Numsa Media Monitor A daily compilation of local, national and international articles dealing with

labour related issues

Friday 9 September 2016

Numsa

Car manufacturers, Numsa to sign new wage agreement

Mbongeni Muthwa, SABC, 7 September 2016

Car manufacturing employers and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) are on the verge of signing a new wage agreement.

It promises to be a watershed moment as it will be the first time that the sector manages to conclude an agreement without a strike.

After five months of tough negotiations between VW, Nissan, BMW, Ford, Toyota and Delta among others, a deal is now in sight.

Until now, wage negotiations in the sector were characterised by protracted strikes which brought exports to a halt and caused great harm to the economy. Now, that risk looks set to be averted.

Numsa is also engaged in tough wage talks with car component manufacturers.

The unions say it is trying very hard to avoid a strike in that sector as well. Wage negotiations are also underway in the tyre manufacturing sector.

The employers are offering an 8% increase. Numsa says it is optimistic of a breakthrough there as well.

http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/cc6917004e275388948bb74bf75cdd95/Car-manufacturers,-Numsa-to-sign-new-wage-agreement---20160907

Numsa, car makers reach wage agreement

EWN/Reuters, 8 Sept 2016

JOHANNESBURG - It’s being reported that the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has reached a wage agreement with car makers.

The details of the deal have not yet been divulged but it’s understood the wage hike will be implemented over three years.

In July, the country’s main manufacturing union declared a dispute with the Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI) after wage talks with the employers in the auto component sector deadlocked.

The deadlock raised fears of labour unrest which could potentially affect car makers such as Ford, Volkswagen and Toyota.

The talks reached a stalemate after Numsa's demand for a one-year deal for all workers across the automotive value chain was turned down by RMI, which wants to lock the workers down to a three-year deal.

The three-year agreement came to an end on 31 August.

The militant Numsa union, which represents around 100,000 workers in the auto retail sector, held a month-long strike in the auto sector after pay talks deadlocked in 2013, disrupting assembly lines at car plants and bruising investor sentiment.

Numsa wants a 20 percent wage hike, as well as better housing and medical aid perks.

http://ewn.co.za/2016/09/08/Reports-Numsa-carmakers-reach-wage-agreement

Sigh of relief for SA economy as auto sector signs wage deal with no disruption to vehicle production

TimesLive, 9 September, 2016

The Automotive Manufacturing Employers’ Organisation has announced a new three-year wage agreement with a key labour union.

The wage increases and benefit structure agreement is for the 2016 – 2019 period.

The negotiations were concluded in Port Elizabeth on Friday between the automotive manufacturing sector and the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa).

The agreement holds the promise of a longer term and stable investment planning horizon for South Africa’s seven vehicle manufacturers and offers a further enhanced and competitive wage structure and benefits for the automotive industry’s hourly paid workers‚ the employers organisation said in a statement.

Among the highlights of the agreement is the creation of a plant-based housing solution that will seek to provide access to more housing for employees at the various manufacturing plants.

The signing of this three-year wage agreement is a significant achievement as it marks the first time since 2007 and only the fifth time in the history of the sector’s collective bargaining process that it has been successfully negotiated without any disruption or work stoppages.

"The signing of our new agreement is testament to the value of proactive negotiations between AMEO and Numsa‚" said Mike Whitfield‚ CEO of Nissan South Africa and President of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa).

"Formal negotiations were preceded by several consultative industry indabas and a fact-finding mission to the Australian automotive industry by Naamsa‚ Numsa‚ the Department of Trade and Industry‚ the Department of Labour and others. The preparations also started earlier this year‚ giving both parties ample time to prepare and consult their constituents‚" Whitfield added.

The local automotive industry is currently undergoing what the industry calls "very trying times".

New vehicle sales in South Africa have declined significantly over the past year and global export contracts remain exposed to a highly volatile local currency and increasing competition from other manufacturing hubs across Europe‚ the USA‚ Asia and Africa.

Increased global competition and the possible impact of an unstable planning environment were the main themes of the fact-finding mission to Australia. Once a large vehicle manufacturer and exporter‚ Australia has seen all of its vehicle manufacturers close their manufacturing plants or prepare for closure in recent years.

Nico Vermeulen‚ Executive Director of Naamsa‚ commented: “The importance of the automotive manufacturing sector in South Africa cannot be overstated. Apart from being the largest manufacturing sector in the country‚ the broader industry also contributes over 7‚5% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and an estimated 3.4% of the national wage bill. The automotive manufacturing sector is recognised as one of the best paying formal employers in South Africa and it remains an important driver in the development of the South African economy."

Whitfield said: "The new wage agreement gives us a platform on which we can plan further investment in the sector and it sends a clear signal to our international parent companies of our serious intent to nurture and grow the automotive manufacturing industry in South Africa."

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2016/09/09/Sigh-of-relief-for-SA-economy-as-auto-sector-signs-wage-deal-with-no-disruption-to-vehicle-production

South African workers

Nehawu downs tools in Parliament over ‘no work, no pay’ dispute

Khulekani Magubane, Business Day, 8 September 2016

PARLIAMENTARY staff represented by the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) downed tools on Thursday to picket, claiming the legislature’s management intends to dock staff salaries for days not worked during last year’s industrial action, citing the "no work, no pay" principle.

The chairman of Nehawu’s parliamentary branch, Sthembiso Tembe, told Business Day that secretary of Parliament Gengezi Mgidlana wanted to impose pay deductions for days that the union’s members were on strike as well as days when they were locked out of Parliament between November 25 and December 5 last year.

Nehawu members picketed at one of the entrances of Parliament under the watchful eye of law enforcement on Thursday morning.

Tembe said the union would oppose pay deductions for the days during which its members were not allowed into Parliament.

"There was an agreement. We are not against ‘no work, no pay’, but it must be transparent. We must agree on the number of days and we still need to do that. It’s not the first time he has deducted from our salaries," said Tembe.

He added that the deductions, if imposed as per Mgidlana’s wishes, would be for close to nine days of no work and would range from R900 to R7,000, depending on the affected worker’s category.

Disciplinary proceedings are still under way against staff members who also hold leadership positions in the union.

Parliament last week lost a case at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration and must now pay R38m to Parliamentary researchers, owed retrospectively from 2010, as well as increase their wages.

http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/labour/2016/09/08/nehawu-downs-tools-in-parliament-over-no-work-no-pay-dispute

Lift suspension of parly workers, says SACP

ANA Reporter, Independent Media, 8 September 2016

Johannesburg - The SA Communist Party (SACP) in the Western Cape has called on Parliament to lift suspensions against two members of the National Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu), as workers again downed tools in Parliament on Thursday.

The suspension of Sithembiso Thembe and Michael Sithole was meant to draw focus away from workers and their rights, the SACP said.

“Failure to uplift the suspension of the union leaders will indeed border on a direct attack on the very motive force that has contributed to the ANC being the majority in Parliament today. As the SACP, we will support Nehawu in their endeavour to ensure workers’ rights are not being undermined, our support is extended should mass action be decided upon,” the organisation said in a statement.

Members of Nehawu embarked on a strike demanding the lifting of the suspensions, while also decrying the “arrogance” of Parliament secretary Gengezi Mgidlana.

The long-standing labour dispute was preceded by pickets and demonstrations a few days ago outside Parliament. The SACP accused Mgidlana of deploying “bullying tactics” against Parliament workers.

“As the SACP in the province, we fully support Nehawu and encourage workers to refuse being subjected to intimidation and bullying tactics by Gengesi Mgidlana. We call on the ANC, as the majority party in the parliament, to stop hiding its head in the sand on this matter and to desist from subjecting workers to the wrath of bureaucrats, whom by their very action and conduct, have illustrated that they have no interest in the advancing the National Democratic Revolution, the motive forces of which are the working class.”

http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/lift-suspension-of-parly-workers-says-sacp-2066022

Fractious Telkom strike suspended

Fin24, 9 Sept 2016

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) says it has suspended a strike against Telkom.

Hundreds of Telkom workers have been on strike for over a month as they demand an 11% salary increase, six months’ maternity leave, gain-sharing and bridging the “apartheid wage gap”.

But as allegations of intimidation have dogged the strike, the union at its special national executive committee meeting this week decided to halt its labour action, at least temporarily.

CWU’s secretary general, Aubrey Tshabalala, said the decision to suspend the strike came after the union and Telkom started to meet half way on some demands.

“The conclusion was that we must call off the strike because our members believe that there’s lots that still needs to be clarified, but they said in light of this we must suspend an indefinite strike, not calling it off,” Tshabalala said by phone on Friday.

“We have not waived our right, because once you call it off you can’t go back. We are suspending it [the strike],” he said.

Meanwhile, Telkom’s group executive for communications, Jacqui O’Sullivan, said the union had “formally communicated” on Friday morning about the strike suspension.

“This is in response to the full and final settlement Telkom put to the union on Wednesday this week,” O’Sullivan said.

However, O’Sullivan said that their are still issues that both parties need to address.

In particular, Telkom wants the CWU to join other unions in a “collaborative partnership agreement” that ensures the company halts retrenchments over the next two years.

As part of the agreement, Telkom this year implemented a R700m “performance pays” programme to give employees, who meet their targets, 6% more pay than last year.

The CWU, though, is disputing this agreement as the union has previously called for a three-year moratorium on retrenchments and outsourcing.

“Of course, we welcome the suspension of the strike, but also note the union has not yet agreed to the collaborative partnership agreement — the agreement which [the South African Communications Union] and Solidarity signed in June this year,” O’Sullivan said.

“The agreement is critical in changing the way we incentivise and reward performance in the company.

“We want to be able to reward employees for better productivity and better customer service and we will do this through the partnership agreement.

“So while we welcome the suspension of the strike, we will continue with our implementation of the collaborative partnership agreement, for all employees,” said O’Sullivan.

https://www.techcentral.co.za/fractious-telkom-strike-suspended/68332/

Communication Workers Union calls off Telkom strike

Charlie Fripp, HTXT Africa, 9 Sept 2016

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) members’ strike at Telkom has been suspended.

This came after the union yesterday balloted to the strike and the majority of members voted against the action.

In light of that outcome, Telkom said that it expects all striking workers to report for duty today.

“The CWU voted last night to suspend the strike. When I spoke with the union’s President, he indicated a divided vote between those who were willing to agree and those who would not. The suspension of the strike is an important development. As per our offer, we want to see those people back at work, today,” said Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko in a letter to staff.

Members of the union have been on strike at the mobile and fixed operator since 1st August this year.

According to MyBroadband, the operator has agreed to:

◾No forced retrenchments for the next two years.

◾Outsourcing to be limited to less than 1,000 employees over the next two years.

◾The introduction of our new variable productivity incentive plan, “Performance Pays”, which will replace the previous Short Term Incentive plan.

◾Performance Pays will focus on customer satisfaction and front-line productivity metrics.

◾An employee who is achieving their targets can expect to earn approximately 6% more than last year, under the Performance Pays scheme, with further upside for over-achieving employees.

◾An increase of 6% on basic salary payable from 1 April 2017.

In a letter dated 28 August, Maseko highlighted that Telkom has been in talks with various players over wages.

“We have met with the CWU at the CCMA. SACU and Solidarity have already agreed to what we believe to be a fair and reasonable offer. I hope the CWU will reconsider its position and avoid further unintended consequences to those dependent on the salaries of our people,” he said.

In April the union called for Maseko to step down.

http://www.htxt.co.za/2016/09/09/communication-workers-union-call-off-telkom-strike/

Amcu cries foul over Thusi Coal Mine management

Mthobisi Mkhaliphi, SABC, 8 September 2016

Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) in Mpumalanga has raised concerns that meetings planned to take place between the Thusi Coal Mine workers and management are not happening.

More than fifty workers of the mine have been staging an underground sit- in for almost three weeks now.

They are accusing the mine of failing to pay them their salaries for the past three months.

The Department of Mineral Resources has declined to comment.

The Thusi Mine workers affiliated to Amcu are accusing the mine of not taking them seriously.

Amcu's branch chairperson, Don Sibanyoni says the management failed to attend a meeting that was planned to take place earlier this week.

He says they are still not sure whether they will be paid their outstanding salaries.

Meanwhile, workers say they are still prepared to stay underground until something substantial happens.

http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/1a4df4804e2973d1b73fff0dc62e05da/Amcu-cries-foul-over-Thusi-Coal-Mine-management-20160908

Amcu expected to meet with Sasol management over salary dispute

Clement Manyathela, EWN, 9 Sept 2016

Workers downed tools last month after rejecting Sasol's offer of a 7 percent wage hike.

JOHANNESBURG – The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) is expected to meet with Sasol management today in the hopes of resolving a wage dispute.

Yesterday, the union marched on the petro-chemical giant’s offices and handed over a memorandum demanding a R12,500 wage increase across board and a R3,500 adjustment for the salaries of those in higher income brackets.

Workers downed tools last month after rejecting Sasol s offer of a 7 percent wage hike.

Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa said, “We hope that the company will be sober when we engage and try to settle this dispute and workers to return back to work.”

http://ewn.co.za/2016/09/09/Amcu-expected-to-meet-with-Sasol-management-over-salary-dispute

Midvaal suspends workers involved in illegal strike before elections

Penwell Dlamini, TimesLive, 7 September 2016

The Midvaal municipality has taken a decision to suspend its workers who were involved in an illegal strike before the August local government elections.

Just 30 days in office‚ the council has decided to take disciplinary action against the workers‚ most of whom are members of the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu). Baloyi said a total of 30 people had been suspended and that they faced disciplinary action.

“Of that 30 people‚ eight are shop stewards whom we have suspended pending the disciplinary hearing. They have charges which they must answer to. Currently Midvaal has no shop steward for staff‚” Baloyi said.

“We want to recover the financial losses that we suffered during the protest from Samwu itself and individual members. We are quite serious about recovering the financial damages that we suffered as council. We also want to set a precedent that those who start these [protests] must be held liable‚” Baloyi added.

In July Samwu violent protests erupted in Midvaal‚ with disgruntled employees demanding higher wages among other things. Several gates leading to the municipality’s entrances were damaged by irate workers‚ who also barricaded roads with burning tyres‚ rocks and rubble.

Baloyi was speaking after delivering his inaugural speech in which he unpacked his plans to create jobs and improve services to the people of Midvaal. He said that the municipality wanted to improve enforcement of by-laws‚ and therefore wanted its own court to deal with its cases.

“We want to have our own municipal court where we can have a stronger arm of making sure that by-laws are respected. At this stage we rely on the justice system in the magistrate's court and it competes with other crimes.

“We believe that if we have our own municipal court like other municipalities do‚ we will strengthen our arms in implementing our by-laws. We can deal with the land use

contraventions‚ traffic infringements and many other by-law contraventions. It will be a municipal court but it will be staffed the Department of Justice‚” he said.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2016/09/07/Midvaal-suspends-workers-involved-in-illegal-strike-before-elections

Staff at Nelson Mandela Museum in Qunu go on strike

Leanne de Bassompierre, EWN, 7 Sept 2016

MTHATHA - Staff members at the Nelson Mandela Museum, between Qunu and Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, have gone on strike for better salaries and medical aid contributions.

The mass action started last week and the National Health Education and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu)-affiliated workers have vowed to continue until their demands are met.

They want a 10 percent salary increase, among other demands.

A single casual employee is on hand to take tourists through a small section of the Nelson Mandela Museum in Qunu, the place where the late statesman grew up.

About 32km away in Mthatha, 14 Nehawu-affiliated museum employees protest peacefully outside the Bhunga building, the other venue paying tribute to Madiba, which is completely closed to the public as a result of the mass action.

Nehawu Regional Organiser, Thabiso Damoyi says workers will continue protesting until their demands are met.

"I can assure you that we can sustain this strike for even a year, if they do not convene us so that we can at least interact on issues in dispute".

Damoyi says they want a 10 percent salary increase and a review of the R1,400 medical aid contribution, which has been in place since 2003.

The employees claim 11 managers earn a combined R6.6 million a year, while the 14 of them earn a combined R1.9 million a year.

The museum spokesperson was not available for comment.

http://ewn.co.za/2016/09/07/Staff-at-Nelson-Mandela-Museum-in-Qunu-go-on-strike

Fedusa concerned by agriculture industry amid economic decline

Gia Nicolaides, EWN, 8 Sept 2016

JOHANNESBURG - The Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) says it remains gravely concerned about the agriculture industry, which has shown a sixth consecutive quarter of economic decline.

Yesterday it was announced that the economy grew by 3.3 percent in the second quarter of this year, avoiding a technical recession.

While there are still concerns about growth, the agriculture sector has continued to show a decline.

Fedusa's Dennis George says, “The agriculture industry is exposed to climatic incidents, such as drought. We want to meet specifically with our agricultural sector to see what businesses, labour and government can do to provide support for the industry.”

http://ewn.co.za/2016/09/07/Fedusa-concerned-by-agriculture-industry-amid-economic-decline

Far more South Africans classified ‘poor or severely poor’ now than in 2008

Nomahlubi Jordaan, Business Day, 8 September 2016

THE latest National Income Dynamic Study (NIDS) has found that the middle class in SA is relatively small and that the earnings that define "middle class" are actually quite low.

The study defined middle class by using a monthly per capita expenditure range of R2‚920 to R10‚678‚ based on January 2015 prices.

Using this threshold‚ the middle class in SA is only about 15% of the total population.

There has‚ however‚ been considerable demographic transformation within that band of the middle class‚ with black citizens now outnumbering white citizens at about 2:1‚ the study found.

Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe, who presented the study results, commented: "However‚ this must be understood in the context that Africans are still underrepresented in the middle class in general‚ taking into account the overall population dynamics." The study also found that very few South Africans are exercising and that those who do not exercise at all are unlikely to do so in future.

"In 2008‚ about 14% of South African adults reported exercising at least three times a week. And this number dropped marginally to 13% in 2012‚" the study says.

"South Africans who report that they never exercise are unlikely to start exercising in the future. About 82% of those who reported never exercising in 2008‚ continued to remain inactive in 2012." According to the NIDS‚ many of the most active South Africans became inactive over time.

"Half of the people who reported exercising more than three times a week in 2008‚ reported that they never exercised in 2012." Those who do not exercise run the risk of becoming ill, and medical scheme coverage becomes an important security net for some of them when they become ill. Those who do not have medical cover are subjected to paying large sums of money from their own pockets.

"In 2008 and 2012‚ only about 16% of adults and 12% of children were covered by medical aid. And there are very large disparities in coverage between race groups.

"Only about 10% of African adults were covered by medical aid in 2012 compared to 63% of white adults. And only 8% of African children were covered in 2012 compared to 61% of white children. Children are especially vulnerable to losing their

medical safety net. About 34% lost their coverage between 2008 and 2012‚ compared to about 26% for adult South Africans." The NIDS is the first national household panel study in SA. The aim of the NIDS is to provide empirical data on the changing socioeconomic dynamics of South African society.

The study surveyed 28‚000 people who were tracked every two years from 2008 to 2015.

http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/2016/09/08/far-more-south-africans-classified-poor-or-severely-poor-now-than-in-2008

South Africa

Aurora mine liquidators on the hunt for Khulubuse Zuma’s hidden riches

Govan Whittles, Mail & Guardian, 9 Sep 2016

The ink has barely dried on Khulubuse Zuma’s R23-million Aurora settlement deal and already liquidators are on the hunt for his hidden assets.

In the coming weeks they also plan to grill Zuma, a nephew of President Jacob Zuma, in open court about his alleged oil interests in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as leaked in the Panama Papers, and about the family estate of three of his former partners, Solly, Fazel and Zubeida Bhana.

The controversial businessman, known for his champagne lifestyle, stopped just short of pleading poverty yet agreed to cough up a staggering R500 000 every month for the next two and a half years to settle the drawn-out battle with liquidators of the Aurora Empowerment Systems.

The company bought two mines from the embattled Pamodzi in 2009 but failed to maintain or operate them, leaving 5 300 workers jobless and destitute.

John Walker, attorney for the liquidators, said that if Zuma has not been honest about his assets and does not pay the settlement “all bets are off”.

“We asked Khulubuse to make a full disclosure. Based on that disclosure we entered into a settlement agreement because the prospect of getting more would have been superfluous,” he said.

Trade union Solidarity’s Gideon du Plessis described Zuma’s settlement as a selfish move.

KZ caused outrage in 2011 when he pledged R1-million to the ANC during a fundraising event when Aurora mineworkers and their families faced starvation.

“If you compare [the settlement] to the R1.7-billion in damages, it’s light. I think he got off very lightly. We know for a fact that he has the financial ability to pay more,” Du Plessis added.

After signing the deal on Thursday, Zuma immediately became liable for payment of R5-million as the first instalment for his role in the mess.

Although his income and liability disclosures are confidential, the Mail & Guardian has reliably learnt that Zuma portrayed himself as near-broke during settlement negotiations. He told liquidators that at one stage:

• His net asset value was just R2-million.

• He had a bank account balance of just R3 000;

• He owned a home valued at about R2.3-million in the upmarket Durban suburb of Umhlanga and has an outstanding bond; and

• He did not to have any assets or cash abroad.

This comes from a man who owned a string of luxury cars, among them a Bentley, a Rolls Royce and an SLS 63 AMG Mercedes-Benz. Under oath Zuma said he now has just one vehicle, a Range Rover.

Zuma’s conservative claim of his net worth is nowhere near the R40-million estimated by liquidators – a preliminary figure based only on his income when he was a taxi boss.

On Thursday the big spender’s lawyer, Ulrich Roux, denied that Zuma told liquidators he is worth only R2-million. “The amount that is disclosed in the settlement agreement [of no more than R23-million] is the only [net worth] amount that was formally disclosed on record.”

But Roux does admit that the settlement has not broken Zuma’s bank.

The settlement with liquidators compels him to pay R500 000 by the 7th of each month, the first due in October. Only once he has paid R21-million will the instalments drop to R100 000 a month to settle the outstanding R2-million.

This will be a tall order for a man who claims not to have much of an income currently, listing his only business interests as a dormant company, Impinda Transport.

Asked how the deal with liquidators will affect his extravagant lifestyle, Roux said Zuma would not be brought to his knees.

His lawyer said Zuma does not derive any income from business interests. “My client holds no interest, directly, indirectly or via an agent in any company, trust, corporation or any other legal entity, except in Impinda Transport. His interest in Impinda is of no worth.”

The question then is: How does someone who has so little intend to pay the steep monthly instalments?

Apart from pleading poverty, Zuma claimed to be in debt to the tune of R13-million. He said he owes R10-million to Protea Coin Security, which obtained a civil judgment against Aurora in 2012 for services it had provided at Pamodzi’s Grootvlei mine in Springs, east of Johannesburg. He also owes money to his lawyers and a media management company, Kapital Mindz.

Ironically, Zuma’s spokesperson and right-hand man, Vuyo Mkhize, is a director of Kapital Mindz.

Liquidators and investigators have raised concerns about the fact that Zuma has resigned as a director of more than a dozen companies over the past year yet apparently derived no income or benefits for doing so.

“He tried to make us believe that yesterday he had all these businesses and today he doesn’t, and he didn’t receive anything for it,” said a source close to the investigation.

Yet publicly available documents list Zuma as being an active director in five other private companies, sharing directorships with Michael Hulley in four of these. Hulley is President Zuma’s lawyer.

KZ’s deal with the liquidators is not carved in stone and hinges on whether he was honest about his financial interests – including whether he declared any interests held through third parties and whether he stands to benefit from offshore dealings.

Walker said: “The agreement says, should his disclosure be inaccurate or untruthful in any manner … or should he not pay the settlement, we refer back to the original judgment, which is R122-million for the gold ‘theft’ and the R1.4-billion for the destruction of the mines. Basically, the terms read that, should he limit any asset or hold an asset via another person, and we found out about it later, all bets are off.”

The settlement makes specific reference to revelations made in the Panama Papers, leaked in April this year.

Zuma’s name popped up in the world’s biggest data leak of information held by the Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca when it was revealed that he was linked to a British Virgin Isles-based company, Caprikat, that scored a R100-billion oil deal in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At the time Zuma denied that the deal ever took off.

“He denies having money in Panama and we think somebody is holding it as an agent for him. So we’re going to start scratching around the DRC oil deal and what’s happening with him and [Laurent] Kabila’s son [President Joseph Kabila],” said one of the sources.

Aurora: A legacy of lies

Khulubuse Zuma and his fellow directors of Aurora Empowerment Systems took over two mines, Grootvlei on Johannesburg’s east rand and Orkney in the North West, from embattled mining company Pamodzi in 2009. They boasted about having more than $250-million available for running the mines in a deal designed to save jobs. But shortly after this they were unable to pay salaries. Zuma stepped in and coughed up R35-million. It was at that point that he became liable for a portion of the costs, the court found.

The other Aurora directors received a tongue lashing from Pretoria high court Judge Eberhard Bertelsmann last year when he said the directors “vastly exaggerated” their bid to buy the two mines. They had claimed the company would raise R600-million for the purchase and a further R300-million to become operational – in addition to

providing scholarships to students in the surrounding communities. None of this ever happened.

Although Zuma was not found to have acted fraudulently in his dealings with the company, his former partners – Solly, Fazel and Zubeida Bhana and Yaseen Theba – were provisionally sequestrated this week. An application to make this final is scheduled to be heard next month.

Trade union Solidarity’s Gideon du Plessis said: “That [settlement] agreement will haunt him because any business dealings he’s involved in from now will be scrutinised. We give him credit because the court found that he was not involved in any fraud and now he’s the fall guy. But he’s not doing it for the workers, he’s doing it for himself.”

Sequestration seizes assets

When a court makes a sequestration order, it generally means that a person’s assets are legally confiscated and held by a curator until debts have been paid.

http://mg.co.za/article/2016-09-09-00-aurora-mine-liquidators-on-the-hunt-for-khulubuse-zumas-hidden-riches

Khayelitsha learners protest over late-coming, pregnant fines

Monique Mortlock & Lauren Isaacs, EWN, 7 Sept 2016

A group of Joe Slovo High School learners want the school’s policies to be reviewed.

CAPE TOWN - Learners from Joe Slovo High School in Khayelitsha have been protesting at the offices of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED).

Cosas members have joined the large group of learners in the protest outside the department's offices in Cape Town.

The learners want the school’s policies to be reviewed as they claim some of the rules infringe on their rights.

Members of the Congress of South African Students (Cosas), have handed over a memorandum of grievances to officials from the WCED.

TEACHING AND LEARNING HAVE BEEN HALTED

Meanwhile, teaching and learning has been halted at the school.

Broken glass, food and papers are littered across the school grounds after learners went on a rampage, demanding the removal of their school principal.

One torched classroom has been cordoned off with police tape and there's a heavy police presence here following the violence.

Protests started yesterday when a group of late-comers burnt rubbish bins and targeted the principal's car.

It’s not clear for how long classes will be disrupted.

Meanwhile, in Limpopo, the South African Democratic Teacher's Union (Sadtu) has threatened to shut schools if over 1,000 temporary teachers do not get paid soon.

Provincial Sadtu Secretary Matome Raphasha has addressed a crowd outside the Education Department offices in Polokwane.

Another group also picketed outside the Treasury offices, demanding that funds be released to pay the teachers.

Raphasha says payment must be made.

“As the union we feel that we’re going to our provincial executive committee to explain to them the report from the department with an intention to intensify our actions - not putting aside a total shutdown of schools.”

http://ewn.co.za/2016/09/07/Khayelitsha-learners-protest-over-late-coming-pregnant-fines

Nedlac partners behind economic growth

Zintle Mahlati, Independent Media, 9 September 2016

Johannesburg - Partners at the National Economic, Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) have thrown themselves into the challenge of finding solutions to the country’s ailng economy.

This year’s summit theme is “rapid economic growth to create decent jobs”.

Government, labour, community and business at Nedlac’s annual summit on Friday highlighted the need for serious discussions and increased partnership on addressing the unemployment rate, which disproportionately affects youth.

The business representative at Nedlac, Jabu Mabuza, said although Nedlac had achieved great strides in the amendment of labour legislation and moved forward with a discussion on a national minimum wage, the focus now had to shift to the economy.

Mabuza said to achieve Nedlac’s labour and job creation ambitions, answering the question of growth was crucial.

Similar sentiments were shared by labour representative Bheki Ntshalintshali, who lauded government’s plans on energy, the National Development Plan, and the nine-point plan, but noted that the unemployment rate still remained high.

Ntshalintshali said labour was looking forward to the job summit, which was scheduled to take place this year.

Community constituency representative Laura Kganyago said more funding should be shifted to giving young people entrepreneurial opportunities.

Kganyago said non-profit organisations were hugely underfunded and were in grave need of resources for communities to benefit.

Representatives said they hope the summit would provide needed solutions to job creation and rapid economic growth.

http://www.iol.co.za/business/news/nedlac-partners-behind-economic-growth-2066282

National minimum wage in pipeline - Ramaphosa

Craig Dodds, Cape Times, 8 September 2016

Cape Town - Negotiations on the level of a proposed national minimum wage are within a “consensus building range”, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday.

A seven-person technical panel established to investigate an appropriate level for a national minimum wage was expected to report back to him and a committee of principals from the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) towards the end of next month, Ramaphosa said.

Discussions were canvassing a number of issues, such as whether certain categories of workers should be excluded from the national minimum wage, the possibility of exemptions for businesses for which the level might be unaffordable and the relationship between the national minimum wage and existing sectoral determinations.

Ramaphosa gave a hint as to the level being discussed when he said the majority of businesses would already be paying above the minimum threshold, reminding members of the National Council of Provinces, where he was answering questions, that wages for farmworkers and domestic workers had already been increased through sectoral determinations.

The latest sectoral determination for farmworkers, gazetted in February, set the monthly minimum at R2 778.83, or R128.26 a day, rising by consumer price inflation plus 1 percent over the next two years.

Ramaphosa said the Nedlac process, initiated following President Jacob Zuma’s June 2014 State of the Nation Address, was trying to find a level that could be absorbed by the economy without destroying jobs or stifling growth, while still making a meaningful impact on wage inequality.

Responding to a comment that the increase in farmworkers’ wages in 2013 had resulted in substantial job losses, Ramaphosa said while it was true this had been the short-term impact, most of the jobs lost had since been recovered.

The job losses had been the result of a “shock” to employers who had not anticipated the increase and had therefore not budgeted for it. The national minimum wage would have a set time frame, which would allow businesses to “price it in” and plan accordingly, Ramaphosa said. He said all the social partners at Nedlac had agreed on the need for a national minimum wage and wanted it “as soon as possible”.

However, it would not be announced until there was agreement among all the partners, Ramaphosa said.

Turning to the controversial proposed nuclear build programme, Ramaphosa said any investment in new electricity generation capacity would have to be evidence

based, sustainable and affordable and a decision to proceed with nuclear would be taken only after the request for proposal process had been completed and a final funding model developed.

The request for proposals would be published by the end of this month, Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson said in the National Assembly.

Ramaphosa said the Treasury was already working on the financial modelling and would determine whether nuclear was affordable.

The process would be “very transparent”.

http://www.iol.co.za/business/news/national-minimum-wage-in-pipeline---ramaphosa-2065741

International

Dublin Bus strike: Unions to consider escalation

Martin Wall, The Irish Times, 8 Sept 2016

About 400,000 commuters will again have their travel plans disrupted on Friday.

Trade unions representing staff at Dublin Bus will consider escalating the current strike at a meeting next week if there is no progress towards a resolution of the dispute.

About 400,000 people will again have their travel plans disrupted on Friday as bus workers stage a second work stoppage in a dispute with the company over pay.

Two more strikes are already scheduled for Thursday and Friday of next week, with two more planned for Friday 23th and Saturday 24th of September.

There are no indications at present of any further talks aimed at finding a resolution.

Trade unions Siptu and the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) both warned of potential escalation of the dispute if no progress was made in the coming days.

Siptu divisional organiser Owen Reidy said on Thursday that if there was no movement from the company and no negotiations under way, his union would have to put forward for consideration a mandate it had from members for moving to an all-out strike.

Dermot O’Leary said the group of unions at Dublin Bus would meet next Thursday to assess their plans after the first wave of stoppages.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/dublin-bus-strike-unions-to-consider-escalation-1.2784614

Comment and opinion

Inside Labour: Cosatu and the 'conveyor belt' threat

Terry Bell, Fin24, 9 Sept 2016

STATE CAPTURE. These are two of perhaps the most used words in recent political and social commentary in South Africa.

And here they seem to have a very specific meaning: the attempt — or possible success — of a single family, the Guptas, in being able to exercise great and undue influence over the government. In this case by allegedly controlling President Jacob Zuma who, in turn, ensures his control via ministerial appointments and patronage.

However, this is not a peculiarly South African development. What makes the local situation different is that it is so blatant, even crude, with senior ANC figures complaining that they were offered ministerial posts, not by the president, but by the Gupta family.

Even this is not unique. In several parts of the world and certainly in Uttar Pradesh, home state in India of the Guptas, similar allegations about the direct and undue influence of business figures on government is commonplace. Mostly, however, such “capture” is very low key and seldom makes headlines. But, when business is involved, the common denominator is always money.

For politicians in parliamentary systems, power is sometimes the priority, although large crumbs of largesse from the business table always seem to be welcomed if not expected. This creates a symbiotic relationship between business and political elites that often starts well before individual politicians reach posts of serious influence.

It is this that has apparently caused widespread disillusionment with the established order, its politicians, political parties and their policies. Donald Trump in the United States is a product of this time. But so was the emergence of Syriza in Greece, Podemos in Spain, and of proclaimed socialists, Bernie Sanders in the US and Jeremy Corbyn in Britain.

In these turbulent economic times, and in a much smaller way, this gave rise in South Africa to the populist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). But it has also given a renewed boost to the Communist Party (SACP), so causing strains within the alliance.

For these parties and others, the illusion of democracy — in which voters every four or five years go to the polls to put crosses on ballots to hand over the power they collective have to a political elite — provides the route to power, to state capture. However, the SACP still remains part of the governing ANC-led alliance.

Since the expulsion of the National Union of Metalworkers’ union (Numsa) from Cosatu (and its leaders leaving the SACP) the grip on the labour movement of traditional communists has been weakened. Now, with four heavily SACP-influenced Cosatu unions agreeing to host the congress of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) in Durban next month, a new capture looms. This because Cosatu remains affiliated to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) that does not regard the WFTU as a legitimate labour organisation.

The reason for the ITUC stance is that the WFTU has its roots within communist parties once allied to the former Soviet bloc. As such, it has within its ranks state-dominated unions in countries such as Syria, Vietnam and in North Korea a country that provides an even more grotesque parody of socialism than did the Soviet Union.

The language used by the WFTU also echoes the jargon-ridden rhetoric of the Cold War era, referring to European trade union leaders as “spineless agents of the bourgeoisie” and attacking social democratic parties as being in league with “class enemies”. Yet the ANC is classified social democratic and is a member of the Socialist International (SI).

That the SI is a rather ineffectual polyglot of often only vaguely labour oriented groups that have tended to adopt neo-liberal, anti-worker policies has helped the WFTU re-emerge from relative obscurity. It has also revived the almost religious belief among traditional communists that the only alternative to the present system is that which was practiced in the former Soviet bloc.

The WFTU is solidly within this tradition as it tries to “bring Cosatu home”. Yet Cosatu emerged from the independent “workerist” unions of the 1970s that were opposed by the WFTU and the self-exiled, SACP-run SA Congress of Trade Unions (Sactu).

Their opposition was based on their then dogma that there could be no “real” trade unions in a South African “fascist state”. This position changed when it became obvious that independent, worker-run unions had emerged.

Union capture then became the name of the game, along with the myth that Cosatu represents a mere extension of Sactu. So next month’s WFTU congress will honour the SACP unionists “who pioneered Cosatu’s predecessor, Sactu”.

However, missing from the congress will be Numsa, the biggest union in the country and the prime supporter, in 2012, of WFTU affiliation. Because Numsa, which like the WFTU, classifies itself as a “Marxist-Leninist” organisation, was expelled by Cosatu.

This all seems to indicate that it is high time Cosatu unions learn the lessons of their democratic origins and do not fall prey to the statist, “conveyor belt,” alternative proposed by the likes to the WFTU.

http://www.fin24.com/Economy/Labour/InsideLabour/inside-labour-cosatu-and-the-conveyor-belt-threat-20160908

ANC is on the brink of all-out war – with itself

Editorial, Mail & Guardian, 9 Sep 2016

The #OccupyLuthuliHouse group, which protested at the ANC’s headquarters earlier this week, consists of voices from within the ANC who wish to be heard by the party’s leaders. In the past, when such calls went out the ANC would say that critics should air their grievances inside its structures. The party has also said that members should not hang out the ANC’s “dirty laundry” — its internal battles — in public, but rather seek to resolve matters within the organisation.

That would be fair enough if the ANC was a functioning political party that genuinely wanted to connect the rank and file to the leadership, a party that actively sought a mandate from the people rather than simply imposing policy and representation from above. That is what the ANC should be — and, indeed, could claim to have been at

points in its past. But the fact that such internal critique has not worked shows that democracy in the party is fundamentally broken.

As shown by the scuffles between protesters and Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) veterans at Luthuli House this week, party president Jacob Zuma is using groups in the ANC to fight off other factions, particularly those critical of him. It has come down to those who are willing to say “Zuma must go” versus those who will defend his position at all costs. Everyone else in the party is caught in between.

In the maelstrom this tension has created, the idea of a unified ANC voice has been lost. Whereas previous breaks in party ranks and disagreements among leaders would make front-page headlines, these days it has become par for the course.

This is bad news for the party, and is indicative of a movement that is increasingly — and rapidly — losing its way: the centre cannot hold.

There are, however, certain ANC leaders whose voices have stood out as rare instances of sanity.

ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe decided to accept a memorandum from the #OccupyLuthuliHouse group. It was a move that angered veterans but it was the statesmanlike thing to do: the sort of behaviour that is sorely lacking in the party at the moment.

Party treasurer general Zweli Mkhize also made the right noises while delivering a keynote address at Sanlam’s offices in Sandton, Johannesburg, on Tuesday. He spoke about the party’s need to address discipline in its ranks, its leadership problems and to take stock after its devastating showing in the local government elections.

But theirs have been lonely voices while the battle over state capture and parastatals continued to play out in Parliament this week, where embattled Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan pleaded with the public and the government to put the country’s interests first.

Instead, it seems the interests of one family, the Guptas, and those whose interests are aligned to theirs continue to dominate the governing party’s agenda.

There are questions about what people like Des van Rooyen, who suddenly put on his MKMVA cap recently, actually did as MK soldiers. There are questions about how many of those in MKMVA camouflage gear at Luthuli House were ever MK soldiers at all.

The veterans’ body has said more than once that it has a friendly relationship with the Guptas. It has given no indication that it thinks the powerful family, accused of corrupt dealings with politicians from the president down, has done anything wrong.

In doing so, the MKMVA has revealed itself to be the ground troops of the “Zupta” faction in the ANC, just as mines minister Mosebenzi Zwane revealed himself to be a Gupta advocate by brazenly and falsely claiming this week that the Cabinet had approved the idea of an inquiry into the banks that cut their ties with the Guptas. At

least the public is now able to see even more clearly, as with Van Rooyen, which side Zwane is on.

Mantashe, of course, can’t be seen to be on one side or the other — it’s his job to preserve unity in the ANC and prevent members of opposing groups from tearing each other’s throats out, or at least stop them doing it in public. In that, we wish him well but suspect it’s a hopeless task.

There are underlying splits in the party that can no longer be papered over, and open war between ANC members is inevitable.

After the shock the local election results delivered to the ANC, the party should have knuckled down, taken urgent action and reported back to its disillusioned support base about what it would do to win them back. People like Gordhan, Mkhize and even Mantashe know that.

But they are hamstrung by the interest groups that have instead immersed themselves in a horrifying feeding frenzy, if the various dubious deals the treasury is trying to block are anything to go by.

Parts of the ANC are trying to act, but far more buy-in and far more urgent action are needed if the once great liberation movement is to save itself. At this point, however, it looks very unlikely.

http://mg.co.za/article/2016-09-09-00-editorial-as-the-other-side-speaks-up-anc-on-the-brink-of-all-out-war-with-itself?utm_source=Mail+%26+Guardian&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily+newsletter&utm_term=http%3A%2F%2Fmg.co.za%2Farticle%2F2016-09-09-00-editorial-as-the-other-side-speaks-up-anc-on-the-brink-of-all-out-war-with-itself