by Dev_SACCAWU | Labour Market News
President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed ANC members and delegates at the 11th Limpopo elective conference on Sunday. Image: MYANC X Account
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed the party’s commitment to the country’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) policies amid the movement’s renewal agenda. Ramaphosa gave his closing address on Sunday at the 11th ANC Limpopo elective conference, which saw Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba elected unopposed as the provincial chairperson of the ANC.
Ramathuba’s election follows a ruling by the High Court in Polokwane, which dismissed an urgent application to interdict the provincial elective conference. The conference also coincided with another legal battle, which resulted in the indefinite postponement of the party’s elective conference in the Eastern Cape. This provincial conference was held in abeyance after a High Court interdict over procedural flaws and disputed branch credentials.
IOL reports that the ANC’s unity slate in Limpopo emerged with all candidates nominated at the branch level elected without opposition, with Ramathuba replacing outgoing provincial chairperson Stanley Mathabatha.
During his address on Sunday, Ramaphosa emphasised that renewal remains the ANC’s primary objective, as highlighted at the National General Council (NGC) last December
“Renewal is our number one priority, as declared by the NGC in December. As declared by the NGC, renewal manifests itself in many ways. This includes the way our municipalities work as well as the ways in which we, as leaders, conduct ourselves. Secondly, renewal and rejuvenation must be anchored by an effective developmental plan, where we reindustrialise our economy for mass employment creation,” Ramaphosa stated.
President Cyril Ramaphosa met with new leaders of the Limpopo provincial structure ahead of his closing address on the last day of the 11th ANC provincial elective conference on Sunday.
Image: MYANC X Account
Ramaphosa added that the NGC also resolved to consider how the country’s rural communities can benefit from the economy as the country reindustrialises to regain lost ground.
“We must ensure that our rural areas also become productive. That is what renewal must also manifest itself in. This should include strengthening the local government sphere to accelerate service delivery and to promote infrastructure development,” he added.
On the party’s progressive policies, which have been criticised by some of the ANC’s Government of National Unity (GNU) partners, including the DA, Ramaphosa said despite signing the statement of intent with those partners, the ANC will not turn its back on its policies.
“Those who say B-BBEE and affirmative action must stop are just dreaming because we will not abandon the B-BBEE policies that we have embarked upon. We want our people to have opportunities to advance their lives,” he added.
Touching on the current economic landscape, Ramaphosa acknowledged the adversity South Africans have faced over the past 15 years, with rising unemployment and deepening inequality contributing to the nation’s struggles.
“We must acknowledge that for the past 15 years, unemployment has gone up. Inequality has deepened, and economic growth is at a low level instead of improving. However, with all these challenges, we can now say, (with the reforms that we have undertaken), we have started to bring down the vestiges of State Capture,” he said.
siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za
Source: https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-03-29-south-africas-b-bbee-policies-are-here-to-stay-says-ramaphosa/
by Dev_SACCAWU | Labour Market News
Political leaders in KwaZulu-Natal are raising alarms over the shortage of immigration officers.
Image: BMA
With over a million illegal foreigners living in KwaZulu-Natal, civil organisations and political parties have raised concerns over the dire shortage of immigration officers in the province, which is also a countrywide problem.
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has 64 immigration officers permanently stationed in KZN, and tasked with managing the ever-growing issue of illegal migration.
ATM leader in Parliament, Vuyo Zungula, told the Daily News that there were only 832 immigration officers available to manage immigration issues across communities and workplaces in the country, according to feedback he received from the DHA.
He had previously directed questions to the DHA about the plight of immigration officers in policing the influx of illegal foreigners into the country and received responses from Minister Dr Leon Schreiber during a session in Parliament on Tuesday.
According to the parliamentary feedback Zungula received, there were an estimated 15 million illegal immigrants in South Africa; yet the country had little over 800 immigration officers to verify the authenticity of documents and perform other duties.
Zungula expressed concern that officers were also not properly equipped with the necessary electronic devices to perform these tasks. Given these challenges, coupled with the growing number of illegal immigrants in the country, Zungula proposed a large-scale recruitment of immigration officers.
“The government’s response, particularly President Ramaphosa’s previous suggestion to hire labour inspectors, does not solve the immigration policing problem due to legal limitations,” Zungula said.
He explained that only immigration officers were legally permitted to deal with suspected illegal foreigners.
Eric Jean Butoki Madel, Country Chairperson of the Southern Africa Refugee Organizations Forum (SAROF), said the term “illegal foreigner” was often weaponised by those fostering xenophobic attitudes.
He said that, according to SAROF, there is no credible support for Zungula’s figures on the number of illegal immigrants, with the DHA and Statistics South Africa failing to provide data to substantiate the claims.
“The only reliable figures available pertain to legitimate refugees and asylum seekers, which currently stand at 167,615, as per the latest United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) data—significantly lower than the 267,534 reported in November 2024.
“The consequences of this misuse of terms cannot be understated. The conflation of nationality and illegality can incite violence, particularly against Black African migrants, who often become targets during xenophobic outbursts. SAROF condemns this agenda, asserting that it is a tactic employed by politicians to exploit fear and garner votes ahead of the impending elections,” Butoki Madel said.
He added that the narrative suggesting immigrants are usurping job opportunities from South Africans is another distortion challenged by SAROF.
Butoki Madel said that recent revelations from the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) underline corruption within Refugee Reception Offices, particularly in major centres such as Pretoria and Durban.
“This exposes a concerning reality behind the management of refugee services, manifesting the state’s structural failure to safeguard vulnerable populations,” he said.
During the State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that illegal immigration presents a significant challenge for the country, noting its implications for national security, social stability, and economic development.
He emphasised that the government would intensify efforts to improve border management and enforcement by strengthening border security, upgrading infrastructure, and implementing enhanced technologies at ports of entry.
Ramaphosa also warned that businesses employing foreign nationals without the required legal documentation will face stricter enforcement under South African law.
To support these measures, the government announced plans to significantly increase labour oversight capacity. Approximately 10,000 additional labour inspectors are expected to be recruited to strengthen workplace inspections and ensure compliance with labour and immigration regulations.
The objective was to address unlawful employment practices and protect both lawful workers and compliant employers.
March and March leader and co-founder, Jacinta Ngobese Zuma, said the number of immigration officers was extremely small.
“The government needs to employ more officers in order to deal with the millions of illegal foreigners roaming around the province. The government must also provide police officers with training to enable them to handle illegal foreigners and to differentiate between fake and legitimate documents,” Ngobese Zuma said.
Source: https://iol.co.za/dailynews/news/2026-03-18-kzn-leaders-demand-more-immigration-officers-to-tackle-illegal-immigration/
by Dev_SACCAWU | Labour Market News
The abandoned SA Post Office building at EL’s Oxford street. (Randell Roskruge)
Labour demands removal of business rescue practitioners, calls for new management
Organised labour has rejected proposals by the business rescue practitioners (BRPs) to liquidate the troubled SA Post Office (Sapo), saying the move would result in 5,700 workers losing their jobs and pushing nearly 100,000 dependants deeper into poverty.
The minister of communications & digital technologies, Solly Malatsi, was questioned by MPs and the rescue practitioners after a letter revealing plans to seek Sapo’s liquidation was leaked.
On Friday, Haroon Laher of Fasken, the rescue practitioner tasked with Sapo’s business rescue, sent a letter to Malatsi and his deputy Mondli Gungubele, saying liquidation would be the only way forward unless the government injected cash into the Post Office.
This adds a twist to the business rescue process for the Post Office, which has cost R12.6m in rescue fees, R220.1m in consultants and specialists, and R27.9m in external advisory since the 2023/24 financial year. It needs an additional R3.8bn to finish the rescue process.
Cosatu parliamentary co-ordinator Matthew Parks said the labour federation rejects the “ludicrous proposals” to liquidate the Post Office.
“It is beyond shameful that the very same BRPs who were appointed through a court agreement with the creditors and the department of communications & digital technologies in 2023 have nothing to show for their tenure beyond retrenching thousands of Sapo employees and plunging their families into absolute poverty and despair, closing hundreds of branches and thus further shrinking its customer base and potential to recover,” Parks said.
“Workers have reported the BRPs’ abysmal failure to pay millions of rand owed to workers, including medical and pension funds plus taxes.
“It is clear that besides further crippling Sapo and pickpocketing its employees, the only thing the BRPs have to show for the past several years are the hefty fees they have helped themselves to from Sapo.”
He said Cosatu will not agree to Sapo’s liquidation, adding that “the only liquidation that must take place is that of the BRPs”.
“It is time that the department approached [a] court to remove the BRPs and put in place competent administrators who have the capability and commitment to ensuring its stabilisation and setting it back upon the path to sustainability.”
Cosatu will seek urgent engagements with Malatsi and parliament’s portfolio committee for communications “to provide comfort to workers that their jobs will be secured, monies paid and that a turnaround plan will be put in place”.
“It is critical that Treasury provide the previously committed financial support to enable such a turnaround to be implemented,” he said.
SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said if Sapo was liquidated, “it will represent one of the most devastating blows to workers and poor communities since the democratic transition”.
“It will confirm what Saftu has warned repeatedly for more than a decade: that the destruction of the Post Office has been a deliberate consequence of governance failures, corruption, and the refusal of authorities to act despite overwhelming evidence placed before them,” Vavi said.
He said the consequences of liquidating the Post Office would be immediate and catastrophic, with “about 5,700 remaining Post Office workers … immediately losing their jobs”.
“The majority of these workers are older black women, many of whom are the primary breadwinners in their families,” said Vavi.
“Each worker supports multiple dependants. The loss of these jobs would push an estimated 85,000 working-class family members deeper into poverty. In a country already suffering from mass unemployment and deep inequality, such a decision would be socially reckless.”
He called on the government to complete the recapitalisation of the Post Office. “The R3.8bn requested by the BRPs must be released so that the Post Office can settle its remaining debts and stabilise operations.”
Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) general secretary Riefdah Ajam said the Post Office has been in crisis for the past decade and the situation has only worsened.
“What exactly have the BRPs been doing when the Post Office continued to collapse year after year? The continued deterioration of the Post Office is a slap in the face to the South Africans and to the taxpayers whose money has been poured into saving the entity,” Ajam said.
“If an application for liquidation is filed, many workers will lose their jobs, and many communities will lose access to the one Post Office that has been convenient and affordable to them.”
“Marginalised and rural communities will suffer the most, as they rely on the Post Office for communication and access to grants.”
Ajam called for those who presided over Sapo’s collapse to be held accountable.
DA MP and labour analyst Michael Bagraim said: “Unfortunately, I think they should look to public-private partnerships and try and sell off some of the assets to use the profits to boost a new public-private company.
“In that way you’ll be able to save all the jobs and will also have money to look at rationalising if necessary.”
“At the moment they don’t even have money to pay proper severance payments to all the employees. There are international companies who would consider going into postal services to challenge all the private companies that exist at the moment in South Africa.
“The post office is asset-rich, which could be turned into a thriving business.”
Source: https://www.businessday.co.za/news/2026-03-17-unions-oppose-post-office-liquidation-over-job-loss-concerns/
by Dev_SACCAWU | Labour Market News
Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim. File image. (Mduduzi Ndzingi)
EFF and SACP discussions signal potential shift in left-wing politics
Like other societies governed by national liberation movements, South Africa has had a distorted party-political terrain. The overwhelming legitimacy of the liberation movement meant a wide range of ideological tendencies were housed within a single political formation. Within the ANC, there have long been technocrats, kleptocrats, communists, neoliberals and both radical and conservative nationalists.
Now that the ANC’s electoral dominance is collapsing and it is almost certain to lose Johannesburg in the coming local government elections, a process of political realignment has become unavoidable. In principle, such a realignment could bring much-needed clarity to South African politics.
The neoliberals in the ANC could align with the DA and similar forces. The democratic left within the ANC, including the SACP, could align with progressive forces outside the party. Other tendencies could organise themselves into their own blocs.
In a rational political landscape, five broad formations might emerge:
- a genuinely nonracial liberal bloc;
- a social democratic formation rooted in labour and progressive civil society;
- a principled left party;
- a nationalist bloc bringing together the kleptocratic nationalist forces that remain powerful in our politics; and
- a right-wing populist bloc around figures such as Gayton McKenzie and Herman Mashaba.
However, the ANC’s ability to participate in a rational realignment process is limited, if not rendered impossible, by the absence of a clear and credible successor to President Cyril Ramaphosa. The two key names that are currently being floated are Paul Mashatile and Patrice Motsepe.
Recent developments within the labour movement underline how dangerous the current moment has become
A Motsepe presidency would deepen the neoliberal trajectory in South African politics. Mashatile’s ascendancy would consolidate the corrupt and authoritarian nationalist faction within the ANC and align it with similar forces outside the party, including the EFF and the MK Party. Both outcomes would be disastrous for the country.
The dangers of an ongoing neoliberal trajectory have been noted by analysts such as Duma Gqubule, who has warned that South Africa cannot afford a further consolidation of elite power and technocratic governance detached from the social crisis confronting the majority of the population.
South Africa’s crisis is not simply a crisis of leadership. It is a crisis of inequality, unemployment and collapsing public services. Any political project that deepens the existing neoliberal trajectory will intensify these problems rather than resolve them.
Against this backdrop, recent developments within the labour movement underline how dangerous the current moment has become. At the end of last year National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) general secretary Irvin Jim announced to the union’s central committee that he intended to drive a process that would take Numsa and other independent unions in the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) back into the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and, through Cosatu, back into the ANC.
He also indicated that he intended to convene a political symposium, co-hosted with NGO Pan Africa Today, that would seek to bring together the MK party, the EFF and Floyd Shivambu’s new political project in discussions about re-aligning South African politics.
Jim’s push has bitterly divided the labour movement. Democratic left forces and trade unionists who are opposed to corruption are rallying around Saftu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi. Those who appear willing to align themselves with corrupt and authoritarian nationalism are rallying around Jim. The fallout has been extremely bitter and is already reshaping relationships across the labour movement.
An alliance between the SACP and the EFF would represent a profound break with the historical principles of the SACP and the wider democratic left
The situation inside Numsa is now extremely tense. In an internal discussion document deputy general secretary Mbuso Ngubane launched a scathing critique from the left of any return to Cosatu and the ANC.
He argues that unity without political independence serves capital, that Cosatu’s subordination to the alliance coincided with de-industrialisation, labour insecurity and the weakening of worker power, and that a return to those arrangements would place discipline above democracy and loyalty above truth.
One of the most important interventions in this conflict has come from Ruth Ntlokotse, a highly respected trade union leader. In a detailed letter she raised serious questions about governance, accountability and internal democracy within Numsa. Her questions included Jim’s motivations for attempting to take the union back into the ANC and the wider implications of this project for working-class politics. Jim has publicly insulted her on Twitter (now known as X) but has not responded to her letter.
The depth of the crisis is also evident in the resignation of Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, Numsa’s highly charismatic long-time spokesperson. In her resignation letter she said she had received death threats, including a warning that people had been sent to assassinate her, and noted that this was the third time her life had been threatened while working for the union.
She also wrote that this was a congress year and that “a lot of bad things happen during the congress”. Following her resignation, Jim moved to have Pan Africa Today take over Numsa’s communications function. It is extraordinary for an NGO to take over the communications machinery of a major trade union at a moment of such intense internal conflict.
At the same time, new political manoeuvres are emerging elsewhere on the left. Julius Malema of the EFF and Solly Mapaila of the SACP recently appeared together in photographs and announced that discussions had begun about building an alliance between the two organisations. This development raises serious questions. The EFF is an authoritarian organisation and clear evidence of corruption linked to its members has repeatedly been placed in the public sphere through investigative journalism.
Remarkably little attention has been paid to these developments in the mainstream press. Yet they are of enormous importance
An alliance between the SACP and the EFF would therefore represent a profound break with the historical principles of the SACP and the wider democratic left. After all, MK is a deeply authoritarian nationalist project with extreme right-wing positions on many issues, including gender equality and migration. It is difficult to imagine any principled communist formation entering into a political project that could bring such forces into a broader alliance.
The SACP’s weakness at the polls helps explain why such discussions are taking place. In recent by-elections the party has attempted to run candidates independently and has received negligible support. The EFF, by contrast, retains a limited but real electoral base. There is therefore no obvious electoral reason for the EFF to ally itself with the SACP. The more plausible explanation is that such an alliance could serve as a bridge back into the broader nationalist bloc and eventually into government positions.
It is not yet clear whether the project being driven by Jim and the discussions between the EFF and the SACP are linked, or whether they draw on the same sources of political or financial support. It is also not clear whether Pan Africa Today has any role in the attempt to construct an alliance between the EFF and SACP. What is clear though, is that these various initiatives would fit together easily if the SACP were willing to help open the door to MK.
Remarkably little attention has been paid to these developments in the mainstream press. Yet they are of enormous importance. South Africa is entering a period of profound political realignment. The question is whether that realignment will produce ideological clarity and democratic renewal, or open the door for the return to power of kleptocratic authoritarian forces.
• Dr Buccus, a senior research associate at the Auwal Socioeconomic Research Institute, is author of a new book, Politics and Peril, the South African Crisis.
Source: https://www.timeslive.co.za/opinion/2026-03-17-imraan-buccus-sa-is-entering-a-period-of-profound-political-realignment/
by Dev_SACCAWU | Labour Market News
Woolworths CEO Roy Bagattini. Picture: SUPPLIED (Supplied)
The acquisition, which brings in2food’s operations closer to Woolworths’ business, is expected to enhance supply chain efficiency and product innovation
Woolworths plans to double down on expanding in2food locally and offshore after acquiring its long-standing food supplier.
The food and fashion retailer said on Tuesday that it had bought privately-owned prepared foods manufacturer in2food from the founders, Old Mutual Private Equity (part of Old Mutual Alternative Investments), and other shareholders.
In2Food, bought by Old Mutual Private Equity in 2016, supplies “high-quality convenience foods” with a diversified range of premium private-label products across freshly prepared convenience food, fresh produce and long-life categories as well as several ambient and bakery products.
It has eight manufacturing facilities across the country and about 8,000 employees. Woolworths is in2food’s largest customer, with the relationship spanning three decades. The balance of its customers comprises other local and international companies across the food service and wholesale channels.
“There’s an opportunity to grow it beyond the Woolies component of it, the non-Woolies revenue in in2food, both locally and offshore. Woolies accounts for about 80% of its (in2food) business. But there is a component which is very interesting, which is growing, and which we want to help double down on and expand both locally, but also offshore through offering other big food retailers globally, a sort of a white-label type product. We do that already,” Woolworths Group CEO Roy Bagattini said in an interview.
He said UK retailer Marks and Spencer is one of the biggest offshore customers of in2food.
And what’s very important about that is we can take the efficiency and invest that back into price, which is really good for our customers, but all of these things around the customer offer really ultimately flow through into big market share gains, which ultimately flow through to a better business and our shareholders benefit at the end of the day
— Roy Bagattini, Woolworths Group CEO
“There are a number of other big retailers in the US, some in Europe, and we’re opening up some channels into the Middle East here as well,” he said.
The acquisition gives Woolworths such a significant competitive advantage in this food space that no one else has and can replicate. We see significant future opportunities to come out of the transaction.”
Bagattini said the food retail landscape is getting a lot more competitive, “and we also know that we have a differentiated position within that”.
“Our food business is a sort of standout performer here. And we continually think about how we protect that. How do we grow the moat? How do we strengthen the moat around this business in a way that we continue to lead as we do? And we do, and you can do that defensively. You can do that offensively. Defensively, it gives us security or assuredness around supply … with all of the IP, the innovation. So it’s our single biggest supplier, and we now own that, which is very important.”
Offensively, it will drive speed to market much more aggressively and help drive agility.
“And what’s very important about that is we can take the efficiency and invest that back into price, which is really good for our customers, but all of these things around the customer offer really ultimately flow through into big market share gains, which ultimately flow through to a better business and our shareholders benefit at the end of the day,” said Bagattini.
In2Food’s management team will continue to lead it as a standalone operating business within Woolworths.
Richard Cooper, CEO of in2food, said the transaction “further enhances Woolworths Foods’ ability to protect product quality, innovation and availability, which are core to its differentiated customer proposition.
“We look forward to further deepening our decades-long connection with Woolworths.”
Bagattini said: “Woolworths and in2food share a more than three-decade history of partnership in creating products of outstanding quality and innovation to meet the evolving needs of our customers. This acquisition represents a compelling opportunity to bring a key strategic capability closer to the Woolworths Foods business, strengthening one of the core points of differentiation in our premium food offering.”
Woolworths plans to grow its food services business into new areas including school spaza shops and events. It already has WCafes and NowNow for fast food, which are housed under Woolworths Ventures.
Last week, Woolworths announced that Bagattini will retire at the end of September, after more than six years at the helm. He will be replaced by Sam Ngumeni, who has been with Woolworths for almost 30 years and is CEO of the food division.
Source: https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/2026-03-18-in2food-and-stuff-woolworths-acquires-food-supplier-with-plans-for-more-expansion-offshore/
