February 15, 2023

Employment and Labour hosts Employment Standards Conference in KwaZulu Natal, 16-17 Feb

Employment and Labour’s Inspection and Enforcement Services host an Employment Standards conference in KwaZulu Natal

More than 50 percent of the inspected employers across South Africa have so far been issued with non-compliance notices by the Department of Employment and Labour’s Inspection and Enforcement Services (IES) branch, for various contraventions across all labour legislations during the period of June 2021 and March 2022.

This is according to the Department of Employment and Labour’s Advocate Fikiswa Bede, Chief Director: Statutory and Advocacy Services, during the IES’s Employment Standards Conference which has started today (15 February 2023) at the Coastlands Hotel, Musgrave in Durban. Advocate Bede was delivering a presentation on the IES Status of Compliance Report with the purpose to provide a close-out report for the National Roving Team (NRT) Projects which took place from June 2021 to March 2022.

The Conference, themed: “Evolve, Pursue and Overtake”, has been attended by Employment Standards Inspectors from all provinces to discuss the importance of the inspectors’ role on inspections with the aim of protecting the vulnerable workers in different sectors.

The total number of inspections conducted by the NRT is 6415 since the beginning of the project or since June 2021 to March 2022, with the most number of inspections conducted during the Target Recovery Project in Gauteng.

“In terms of the SOP (Standard Operation Procedure), cases for prosecution are referred to Statutory Services of the province wherein the inspection took place to comply with the CCMA and or Magistrate Court jurisdictional rules. The cases are referred through the specialists of both the referring and the receiving provinces. The total number of notices issued across all legislations is 3 093. And the number of non-compliant employers after expiry of the notice is 1 159,” said Advocate Bede.

The National Roving Team (NRT) is a team of inspectors from all provinces across all legislations save for the Employment Equity Inspectors, established in June 2021.

The NRT consists of five teams, with a team leader and eight inspectors from the following disciplines:

• Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA)

• Unemployment Insurance Act and Unemployment Insurance Contributions Act

• Compensation for Occupational Diseases and Injuries Act

• Occupational Health and Safety Act

The areas of non-compliance which have been found are:

• BCEA /NMWA (National Minimum Wage Act)

• Non- payment of the correct national minimum wages

• Failure to provide employees with written particulars of employment

• Failure to provide employees with information concerning pay

• OHSA (Occupational Health and Safety Act)

• Employers are not compliant with risk assessment,

• Failure to keep electrical COC’s of installations in the shops,

• Failure to keep certificate of conformity in the workplace for those working with gas.

• Failure to service fire equipment

• Failure to maintain the Electrical Installation

• Failure to keep electrical Certificate

• COIDA (Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act)

• Failure to keep record of earnings

• Failure to pay of annual assessment

• Failure to register with the fund

• Failure to submit the return of earnings

• UIA (Unemployment Insurance Act)

• Failure to submit declarations

• Employers paying through SARS but failing to submit declarations to the department

• Failure to pay contributions to the fund.

Other speakers during today’s programme included an opening by the Department of Employment and Labour’s Deputy Director-General, Ms Aggy Moiloa- Inspector-General; Mr Thanduxolo Qotoyi – Labour Law Academic – Nelson Mandela University, who presented on the Legislative Updates and Developments in Employment and Labour Law; and The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) Commissioner, Ms Urmilla Patel.

The IES Employment Standards Conference will continue until Friday, 17 February 2023.

Source: Government of South Africa

February 15, 2023

South Africa, Mozambique – Floods update (INGD, INAM, Weather South Africa, media) (ECHO Daily Flash of 15 February 2023)

Floods continue to affect eastern South Africa and southern Mozambique, resulting in an increased humanitarian impact.

In South Africa, at least 12 people have died, while extensive damage includes houses and infrastructure, particularly in Mpumalanga Province (north-east South Africa).

In Mozambique, the National Institute for Disaster Management (INGD) reports nine fatalities, five missing people, and three individuals that sustained injuries. About 39,225 individuals have been affected across Maputo City and Province, while the number of displaced people stands at 14,792. Material damage in southern Mozambique includes 7,643 houses, 15 health centres, and 15 schools.

Copernicus Emergency Management System was activated in rapid mapping mode (EMSR650) on 9 February to support with damage assessment in Maputo Province.

On 15-16 February, moderate rain is expected over central and northern Mozambique, while moderate to heavy rain is forecast across central and eastern South Africa.

Source: European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations

February 15, 2023

Western Cape Education receives visit from World Bank Education Sector Analysis

World Bank Education Sector Analysis team visits the Western Cape Education Department

Officials from the World Bank are currently visiting the Western Cape Education Department to make preparations for the Education Sector Analysis (ESA) they will be undertaking for the Western Cape.

The Education Sector Analysis aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the current status of the province’s education system and recommendations on how to address identified priority challenges, in order to inform the preparation of targeted provincial strategies.

The ultimate objective of having this analysis undertaken for our province is to improve learning outcomes for the children of the Western Cape.

During the preparatory meetings taking place between 14 and 24 February 2023, the World Bank team will compile data and documentation, discuss some of their preliminary findings, conduct key interviews with stakeholders and specialists, and visit early learning programmes and schools.

We were also fortunate to be joined by the World Bank’s Global Director for Education, and former Minister of Education in Peru, Jaime Saavedra. I had a wonderful discussion with Mr Saavedra this week about our education landscape, and ideas to reverse the severe learning losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

We warmly welcome the World Bank to our province, and look forward to engaging with them about our vision for quality education for every learner, in every classroom, in every school in the Western Cape.

Source: Government of South Africa

February 15, 2023

WFP helps half a million people recover from loss and damage with climate insurance in West Africa

ROME – The United Nation’s World Food Programme (WFP) is preparing to support 490,000 people in Burkina Faso, The Gambia and Mali who were impacted by drought in 2022. WFP has received US$15.4 million worth of insurance payouts from African Risk Capacity (ARC) Limited that will provide a cash transfer to affected people from March to May 2023, enabling them to recover from the impacts of drought, for example by buying food or supplementing incomes to avoid having to sell productive assets.

“Communities in Mali contribute very little to the climate crisis, yet the impacts are forcing them into a food crisis,” says Eric Perdison, WFP Country Director in Mali. “This funding will enable WFP to reach hundreds of thousands of food-insecure people affected by climate-induced negative impacts, with cash and nutrition assistance.”

Farmers in West Africa suffered losses and damages to their crops and livelihoods due to extensive drought impacting the 2022 agricultural season. This has knock-on effects throughout the region as food availability is reduced and prices soar. Climate insurance enables communities to recover from losses and damages, preventing them being pushed into hunger.

The insurance scheme is part of the ARC Group – a specialized agency of the African Union that helps Member States manage climate and disaster risk. WFP is receiving payouts of US$7.2 million for Burkina Faso, US$187,600 for The Gambia and US$8 million for Mali. Assistance will also include nutritional support for children aged 6-23 months and pregnant and nursing women.

“Thanks to support from Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, WFP has purchased insurance policies that enable us to work with local governments to minimise losses and damages caused by climate impacts” says Mathieu Dubreuil, WFP Head of Climate Risk Insurance. “We need to scale up such initiatives to protect more people on the frontlines of the climate crisis.”

Since 2019, WFP has protected 4.8 million people in six African countries with insurance policies from ARC. To date, WFP has received eight payouts totalling US$25.4 million for five countries, which provided cash and food assistance, nutrition support and emergency asset creation to more than 790,000 people.

“The cash transfer came at a moment when I had difficulty buying food. I live alone with the children and we needed to eat. So, I bought rice and millet”, said Aissé, a widow from Mali who received money from payouts for the drought in 2021.

Source: World Food Programme

February 15, 2023

EPI watch: Epidemiological Bulletin for Epidemic-prone diseases in Somalia for Week 2-3 of 2023 (09 – 22 January 2023)

Current situation

Somalia is experiencing worsening drought following four consecutive seasons of failed rainy season. According to the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) and Famine Early Warning Network (FEWS NEST), Somalia received suboptimal amount of deyr rains than expected since October 2021. Currently, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) estimates that the number of people affected by extreme drought has risen from 4.9 million in March to 7.8 million in December 2022, with 1.3 million displaced from their homes in search of water, food, and pasture. Some 6.3 million people – 45 per cent of the population – are acutely food insecure. For the first time since 2017, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification has confirmed pockets of catastrophic food insecurity (Phase 5) affecting more than 322,010 people. An estimated 1.8 million children under 5 face acute malnutrition, including 515 550 who are severely malnourished. The current situation including the displacement has led to more people being vulnerable to epidemic prone diseases, particularly acute diarrheal disease, and measles.

Source: World Health Organization