OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY

Three Taxify vehicles set alight in Pretoria on Wednesday afternoon

News24 reports that three Taxify vehicles were set alight in Sunnyside, Pretoria, on Wednesday amid ongoing taxi violence in the province.  The first vehicle was set alight when a driver of the ride-sharing service was called to pick up a passenger and, while waiting inside his vehicle, he was approached by a group of around eight men who threatened him with violence.  A "flammable substance" was used to set the vehicle alight and it burnt out completely.  The driver escaped unharmed.  The second vehicle was set alight later the afternoon.  It was parked outside a building when seven men approached the driver.  The vehicle was also set alight with a flammable substance and partially damaged.  The driver sustained no injuries.  The third Taxify vehicle was set alight during the course of the evening as the driver attempted to pick up passengers.  Several Uber and Taxify vehicles have been set alight in Gauteng in the past four months in what is believed to be a battle for territory with metered taxi drivers.  SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) spokesperson Thabisho Molelekwa previously maintained that the violence was sparked by "unequal competition" from Uber.

Read this report by in full at News24

Uber operators and metered taxi drivers heading for court

BusinessLive reports that the ongoing rivalry between Johannesburg metered taxi drivers and Uber operators appears set for court.  Each party laid criminal charges against the other at the Pretoria Central Police Station.  This followed another clash that resulted in one Uber vehicle being damaged near the Hatfield Gautrain station on Tuesday night.  A police spokesperson said a group of Uber operators had opened a case of attempted murder and malicious damage to property, while the metered taxi drivers laid a case of intimidation.  Nobody has been arrested.  Tuesday’s incident comes a few days after three cars were torched in Sandton.  Several drivers from both sides were injured as they fought over who should provide transport services.  The incidents have led to increased police visibility in the affected areas.

Read this report by Bafana Nzimande in full at BusinessLive

MINING LABOUR

Zwane undertakes to halt Mining Charter implementation until review judgment

BusinessLive reports that on the eve of an urgent interdict application against the latest Mining Charter, Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane reached an agreement with the Chamber of Mines to wait for a judicial review in December rather than appear in court on Thursday.  This is the second time that Zwane has avoided confronting the Chamber in court, with a last-minute withdrawal previously of plans to impose a moratorium on approvals of new and transferred mining rights.  The latest stand-down came as the parties were due to meet in the High Court in Pretoria to hear the Chamber’s urgent bid to interdict the third version of the Charter, which the minister has suspended.  Zwane’s legal counsel approached the Chamber to reach an agreement to maintain the suspension of the Charter until judgment is delivered after a legal review by a full bench of judges in December.  Zwane’s legal counsel agreed that neither Zwane nor anyone in the Department of Mineral Resources would directly or indirectly apply provisions of the third charter.

Read this report by Allan Seccombe in full at BusinessLive. Read too, Urgent interdict delayed after Zwane undertaking to halt Charter implementation, at The Citizen. And also, Mining Charter halted till after December, at Fin24

NUM to be ‘friend of court’ in Chamber’s interdict against Mining Charter’s implementation

ANA reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Wednesday that it would be approaching the North Gauteng High Court as an intervening party, or ‘friend of the court’, in the matter of the interdict application by the Chamber of Mines against the implementation of the 2017 Reviewed Mining Charter.  The NUM said it had decided to approach the court after studying the founding and responding affidavits of both the Chamber and the Minister of Mineral Resources Mosebenzi Zwane.  The NUM’s head of transformation Luthando Brukwe said in a statement that the union’s legal team would on Thursday be presenting to the court reasons why it should be admitted and would also assure the court that its participation would not delay or postpone the scheduled dates.  Brukwe added that, although the NUM was not going to oppose the Chamber’s application, the union would be making critical submissions which it hoped would assist the court in adjudicating the matter.

Read this matter in full at Mining Weekly. Read the NUM’s press statement in this regard at NUM online

EFF members gather in Tigane ahead of march to Gupta-owned uranium mine

ANA reports that members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on Thursday arrived at Moscow in Tigane, near Klerksdorp, ahead of a march to the Gupta-owned Shiva Uranium Mine.  They were expected to support members of the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), who wanted to hand over a memorandum of grievances at the Shiva Uranium Mine in Hartbeestfontein.  One man set a tyre alight on the road, but some other protesters doused the fire.  The Public Order Police (POP) Unit and the Matlosana local municipality's traffic officers were monitoring the situation ahead of the march.

A short report by Molaole Montsho is at IOL News

Portfolio Committee visits mines on health and safety fact-finding mission

EWN reports that Parliament's portfolio committee on mineral resources was due to visit the Doornkop mine in Soweto on Thursday morning as it continued with its fact-finding mission on mining health and safety standards.  On Wednesday, the committee went to Harmony Gold's Kusasalethu mine, where five workers were killed during a rockfall last month, and to AngloGold Ashanti’s Mponeng operation in Carletonville.  Committee chairperson Sahlulele Luzipho said the visits to the mines were important in getting a firsthand feel of management’s managerial models and what they were doing to improve health and safety.  While visiting Mponeng, Lisupha noted that the proper governance in place resulted in a zero percent fatality score during the previous financial year and so far into the current one, as opposed to its neighbour Kusasalethu.  The committee met with the Chamber of Mines and unions during its visits and will conclude its schedule on Friday at the Mintek facility in Randburg.

A short report by Pelane Phakgadi is at EWN

INDUSTRIAL ACTION / STRIKES / LOCK-OUTS

Nehawu strike at Gauteng legislature over wages set to continue

The New Age reports that the National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) strike action at the Gauteng provincial legislature (GPL), which has entered its third week, continues unabated.  Nehawu’s dispute with the GPL is mainly about wage and salary increases.  About 150 workers downed tools demanding a 9.5% salary increase and 1% increase to cushion the increase effected by medical costs.  Nehawu branch secretary Kgomotso Sekulane gave this update:  “In terms of the latest development, GPL had agreed to the increase.  However, they say at the end of the financial year 0.5% will be removed from the increment.  Workers have rejected that as they have never heard of such a resolution.”  Sekulane also said that the issue of no work no pay needed to be discussed as the GPL intended to apply that principle.  “We reject this as the GPL is to blame for the strike dragging this long,” Sekulane claimed.

Read this report by Refilwe Magashule in full at The New Age

LABOUR AND POLITICS

SACP and Cosatu in Gauteng to launch own 2019 election campaign without ANC

EWN reports that the SA Communist Party (SACP) and labour federation Cosatu in Gauteng say they have decided to launch their own election campaign for the 2019 elections without the ANC because they want to protect Gauteng from electoral capture.  On Wednesday the two alliance partners announced the move, but denied it was part of the communist party's preparation for elections.  Earlier this year the SACP took a decision at its national congress to contest future elections.  It will be a first for the SACP and Cosatu to take the lead and campaign on their own.  The SACP's Jacob Mamabolo also said they believed this decision would give effect to the reconfigured alliance.

A short report by Clement Manyathela is at EWN

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• ANC alliance's current operating model must change: SACP and Cosatu, at News24
• Cosatu says ANC must ‘self-correct’ to redeem itself, at The New Age
• Western Cape Cosatu backs Ramaphosa for ANC leader, at EWN

RECRUITMENT / STAFFING / INSOURCING

Sassa short on funds to fill 10,000 vacant posts

News24 reports that MPs heard on Wednesday that the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) currently has more than 19,000 job posts available at the entity, but only has funding for half of them.  As of August 2017, Sassa had 19,162 approved permanent and contract posts, but only 9,091 of them were filled, which equated to a 52.6% vacancy rate.  Sassa executive manager Raphaahle Ramokgopa explained to the portfolio committee on social development that when Sassa was formed, job descriptions were defined at the time to represent a complete Sassa organogram that handled all administrative work.  However, many of the functions have been outsourced to external partners for the last decade, including to outgoing unlawful grants distributor Cash Paymaster Services (CPS).  The agency thus now needs people to come in to improve expertise in many of these areas as they move away from CPS, including finance and banking.  Sassa currently only has funding for 220 more posts, all of which have been advertised and approximately 80% of which were still at shortlisting phase.  It has advertised 10 executive posts currently occupied by acting personnel, including the chief operations officer, executive manager: corporate affairs, and four regional executive manager posts.

Read this report by Paul Herman in in full at News24

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY / AFFIRMATIVE ACTION / EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

360 businesses fined over R23m for employment equity non-compliance

BusinessLive reports that the Department of Labour has claimed more than R23m from 360 employers prosecuted for not complying with the Employment Equity Act (EEA).  However, only R1.3m has been paid so far, says the department’s director-general, Thobile Lamati, who briefed the parliamentary portfolio committee on labour about the rate of transformation, among other issues.  The Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) has warned that it will go after unyielding employers who failed to transform their businesses or to submit the required data on progress.  Lamati told the parliamentary committee that section 53 of the EEA would be used as an additional measure to force employers to comply until the government’s transformation targets were reached.  If the section was invoked, businesses would first have to prove to the labour minister that they were compliant by applying for a certificate if seeking to do business with any organ of the state.  Legislative provisions were also being revised.

Read this report by Theto Mahlakoana in full at BusinessLive

RESTRUCTURING / RETRENCHMENTS / COMPANY JOB LOSSES

Engen in talks with staff over voluntary retrenchments

Business Report writes that job cuts are looming at Engen Petroleum as the oil and gas company undertakes a major shake-up.  Engen said it was in talks with employees to streamline the business in a bid to remain competitive.  Spokesman Gavin Smith said Engen, which employed 3,000 people, had examined its operational structure with employees.  The review had led to certain positions being affected.  He indicated:  “Engen is currently engaging affected employees that are mainly based in its corporate offices to explore a variety of alternatives that include applying for a different role within Engen or applying for a Voluntary Severance Package (VSP) in order to avoid retrenchments.  This process is ongoing.”  He declined to divulge how many employees would be affected, but said it would not include petrol attendants.  A source within the company commented:  “While they (Engen) anticipated shedding mainly older, white workers, they have been inundated by take-up of applications for packages for voluntary severance packages from black staffers in all categories.”  Deon Reyneke of Solidarity said the union had not received any notification from the company.  The Chemical Energy Paper Printing Wood and Allied Workers’ Union (Ceppwawu) does appear to have been involved.

Read this report by Dineo Faku in full at Business Report

MISCONDUCT / DISCIPLINARY ACTION / CORRUPTION

Gauteng education MEC supports naming and shaming teachers who prey on pupils

The Star reports that Gauteng Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi, on Wednesday said he supported the plans of the SA Council of Educators (SACE) to make public the names of those found guilty of sexually abusing pupils.  This was said in the wake of a video that emerged on social media showing two KwaZulu-Natal teachers, who have since been suspended, raping a pupil and revelations that at least 30 pupils at a Northern Cape school were impregnated by teachers.  From April to August this year, SACE received 21 complaints related to sexual misconduct by teachers.  SACE is seeking amendments to allow them to publish the teachers’ names and have them banned from working with children.  Speaking at the Independent Schools Responsibility Summit in Midrand, Lesufi said:  “I am of the view that in the beginning of 2018, we should have a database that is publicly available and accessible so that there is no teacher who will be employed by the private and the public sector in Gauteng who has not been vetoed.”

Read this report by Tebogo Monama in full at The Star. Read too, From next year, all new Gauteng teachers to be vetted, on page 9 of The New Age of 13 September 2017

Major-general in crime intelligence suspected of embezzlement still on duty

BusinessLive reports that police management have yet to act on a request by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) to suspend a major-general in crime intelligence accused of siphoning funds from a secret service account he oversees.  In a letter to police management, Ipid’s letter of 1 September 2017 requested that the senior general be placed on precautionary suspension while Ipid finalised its investigation into allegations that he inflated quotations for blinds and curtains at two safe houses in Pretoria.  Police spokesperson Maj-Gen Sally de Beer confirmed that the SA Police Service (SAPS) was aware of the letter and said the matter would be attended to in terms of internal processes.  Ipid’s investigation revealed that the amount claimed from the account for the blinds and curtains was just over R560‚000‚ whereas the actual costs were R78‚763.  "It is Ipid’s view that [the] continued presence of [the] major-general … during this investigation — both criminal and departmental — will hamper the investigation of this case‚" the letter to police management indicated.

Read this report by Jan Bornman in full at BusinessLive