Striking PIKITUP casual workers have confirmed that they have called off their protest action at waste depots, following the waste management company’s announcement on Thursday that collection services at all 12 depots had been restored.
WATCH | Johannesburg’s waste management entity, Pikitup, has confirmed that the protest at its depots has ended. The entity says waste collection services have been restored across all 12 depots. For more news, visit https://t.co/N9V5BF4stZ. pic.twitter.com/F9X0mLYRsc
The protest disrupted waste collection in parts of Johannesburg with Randburg, Marlboro and Avalon among the most impacted.
The casual workers were demanding to be employed permanently among other demands.
PIKITUP casual worker representative Themba Magoda says, “The feedback from yesterday’s meeting between casual workers, Pikitup and COJ we have reached an agreement with PIKITUP. We agreed that there won’t be any protests happening in PIKITUP depots with casual workers and PIKITUP agreed they will carry on with the recruitments.”
Video | Pikitup Strike | Rubbish piling up across Johannesburg as Pikitup casual workers down tools
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa has found alternative work for 102 workers who were due to be retrenched, while 43 others have taken early retirement packages. (Picture: Prasa)
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The ministerial task team appointed by transport minister Barbara Creecy in June to explore alternatives to retrenchments affecting 580 workers at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has resulted in 43 workers taking early retirement packages.
Another 102 staff have been matched and placed in vacancies across the rail operator’s departments and divisions.
Transport department national spokesperson Collen Msibi said 208 protection services employees had been “ring-fenced pending the conclusion of engagements with Transnet regarding the transfer of stations and related assets”.
A formal notice for the transfer of assets has been issued, “and the parties are working to conclude the process as soon as possible. The task team’s mandate has been extended until the end of August to explore alternatives to the remaining 227 employees”.
The United National Transport Union (Untu) and the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu), the two largest unions at Prasa, had criticised the planned retrenchments which Prasda said was due to “severe financial and operational constraints” at its long-distance passenger rail operations.
Both unions have been approached for comment on the latest development but have yet to respond.
Sowetan’s sister newspaper Business Day reported last month that in a document sent to employees Prasa said certain rail corridors had remained inactive for extended periods, leaving employees unable to perform productive work while continuing to receive full remuneration.
“After exhausting all reasonable alternatives, retrenchment was adopted as a last resort,” Prasa said.
Business Day understands that the Shosholoza Meyl service has not been operating at full capacity as a result. Prasa was allocated R5.8bn in February as part of the government’s efforts to modernise the passenger rail operator’s fleet and improve commuter rail services.
The programme is intended to boost annual passenger trips from 77-million to between 250-million and 450-million over the medium term.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana has said the special appropriation included R1.8bn earmarked for Prasa to help meet its contractual obligations under its agreement with Gibela. The rail transport consortium comprising Alstom and uBumbano Rail was established in 2013, as a ring-fenced company to execute Prasa’s rolling-stock fleet-renewal programme.
Labour union Untu recently provisionally withdrew its application to halt the retrenchment process from the labour court roll to give the task team time to explore alternatives to retrenchments.
Prasa, which has a track network of more than 2,280km, has been plagued by ageing infrastructure, vandalism, unreliability and ineffectiveness, fraud, corruption and safety concerns.
The entity launched a general overhaul programme in 2022 at a cost of R7.5bn, of which R3.48bn had been spent by the end of March 2025.
The overhaul was established to refurbish and extend the service life of Prasa’s legacy rolling stock fleet — the older Metrorail coaches and mainline passenger services locomotives that serve millions of commuters in South Africa’s metropolitan regions.
This comes as it added its voice to COSATU’s call for the suspension of retrenchment consultations at Premier Foods.
Sliced white bread. Image: pb29 on Pixabay
The Agricultural Food and Allied Democratic Workers Union (AFADWU) said investors across the country should consider the plight of the Tulbagh community.This comes as it added its voice to the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)’s call for the suspension of retrenchment consultations at Premier Foods.
The union has also echoed COSATU’s claims that the company is not honouring a merger agreement that states that retrenchments should not be affected within the first three years.
Premier Foods announced its proposed closure earlier in August, putting the livelihoods of workers and the wider community at risk.AFADWU’s Nyaniso Gqalaqha said employees are not only panicked about the livelihoods at stake, but also about the debts they may need to service.
Gqalaqha has extended the call to anyone who may be able to assist the affected workers and community.
“We believe that the other stakeholders or the people that are willing to assist. They can be touched with this situation, the investors across the country. They must come forward to assist. This is going to be a big effect to the community of Tulbagh.”
Sibanye-Stillwater says workers’ wages have continued to rise, with mineworkers who fought for a R12 500 wage in 2012 now earning more than double that amount, 14 years after the Marikana massacre.
Lonmin had committed to reaching the R12 500 for entry-level workers by 2017. Sibanye-Stillwater took over in 2019.
As the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) prepares for the 14th Marikana massacre commemoration, the union’s Labour Party takes the centre stage ahead of this year’s local government elections. https://t.co/u1DvLsPgUxpic.twitter.com/kpcrVTOi1T
The company’s Stakeholder Relations Manager is Thabisile Phumo says they are currently on a five-year wage deal with their organised labour.
“Our basic salary is R20 000 for an entry-level employee. With benefits, this rises to R31 000, including other related benefits and a living-out allowance of R2 300 to enable employees who do not want to stay in mine accommodation to secure decent accommodation outside.”
VIDEO | Victory at last for Marikana platinum mineworkers
A sign seen at a police station. Image Credits: X@SAPoliceService
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) says the police service is facing a number of challenges threatening its ability to effectively fight crime.
POPCRU members have convened at the Birchwood Hotel in Kempton Park for the Central Executive Committee meeting.
The five-day gathering comes at a particularly difficult time for the police service as the Madlanga Commission lays bare serious allegations of corruption and criminality within its ranks.
POPCRU says the over 1 million hopefuls competing for 5 500 spots to become an officer highlights the unemployment crisis in the country. Spokesperson Richard Mamabolo says this is one of the challenges the union is grappling with.
“There’s a high unemployment in the country and we think that there should be some form of a multifaceted approach to us dealing with unemployment so that you do not only have such a large number of people focused on getting jobs within the police service as opposed to many other areas and that of course demonstrated that there is definitely unemployment in the country as has been related by the latest unemployment statistics.”
Mamabolo says interventions such as releasing crime statistics more frequently have not delivered the intended benefit of making it easier to track and tackle crime.
“We’ve been seeing challenges where there’s been well understaffing in police of course the numbers are continue going down yet the population keeps rising on a regular basis. Similarly, with the DCS you know we’ve got a declining staff complement while the prison population keeps going higher so it’s going to be important that as we deal with those things. We look into the capacity that they have because there is also challenges around the uneven allocation of resources. So, you might have manpower but go to any police station especially within rural areas as compared to those within affluent areas, have got all the resources yet those within townships and rural areas have got shortages of vehicles.”
Mamabolo says these challenges have created the impression that police are unresponsive to the challenges facing communities.
The two largest unions at Prasa – reacted with fury after the rail operator announced plans to retrench workers.
A ministerial task team has been appointed to explore alternatives to retrenchments at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa). Picture: Gallo Images/Fani Mahuntsi
A ministerial task team appointed to explore alternatives to retrenchments at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has made headway, with early retirements, staff placements and asset‑transfer talks already reducing the number of jobs at risk in the long‑distance passenger services.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy appointed a section 189 Ministerial Task Team to limit the number of employees to be retrenched and to find alternatives to retrenchment within the Long-Distance Passenger Services at Prasa.
Fury
The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) and the United National Transport Union (Untu) – the two largest unions at Prasa – reacted with fury after the rail operator announced plans to retrench 508 workers, citing “severe financial and operational constraints” in its long‑distance passenger services.
The task team was appointed on 2 June 2026 and comprises the Department of Transport, organised labour, and Prasa’s management.
Update
Creecy spokesperson Collen Msibi said in its recent update report to the minister that the Task Team has made significant progress.
43 employees took early retirement packages (above statutory requirements), effective 1 August 2026.
102 employees were matched and placed into vacancies across PRASA divisions, also effective 1 August 2026, retaining skills within the organisation.
208 Protection Services employees were ring‑fenced pending asset transfer talks with Transnet; a formal notice has been issued, and the process is underway.
Affected employees have been formally informed of these developments by Prasa.
Consultation
Msibi said Prasa has initiated a consultation process in terms of Sections 189 and 189A of the Labour Relations Act in November 2025, following a business decision to address excess staffing levels within its Long-Distance Passenger Services.
“The consultation process was facilitated by the CCMA and included formal engagements with UNTU and SATAWU.”
Msibi said Creecy has extended the Section 189 notice period until the end of August 2026 in order to allow the Task Team to explore alternatives for the remaining 227 employees.
