Over 4 900 Free State miners should be reinstated because the National Union of Mineworkers’ consultation process with Harmony Gold was not exhausted, the Labour Court heard on Tuesday. ”The dismissals were effected prematurely, the consultation was not properly exhausted and fair procedure was not followed,” said Hans van der Riet, lawyer for the NUM.
At an investor presentation on Monday, Harmony CEO Bernard Swanepoel spoke about the gold-miner’s undertaking with Russian mining group Norilsk Nickel, upcoming wage negotiations in the mining industry, Harmony’s bid for Gold Fields and the recent rise in its cash costs.
Harmony Gold suffered a cash operating loss of R54,7-million in the March quarter, the company announced on Monday. In a statement, chief executive Bernard Swanepoel said the poorer results were caused by operational disruptions. Production declined by 14,1% to 679 251oz compared with the December quarter.
The Warriors produced a fantastic performance in the field to reach the Standard Bank Pro20 Series cricket final, beating Free State Eagles by eight runs in a tension-filled finish to their semifinal at Sahara Oval St George’s on Friday. Spinner Johan Botha led a brilliant bowling performance.
It is that time of the season when the championship, relegation and promotion race heats up. First, the championship race, which seemed destined for Orlando Pirates for the third time, has now become highly contested. Pirates — who at one point had opened a 12-point gap — have faltered at the final hurdle.
Children want to see more drama on television, they are interested in news and current affairs and watch television at times when only soap operas are broadcast. These are some of the findings from a study called What Children Want, conducted by the Media Monitoring Project in South Africa.
The ministry of sport and recreation on Thursday called on the South African Rugby Union to clarify the decision of awarding the fifth Super 14 franchise.
A resolution was passed by the president’s council on April 15 to award Central Unions the new franchise, rather that the government-backed South-Eastern Cape region.
A number of members of the South African Rugby Union management committee have filed a notice of motion to set aside the resolution of the Presidents Council taken at a meeting on April 15 in Durban regarding the new Super 14 franchises. The awarding of the franchise to the Central Unions differed with a government ”request” that it be given to the Eastern Province.
Free State Premier Beatrice Marshoff has demoted another provincial minister, the provincial government communications and information system said on Wednesday. Local government and housing minister Bennie Kotsoane will return to the provincial legislature as an ordinary member.
Following two days of consultation with its counsel, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Wednesday decided to serve gold-miner Harmony Gold with papers to the effect that the company should stop its current process of laying off workers. The union said the papers will be served on the company on Wednesday evening.
Mining group Kumba Resources has agreed to limit its retrenchments to 100 people from the 400 people that it previously planned to retrench, a Solidarity spokesperson said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Harmony Gold has started retrenching National Union of Mineworkers members at five of its operations in the Free State.
The jobs crisis in South Africa’s mining industry will be discussed on Tuesday when Minerals and Energy Minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka meets the National Union of Mineworkers. The minister will also discuss ways of ensuring that the supply of electricity to various communities and industries was efficiently provided, without interruptions.
Harmony has reached an understanding with Solidarity and the United Association of South Africa on retrenchments at its Free State operations, the company said on Monday. ”The discussions with the other recognised union, the National Union of Mineworkers, ended inconclusively,” Harmony said in a statement.
After deliberations that delayed the intended media conference by three hours at the Absa Stadium in Durban on Friday, SA Rugby finally announced a reshuffle in provincial affiliations in the enlarged Super 14 franchises for the next three years, subject to an annual review and initial three-year trial period.
There is, as Dorothy observed, no place like home. For South African rugby teams home means winning close games rather than losing them, enjoying the benefit of those 50/50 refereeing decisions and playing in front of crowds that do not believe you to be humourless, cultureless and clueless automatons. Last Saturday both the Stormers and the Bulls set out on a bold quest to reach the semifinals of the Super 12.
New research by South Africa’s Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) suggests that negligent breastfeeding at public hospitals in the Free State province is placing infants at risk of HIV infection. Besides the obvious route of mother-to-child transmission, shared breastfeeding emerged as the single most important factor associated with child HIV infection.
About 21 000 members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in the Free State have suspended their strike at Harmony Gold’s Free State operations and will return to work for the evening shift, ending a two-week strike, the NUM said on Wednesday. An agreement was reached between the union and the company on Wednesday afternoon.
A public library was burned and a police station stoned on Tuesday night at Phomolong, near Hennenman in the northern Free State, police said on Wednesday. The disturbances — in protest over municipal service delivery — followed an agreement between residents and police earlier in the day to restore calm.
The two-week strike by 21 000 National Union of Mineworkers members at most of Harmony Gold’s Free State mines will add to the group’s losses for the current June quarter, analysts said on Wednesday. Harmony has already reported six consecutive quarterly losses.
During the first open forum since the government announced the antiretroviral roll-out, health workers and officials shared their experiences.
After protracted negotiations, the strike by the National Union of Mineworkers at Harmony’s Free State operations will be called off by Wednesday night. The parties reached an agreement in principle that the issues in dispute have been adequately addressed, and an agreement will be signed later on Wednesday, Harmony said in a statement.
Poor infection control at dental, maternity and paediatric facilities is possibly contributing to the spread of HIV/Aids, statistics showed on Tuesday. The findings were in a study commissioned by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council and released at an international Aids conference in Cape Town.
Transparency International and Transparency South Africa commissioned the Institute for Security Studies to put together the National Integrity Systems Country Study Report — South Africa 2005. The study’s value lies in the fact that it goes beyond measuring "perceptions" of corruption and provides an in-depth assessment of the various "pillars" of the South African National Integrity Systems.
The end of a four-match losing streak for the Sharks came not a moment too soon. In beating the Brumbies so emphatically in Durban the Sharks not only earned a shot at redemption, but also became the only local side to win in round five of the Super 12. In the greater scheme of things the five log points thus earned are irrelevant.
Gold Fields has obtained a court interdict to force 30 000 striking miners back to work, the company said on Thursday. ”We must now serve the interdict on the National Union of Mineworkers. But I expect they will be back at work within 24 hours,” said spokesperson Willie Jacobsz.
Operations have halted at all Gold Fields mines in South Africa while workers strike over housing allowances, a company spokesperson said on Thursday. He said that, in striking, the National Union of Mineworkers is going against a signed agreement with the company. Gold Fields has applied for a court interdict to get the miners back to work.
About 100 000 mineworkers are to strike at Harmony and Gold Fields gold mines, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Wednesday. ”Gold Fields workers will this evening [Wednesday] begin with strike action following their dispute with the company on the matter of the living out allowance,” an NUM spokesperson said.
The police have offered a reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the killers of a senior Free State government official. ”No arrests had yet been made in the investigation into the murder of [Noby] Ngombane,” police spokesperson Superintendent Annelie Wrench said on Wednesday.
The murder of a Free State government official and ANC member should be solved as a matter of urgency, the ANC in the province said on Tuesday. Noby Ngombane, an official in the premier’s office, was shot dead at his home in Bloemfontein last week.
Free State Premier Beatrice Marshoff distanced herself on Tuesday from allegations that the murder of provincial official Noby Ngombane was politically motivated. Nokwanda Ngombane, speaking at her husband’s funeral on Monday, said the murder was political and that her husband’s enemies were present at the service.
The African National Congress has described media reports that the murder of Noby Ngomane, Free State premier Beatrice Marshoff’s special adviser, was plotted by ANC comrades, as ”rubbish”. The ANC said on Sunday that the media were ”creating a decoy” in the investigation of Ngomane’s death.
As the deadline for mining conversion rights falls due at the end of April, the Department of Minerals and Energy finds itself with an unintended problem in the form of alluvial diamond diggers in Kimberley in the Northern Cape. The diggers say the government is strangling their livelihoods with mining reform initiatives that look good on paper but are out of touch with reality.