MARIKANA – Shop stewards from the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) have urged their leader Joseph Mathunjwa to sign a wage deal at a dramatic mass rally crowning five months of industrial action on Thursday.
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Daily Archives: June 12, 2014
Amcu members gather at Wonderkop
Rustenburg – Hundreds of Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) members sang liberation songs in Marikana on Thursday afternoon, awaiting the arrival of their leaders.
Amcu leader Joseph Mathunjwa and others were scheduled to brief members on the latest developments in wage negotiations.
About 2 000 workers sat on the lawn of the Wonderkop Stadium while others moved in five groups singing struggle song around the stadium.
Fourteen buses were parked outside the stadium. Police in two nyalas and a van kept watch from a distance.
“I heard in Bleskop [Anglo American Platinum] they have accepted a R1 600 increase and mandated the union to negotiate the R12 500 while they return to work,” Lonmin worker Aubrey Matamo told Sapa.
“We want to go to work, but we need money. The company can afford to pay us R12 500.”
He was one of many men sitting on pipes, waiting for Mathunjwa.
The marathon strike had been difficult, said Matamo.
“I cannot recall when did I have had a decent meal.”
Amcu members have been on strike at Lonmin, Anglo American Platinum, and Impala Platinum since January 23, demanding a basic monthly salary of R12 500.
They have rejected the companies’ offer that would bring their cash remuneration to R12 500 by July 2017.
Platinum producers said earlier in the day an agreement in principle had been reached with Amcu that its leadership would discuss some proposals with its members.
“The principles that underpin the proposals seek to achieve a sustainable future for the three platinum companies for the benefit of all stakeholders and to afford employees the best possible increase under the current financial circumstances, said Charmane Russell on behalf of producers.
“Thereafter, and should an agreement be reached, the companies will be assisting employees to ensure a safe return to a normal working environment.”
Amcu would report back to the companies on Friday.
SAPA
Strike is hitting SA hard, warns Mantashe
Cape Town – The platinum strike was putting the country’s credit rating at risk, ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe warned on Thursday.
“We are still by and large a mining economy. Now, if your platinum sector is not producing for five months, that will impact on the overall performance of the economy,” he told reporters at Parliament.
“So that strike needs to be attended to.”
Mantashe said the strike had contributed to the negative growth of 0.6% for the first quarter and cautioned that if credit ratings fell “our borrowing costs will increase” – a key concern for the state’s ambitious infrastructure drive.
He repeated his claim that foreigners were actively involved in the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union’s (Amcu) negotiations with mining houses, but declined to mention names or nationalities.
“Four people from foreign countries are actually right in the negotiations of Amcu and basically articulate the position of Amcu in public. That is a worrying situation,” he said.
“If you allow a free-for-all, the risk of economic sabotage becomes real, because you will have people of all political persuasions come into the country and you will begin to see agitation in a country.”
Mantashe said South Africans were naive to think they were the beneficiaries of global goodwill and that the country was immune to foreign meddling.
“South Africans only are naive enough to believe that they are darlings of the world. People have our interests at heart, they are not interested in actually sabotaging our economy.
“We always think it can happen in Egypt, it can happen in Tunisia, it can happen everywhere, it will never happen to us,” he said.
“It will happen to us if we are reckless and we allow things to go as they can and people to do as they wish.”
Mantashe said the ruling party was concerned that the Economic Freedom Fighters were playing an active role in platinum mine wage talks.
“The second issue that worries us… that made us to describe that strike as turning into a political strike is the direct participation of the EFF in the negotiations.”
Mantashe was speaking as strikers were waiting in Marikana for union leaders to brief them on the latest developments in wage negotiations after mining companies said an agreement in principal had been reached that they would propose to workers.
He stressed that, since 34 mineworkers were shot dead at Marikana in August 2012, another 17 people had died there in violence related to the lingering labour unrest.
“Our view is that state security must actually deal with the fact that… people feel so frightened that they can’t go back to work even if they are starving,” Mantashe said.
“There must be security and safety in the area so that people can make decisions, whether they want to continue to strike or they want to go back to work and not be frightened that you will go to work and may not see the sun the following day as death will be the case.”
It has been widely reported that the foreigners Mantashe reproach for talking to strikers include Liv Shange, a Swedish national and deputy general secretary of the Workers and Socialist Party (Wasp), who has termed Mantashe’s remarks xenophobic.
Shange told the media it was outrageous that Mantashe was blaming the strike on a “third force”.
The strike began on January 23 and saw the SA Reserve Bank warn this week that it would drive down export figures as platinum stocks began running out.
SAPA
Section 139(1) (b) intervention in Maquassi Hills Municipality terminated
North West Department of Local Government and Human Settlements has withdrawn the Section 139(1) (b) intervention at Maquassi Hills municipality.
The pronouncement follows the decision by the Provincial Executive Council in their recent meeting.
MEC for the Department Collen Maine said there is a need to institute a different intervention.
“This decision came after careful consideration and the realization that the intervention has run its course and that the Provincial government should provide support to the municipality in terms of Section 154 of the Constitution” departmental spokesperson Dineo Lolokwane.
Section 154 of the Constitution states that: “The national government and provincial government, by legislative and other measures, must support and strengthen the capacity of municipalities to manage their own affairs, to exercise their powers and perform their functions” Lolokwane said.
Section 139(1)(b) intervention instituted on the financial matters of Matlosana local municipality will end 30 June 2014. In Ditsobotla local municipality intervention continues, however the current team deployed will be replaced.
Section 139(1)(b) of the constitution was invoked last year April at 3 three municipalities namely Ditsobotla, Matlosana and Maquassi Hills local municipalities following the decision by the Provincial EXCO. The interventions were as a result of governance and administration problems in the municipalities which negatively affected service delivery.
“Other reasons included poor governance and management of council matters by the municipal councils, poor leadership and oversight by the councils, breach of code of conduct by councilors, poor relations between council and administration, deterioration of service delivery, poor administrative leadership and lack of administrative capacity within the municipal administrations” she said.
-TDN
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Amcu, platinum firms reach ‘in principle’ agreement
JOHANNESBURG – There are reports this afternoon that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) has reached an “in principle” agreement with mine bosses.
Platinum producers Lonmin, Impala and Anglo American have announced that ‘in principle’ undertakings have been reached with leadership of the union in respect of wages and conditions of employment.
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MEC Maine urges his department to tighten its support to municipalities
North West MEC for Local Government and Human Settlement Collen Maine has urged his department to strengthen their support as they strive to ensure viable and sustainable municipalities in the province.
Addressing a special management meeting recently, MEC Maine said that there is a dire need to address the horrendous state of municipalities in the province.
MEC Maine continued that the current state of municipalities in the province should become a thing of the past.
“The reports on the state of local government are that as a department entrusted with the constitutional mandate to support and ensure viable municipalities, we need to stabilize the state of our municipalities. We need to hit the ground running in assisting municipalities and shy away from planning forever and start implementing. My greatest concern is the slow rate at which we are moving” he said.
“We will continue with our interventions in municipalities where continuous support in terms of various constitutional interventions as legislated. We will also reconvene all municipalities and engage them on their challenges as we will further institute interventions in municipalities which desperately need our support in areas such as finance and planning or any other area where there is a need for such intervention. We need to work and operate as a team to rebrand, reposition and portray this province in a better light”, said MEC Maine.
-TDN
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NORTH WEST PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT SUPPORT TO STRENGTHEN AND IMPORVE SERVICE DELIVERY IN MUNICIPALITIES
The North West Executive Council at its meeting held on 3rd June 2014 reaffirmed its commitment to fulfil Provincial Government obligations in terms of Section 154 of the Constitution to support Municipalities, to meet their constitutional obligations of delivering services to the people.
In addition, EXCO received a report from the MEC for Local Government and Human Settlement, on the status and progress of on-going Section 139 (1) interventions in Municipalities in the Province.
Following the tabling and consideration of the report on Section 139(1) interventions; the Executive Council Resolved:
• To rescind its previous decision on the implementation of Section 139(1)(b) in Macquassie Hills Local Municipality, and replace the intervention with the invocation of Section 154 of the Constitution. As a consequence of this decision, the intervention team sent by Province to the municipality will therefore be withdrawn.• To continue with the intervention in Ditsobotla Local Municipality in terms of Section 139(1)(b), but the Administrator deployed by Provincial Government in Ditsobotla Local Municipality will be withdrawn and a new appointment will be made.• To mandate the Department of Local Government and Human Settlement to deploy a person to Act as Municipal Manager in Lekwa Teemane Local Municipality, once all consultation processes with the Municipal Council are concluded.
The Executive Council further resolved that a comprehensive report be commissioned on the state of
ALL Municipalities in the Province in order to inform future role/s of Provincial Government in supporting municipalities.-TDN
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Conflicting claims about Ramphele charge
Johannesburg – There were conflicting claims by Agang SA members on Thursday over whether criminal charges had been laid against its leader Mamphela Ramphele.
Party spokesperson Mark Peach told Sapa no charge had been laid against Ramphele, while another Agang SA spokesperson Donald Tontsi told eNCA that fraud charges were laid.
“I have just spoken to Mike Tshishonga [Agang SA chairperson]… and no criminal charges have been laid against Dr Ramphele, and certainly not by him,” Peach told Sapa.
Fraud case
He rubbished claims by The New Age that Tshishonga opened a fraud case against Ramphele at the Centurion police station in Pretoria on Tuesday.
The newspaper reported that Tshishonga accused Ramphele of having direct access to party funds, and that she opened a bank account to access deposits from the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) without a mandate from the party.
Peach dismissed this allegation.
“There is some confusion over the process whereby party officials have opened an account to receive refunds from the IEC and it has to be noted that the signatory to the account is Mike Tshishonga,” said Peach.
“So how is it possible that Mike would allegedly do this when he himself is a signatory to the account?”
However, Tontsi told eNCA: “We have opened a fraud charge against the president of the party because we are aware she wanted to squander the money…”
Debt
He told the broadcaster the party was in debt and owed R13m to service providers.
A vote of no confidence had been taken against Ramphele.
“We are saying Mamphele must step down until all of these issues have been cleared up.”
Centurion police spokesperson Warrant Officer Hero Gumbu said he could not comment.
“I cannot comment on that one. It is a very serious high-profile case,” he said.
Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said he would comment soon.
SAPA
Brazil braces for SWC carnival
Sao Paulo – Brazil kicks off the Soccer World Cup on Thursday hoping to unite the football-mad country after a chaotic seven-year build-up plagued by violent protests.
The 32-team extravaganza gets under way in the teeming mega-city of Sao Paulo, where the host nation’s beloved ‘Selecao’ faces Croatia at 22:00 SA time before 61 600 supporters and a worldwide television audience of several hundred million.
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Mahumapelo hails life sentence for Itsoseng rapist
Mahikeng- North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo has welcomed the life imprisonment that 28 year-old Richard Ramaisa was given by the Itsoseng Regional Court this week.
“The inclusion of the name of the perpetrator in the National Register for Sexual Offenders and maximum sentence should restore the confidence of our communities in the criminal justice system for indeed justice has been served. We wish to commend the prosecution and the police for a job well-done,” Premier Mahumapelo stressed.According to police, the convicted accused who was sentenced on Monday had committed the crime on 16 June 2012 when he raped a 79 year-old woman at Zone 1 in Itsoseng after breaking and gaining entrance into the house.
“The old woman was found sleeping alone in the house and ultimately raped after the accused failed to get his intended victim, the old woman’s granddaughter,” Colonel Saba Mokgwabone said.
Mahumapelo said that the sentence should serve as a deterrent to dissuade perpetrators of sexual violence against the aged, children and the vulnerable which remain a traumatic experience with long term psychological effects and an abominable scourge against which society needs to unite in action to eradicate.
-TDN
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