circumstance under which it was appropriate conduct for him as a leader and judge to engage in the manner that he did with Ms Mengo.” During the tribunal hearings Mbenenge maintained that he was “not pressuring” Mengo, despite a bout of silence from her for five days and prolonged delays in responses to his messages. Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Chevon Booysen at Cape Times
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