TOP STORY

CCMA accused by staffers of having a ‘hostile work environment’

BusinessLive reports that just over a year into his term as director of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), Cameron Morajane has been accused by some subordinates of creating a hostile work environment.  Along with some of his newly appointed senior managers, Morajane is facing an employee revolt at the labour dispute resolution agency’s headquarters in Johannesburg after allegations of purges, mismanagement and victimisation.  The CCMA governing body launched a probe into complaints after the staffers reported their grievances to Deputy Labour Minister Nkosi Patekile Holomisa.  Dissatisfied workers have submitted dozens of pages in complaints, including wasteful expenditure, pay disparities and purging.  The aggrieved employees have also claimed that the entity has lost a sizeable number of its senior commissioners due to resignations.  The staffers said they found it ironic that an institution meant to protect labour rights of all workers had become a nightmare to work for.  The CCMA has denied the allegations and assertions.

Read this report by Theto Mahlakoana in full at BusinessLive

MINING LABOUR

Rockfall kills two miners at Impala Platinum shaft in Rustenburg

News24 reports that two miners died when a rock fell on their heads while drilling in shaft 12 of Impala Platinum’s Rustenburg mine on Tuesday morning, the mine said.  The two men, aged 31 and 34, died at the scene.  Impala spokesperson Johan Theron said the rockfall had not threatened the lives of any other miners.  Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane said the ministry would be conducting an investigation into the cause of the accident.  "We are extremely concerned ... with these incidents which continue to claim the lives of workers in the mines.  We have a duty and legislative obligation to investigate these incidents with a view to ensuring that as far as possible we prevent them,” Zwane indicated in a statement.

A short report by James de Villiers is at News24

Gravely concerned ANC calls on mining sector to prioritise safety

EWN reports that the African National Congress (ANC) is gravely concerned about the latest deaths in the mining industry and it has called on the sector to prioritise safety at all levels.  The party has sent its condolences to the families of the two miners who died at Impala Platinum's Rustenburg operation on Tuesday.  The circumstances around their deaths are not yet clear, but the inspectorate of mines has launched an investigation.  It is the second mining tragedy in recent weeks.  Last month, five workers died in a seismic event at Harmony Gold's Kusasalethu mine near Carletonville.  The ANC said it would join the companies concerned in providing support to the bereaved relatives.

This short report is at EWN

Amcu member gunned down at Impala, one injured in shooting at Lonmin

ANA reports that a member of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction (Amcu) was shot dead at Impala Platinum and another wounded at Lonmin in Marikana near Rustenburg on Tuesday, the union said.  Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa indicated:  “Today, [Tuesday] comrade, Mohahu Daniel Maseko was shot dead, riddled with five bullets and comrade Kwenene was attacked by two assassins, one with a shot gun and another with a pistol, he has been rushed to hospital.”  Police confirmed the shooting in Marikana and that a case of attempted murder was being investigated.  No one has been arrested.  Mathunjwa said further:  “We again do not wish to speculate on the motive for the attempted murder of our comrade.  The SAPS [SA Police Service] must investigate and bring the perpetrators to book.  However, the world must know things are getting out of control.  It seems to us that something more sinister is afoot.”  He questioned whether security forces were not involved in destabilising his union.  Maseko was the second Amcu member to have been gunned down in a week at Impala.

Read this report in full at The Citizen

Optimum and Koornfontein mineworkers march to table demands to banks

The New Age reports that mineworkers from the Gupta-owned Optimum and Koornfontein collieries, along with members of the Hendrina community in Mpumalanga, on Tuesday marched to their local banks over the closure of Oakbay-linked accounts.  They submitted their memorandum of demands to Standard Bank, Absa and Capitec Bank.  Management at all three banks accepted the memorandum and said they would forward it to their head offices.  The employees have demanded that the banks ensure employees at the mines do not lose their jobs due to the closure of accounts.  “As it is widely publicised that these mines are in a process of being sold we demand that the banks wait until this process is concluded as a means of saving jobs,” the memorandum read.  Sbu Mahlangu of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said that they were giving the banks seven working days to respond to their memo.  The Bank of Baroda is reportedly the only remaining bank in SA that still has active bank accounts with Gupta family businesses and litigation is pending in that regard.

Read this report by Dikeledi Ramabopa in full at The New Age. Watch video footage at The Citizen

Underground sit-in at Ekapa ends, but NUM vows to continue striking

SABC News reports that the National Union of Mineworker (NUM) has vowed to proceed with its strike action at the Ekapa Mining Joint Venture operations in Kimberley.  This was said after the union’s members, who embarked on an underground strike for better salaries, came to the surface.  More than 150 miners staged an underground sit-in over five days at two Ekapa shafts demanding a 17% pay hike.  Over the five days, 33 miners had to be rescued due to health complications.  NUM reached an interim agreement with the owners, but NUM President Piet Matosa said the strike was still continuing.

Listen to a short audio clip of Matosa at SABC News

Ekapa Minerals abandons part of an interdict against zama zamas in Kimberley

GroundUp reports that in a notice on 14 September, Ekapa Minerals (EM) abandoned part of its interdict against so-called ‘zama zama’ miners in Kimberley, calling into question the validity of the entire interdict.  The miners had appealed in the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) against the interdict, which prevents them from entering and mining on certain property belonging to EM.  As part of their application, they presented evidence which showed that EM was not legally entitled to interdict some of the property.  The case began in 2015, when De Beers began selling off mine dumps to various companies, including EM.  Zama zama informal miners had been mining the dumps before the sale.  Although EM had not yet acquired ownership of the dumps, it successfully applied for an interdict to prevent the miners from entering the dumps and from removing or excavating material.  The zama zamas, represented by Spoor Inc, challenged the validity of the interdict, but it was confirmed by both the High Court and the Supreme Court of Appeal.  They then turned to the ConCourt with new supporting evidence.  EM then decided to abandon the interdict over two farms.  This victory for the zama zamas may bolster their efforts to have the appeal heard by the ConCourt.  Meanwhile, Ekapa has been back in court with an urgent application to have the portions of the interdict that have not been abandoned enforced against the zama zamas.

Read this report by Safura Abdool Karim in full at GroundUp

PROTESTS / MARCHES / BOYCOTTS

Fifty-three arrested during Cape Town taxi strike chaos on Monday

News24 reports that a total of 53 people were arrested in Nyanga during a minibus taxi strike on Monday that saw roads being barricaded, buses set alight and commuters injured.  They were arrested for allegedly looting businesses in the Nyanga area.  A police spokeswoman said some people had "made use of the chaotic circumstances" to commit the crimes.  The offences included business robbery, malicious damage to property, public violence and possession of stolen property.  Monday morning had been marked by sporadic violence, with two buses torched and at least 52 people injured.  The strike was called off after Western Cape Transport MEC Donald Grant and representatives of the SA National Taxi Organisation (Santaco), as well as a Taxi Task Team, met to address a dispute over leadership issues.  Drivers agreed to mediation over how their new leadership structures would be elected.

Read this report by Jenna Etheridge in full at News24

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

Bogus doctor jumps out of window of Sowetan ‘surgery’ in failed attempt to escape arrest

The Star reports that an alleged fake doctor jumped out of the window of her “surgery” and fled as police conducted a raid at her premises in Soweto on Tuesday morning.  The Congolese woman, who had been operating as a medical doctor for the past 10 years, allegedly issued sick notes, performed abortions and also issued medical certificates to drivers applying for public driving permits (PDPs).  Police later arrested her at a nearby park as she was about to get into a vehicle.  While police and officials from the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) questioned the doctor, a 65-year-old man, who works as a driver for a Joburg-based bus company, arrived, allegedly to buy a medical certificate for R100 to be able to apply for a PDP.  According to a Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) spokesperson, this arrest was the fifth bogus doctor apprehended in Gauteng in four weeks as part of Operation Recall.  At least 32,000 driving permits are said to have been obtained through bogus doctors.  The nabbed imposter will be charged under the Medicines Control Act and will also be facing fraud charges for operating as a doctor.  According to the HPCSA, 38 bogus doctors have been arrested since January this year.

Read this report by Nokuthula Zwane in full at The Star. Read too, Bogus doctors appear in North West court, at News24

LABOUR AND POLITICS

Cosatu says Gigaba must be stripped of his unilateral power to appoint PIC board members

The Star reports that labour federation Cosatu and the SA Communist Party believe that Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba must be stripped of all unilateral powers that allow him to appoint board members of the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), with immediate effect.  This call was made ahead of Cosatu’s national strike next week in which workers across the country will be protesting against state capture.  Cosatu and the SACP are of the view that most state institutions and their entities have been ‘captured’ by controversial Gupta family.  On Tuesday, Cosatu unions in Gauteng gathered at the Johannesburg City Hall to declare their individual preparations for the national strike on 27 September.  Cosatu general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali urged public servants, particularly teachers, nurses and Nehawu members, to stop the PIC board members from removing Dr Daniel Matjila as chief executive, allegedly in favour of someone with Gupta links.  “We must stop the money being looted by the Guptas.  We have allowed it for too long.  We must stop the situation in which board members of the PIC are only appointed by the minister,” he said.

Read this report by Baldwin Ndaba in full at The Star

THE ECONOMY / PRICES / PRODUCTIVITY

Consumer inflation picked up to 4.8% in August, while food inflation slowed further

BusinessLive reports that Statistics SA announced on Wednesday that the consumer price index (CPI) rose 4.8% in August from a year earlier.  That compares with a 4.6% year-on-year increase in July, and expectations that inflation would pick up even faster to 4.9%.  CPI inflation, on which the Reserve Bank bases its 3%-6% inflation target, has been within that band since April this year.  One of the main factors in moderating inflation this year has been slowing food price increases.  Food inflation spent the better part of a year in double digits, but the alleviation of the drought in most areas — apart from the Western Cape — has helped food inflation to fall back into single digits, and it has been steady near 7% in the past few months.  It is expected to continue to moderate in August.  Transport fuels were up 5.7% year-on-year in August, after a 3.6% fall in July.

Read this report by Tammy Foyn in full at BusinessLive

Other internet posting(s) in this news category

• World Bank slashes South Africa's economic growth outlook, at Business Report
• World Bank blames lack of innovation for SA’s dismal productivity performance, at Engineering News

RECRUITMENT / STAFFING / CONTRACT WORK

Lack of qualified teachers for appointment scuppers efforts to improve quality of education

BusinessLive reports that South African schools continue to struggle to fill thousands of vacancies for teachers, a trend which threatens to further scupper government’s efforts to improve educational outcomes.  Teacher shortages, especially in gateway subjects such as maths and science, are seen as a key contributor to SA’s poor educational outcomes.  On Tuesday, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga revealed in a reply to a parliamentary question that the country had a total of 15,888 teacher vacancies as at June 2017.  The worst affected provinces were Limpopo (5,000 vacancies), Eastern Cape (2,182 vacancies) and Mpumalanga (over 2,000 vacancies).  Limpopo and the Eastern Cape have in recent years consistently underperformed and remained at the bottom of the class in terms of matric results.  Education analyst Graeme Bloch said the government had in recent years focused on building more schools and neglected the need to produce "high-calibre teachers".

Read this report by Bekezela Phakathi in full at BusinessLive

eNCA could be flouting labour laws by not providing written contracts for freelancers

The Star reports that news organisation eNCA could be flouting labour laws following revelations that its freelance anchors were working without written contracts.  A two-month probe by the newspaper, which spoke to two freelance anchors with over two years of service each, has unearthed a “toxic” environment of uneasiness, where they don’t know whether they’ll still be utilised due to a lack of contracts.  One of the anchors told of “not knowing whether you’ll be put on the roster, or whether you’ll be paid the same rates as the previous month”.  The person added: “If you complain you are removed from the roster.  And there is no contract that you can go back to and say: ‘But I have a contract to work this number of shifts a month’."  Those views were echoed by another anchor, who said that "talks to provide contracts for all freelancers are under way, but that has been the status quo for some time.”  Labour lawyer John Botha advised that the law provided that all employers should provide written contracts to employees working more than 24 hours in a month.  Two of the anchors have worked such an amount of time for several months.  Meantime, the channel is embroiled in a legal tussle with its former entertainment reporter, Nontobeko Sibisi, who is seeking permanent reinstated permanently at the CCMA.

Read this report by Khaya Koko in full at The Star

MISCONDUCT / CORRUPTION

Seven Shoprite cashiers who accepted tips in court for theft

TimesLive reports that seven Shoprite cashiers who were arrested after allegedly accepting tips from customers appeared in court in Cape Town on Wednesday charged with theft.  The women were arrested in August after video footage showed them accepting money from customers at the Pelican Park store in Cape Town.  Shoprite staff and family of the seven held up signs‚ some of which read:  “We want decent wage”‚ “Gatvol of exploitation‚ victimization and humiliation” and “Phantsi Shoprite Management!!”  Kevin French from the Workers Party‚ a National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) affiliate‚ said they would stand by the seven and support their case.  In a statement following the cashiers’ arrest‚ Shoprite said tipping was against its policy‚ which lays down that cashiers may not have personal money with them during work hours.

Read this report by Anthony Molyneaux in full at TimesLive

COMMUTING / E-TOLLS

At least 32 murders on Metrorail trains and stations in Western Cape over two years

ANA reports that a written reply to a question in the Western Cape provincial legislature on Tuesday revealed that police were investigating 32 cases of murder either on Metrorail trains or railway stations in the past two financial years.  Over the two years, only 12 arrests have been made for the murder cases.  Of these, there has been one guilty finding, four are still pending in court, and three of the cases have been provisionally withdrawn.  According to the reply, 66 cases of assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm were reported in the 2015/16 financial year and 48 in the 2016/17 financial year.  Chairperson of the Western Cape legislature’s standing committee on transport and public works, Nceba Hinana, noted that every day, “approximately 700,000 commuters make use of the Metrorail service without guarantee that they will reach their destination on time, if at all, or that they will be able to travel in safety.”  He called on national Police Minister Fikile Mbalula to improve safety on trains.

Read this report in full at The Citizen. Read too, Armed group ambushes Cape Town Metrorail officers, at News24