by Dev_SACCAWU | Labour Market News
Suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has resumed his work as an ANC NEC member.
Image: ARMAND HOUGH Independent Newspapers
Suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has officially resumed his duties as a National Executive Committee member.
In his first public appearance as an NEC member, five months of stepping aside, Mchunu delivered a eulogy at the funeral of ANC member, Bhekabathethwa Mthethwa in Richards Bay on Sunday.
Mchunu appeared before the Ad Hoc Committee and the Madlanga Commission to justify his decision to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) and respond to allegations of corruption, specifically regarding ties to a tender tycoon and interfering with police operations.
This was after KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi accused Mchunu of instructing the disbandment of the PKTT on 31 December 2024 without consulting national police leadership, allegedly to protect politically connected individuals.
Mkhwanazi further claimed Mchunu had ties to crime syndicates, controversial businessman Vusumusi ‘Cat’ Matlala.
Last week, Mchunu wrote to the ANC asking to resume his duties as an NEC member – this was confirmed by his private spokesperson Sithembiso Mshengu on Sunday.
“He voluntarily stepped aside, he wrote to the party to inform the leadership that he was returning to his position, not necessarily seeking permission, You remember that he is not facing any criminal charges to be forced to step aside. He asked to be excused to protect the image of the ANC after Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s accusations,” said Mshengu.
In terms of the ANC’s step aside policy, once a member is criminally charged, he or she must stop representing the party both in government and political platforms.
Mchunu was placed on special leave in July following Mkhwanazi’s explosive revelations that suggested he was working with a Gauteng drug cartel which had apparently influenced his decision to disband the PKTT.
Mchunu had repeatedly denied having been influenced by a drug cartel in his appearances in both Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee and the Madlanga Commission.
willem.phungula@inl.co.za
Source: https://iol.co.za/news/politics/2026-03-30-suspended-police-minister-senzo-mchunu-resumes-his-anc-work/
by Dev_SACCAWU | Labour Market News
President Cyril Ramaphosa has challenged the ANC in Limpopo to push its support to 90% in future elections.
Image: Facebook/ANC
African National Congress (ANC) president Cyril Ramaphosa has urged the newly elected Limpopo Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) to replicate its strong electoral performance in the upcoming municipal elections, saying that “the whole ANC relies on Limpopo.”
Ramaphosa delivered the closing remarks at the ANC’s 11th Limpopo provincial conference on Sunday.
He highlighted the province’s importance as a longstanding stronghold of the party.
Limpopo was the only province where the ANC secured more than 70% support in the May 2024 national and provincial elections.
Praising the province’s contribution, Ramaphosa said its leadership across regional, branch and ward levels played a key role in achieving the result.
“You gave us 70% plus of the vote, and thank you so much,” he said.
He added that the party depends heavily on Limpopo’s electoral strength.
“The whole ANC relies on Limpopo to come up with the top numbers,” Ramaphosa said.
However, he noted that he had expected even stronger performance in 2024.
“I had expected that you would give us 90% and more, but of course, you went down. But you still gave us the highest votes,” he said.
Ramaphosa called on the province to aim higher in the upcoming local government elections and beyond.
“You must make it a real home of the ANC by giving us 90% in the coming local government elections,” he added.
Local government elections are expected later this year, with political parties already announcing mayoral candidates in key metros and beginning their campaigns.
ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula previously said the party is intensifying preparations through a comprehensive strategy aimed at strengthening its position across municipal councils.
“Local government elections are fought in every municipality and every ward. Our wall-to-wall plan means we must have candidates for every one of the 205 local councils, eight metro councils, and 44 district councils, with more than 4,458 wards and over 23,000 voting districts,” he said.
Mbalula announced that candidate selection will begin on April 1, following a decision by the party’s National General Council.
“The Top 7 of the ANC will lead and appoint mayors at the metro level and in secondary cities. We have adopted the framework at national level and will unveil it this coming week,” he said.
The party plans to launch its local government elections manifesto in June and submit candidate lists before August.
“Our biggest challenge is changing the mood of potential ANC voters across municipalities,” Mbalula said.
Meanwhile, on Saturday IOL News reported that Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba has been elected unopposed as the ANC’s first female provincial chairperson in the province.
Her election followed a High Court ruling in Polokwane that dismissed an urgent application to interdict the provincial conference.
A unity slate emerged at the conference, with all top candidates elected without opposition.
Ramathuba replaces outgoing chairperson Stanley Mathabatha.
The newly elected provincial leadership includes:
-Chairperson: Dr Phophi Ramathuba
-Deputy chairperson: John Mpe
-Provincial secretary: Reuben Madadzhe
-Deputy secretary: Pule Shai
-Treasurer: Eddie Maila
Ramathuba assumes leadership at a critical time, with the task of consolidating unity, managing internal dynamics and strengthening the party ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
Source: https://iol.co.za/news/politics/2026-03-29-ramaphosa-urges-limpopo-anc-to-boost-electoral-performance-ahead-of-2026-elections/
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/
