Solidarity awards 2011

Solidarity announces awards in five categories this year:

- Category A: Special employer awards
- Category B: Employer incentive award for good performance
- Category C: Worst employer of the year
- Category D: Employees of the year
- Category E: Worst boss of the year

Category A: Special employer awards

This year, the Compensation Commission wins the Vuvuzela Award for not only splurging R30 000 on vuvuzelas for last year's Soccer World Cup, but also proving that there are lots of other ways to waste money. According to the Commissioner's 2010/2011 annual report, expenditure of more than R47 million is attributed to fraud, unauthorised expenditure and wasteful expenditure. (The Compensation Commission is a body reporting to the director general of labour, which handles all employee claims for occupational diseases or injuries.)

The Willing Walkers Award goes to all the census workers. According to Statistics South Africa, 109 469 fieldworkers and 25 884 supervisors distributed and completed about 20 million census forms between 10 and 31 October 2011 for this year's census survey. Very few difficulties were recorded during the survey, the most comprehensive in the country's history. All eyes are now on Stats SA for the release of the statistics in 2013.

The Waste with a Will Award goes to Armscor. Top officials and non-executive directors of this semi-government body had a ball overseas this year while attending a weapons expo in Britain. Media reports have it that they stayed at five-star hotels at R3 500 a night, and were carted around by a luxury limousine and chauffeur service. The latter cost about R43 000. This was despite the fact that Armscor has already received government bail-outs of R1,6 billion over the past three years.

Category B: Employer incentive award for good performance

There are four nominations in this category:

Simmer & Jack: The Buffelsfontein Mine outside Stilfontein has suffered several waves of retrenchment. Although retrenching yet another 1 200 employees was on the cards, the retrenchments were almost entirely averted. In June this year the company announced that it would have to retrench a large number of the mine's employees, and that closure of the mine's Duff Scott Hospital was also on the cards. Eventually, only about 200 people were affected by the process and it was announced that the hospital would probably be acquired by a private company and thus would no longer have to close. Simmer was nominated for the same award last year after a planned 800 retrenchments could be scaled down to only 70 employees.

Transnet: In June this year, Solidarity appealed to Transnet to improve its safety record. The appeal followed an announcement that more than 1 300 workplace injuries were reported in the first half of 2011 and that safety standards in the South African rail transport industry were declining. Transnet responded positively to Solidarity's appeal. The trade union inter alia asked that train drivers attend refresher courses and undergo proficiency tests, and that shifts be regulated to prevent fatiguerelated accidents.

Anglo American: This company won a prestigious international mining safety award and is a worthy nominee for the employer incentive award. In September, Anglo American was recognised at the 10th Annual DuPont Safety Awards as the mining company whose continued management commitment enhanced occupational health and safety in the South African mining sector. In addition, Anglo American was the first company to establish a formal tripartite safety forum that forms part of the company's safety strategy. Between 2006 and 2010, mine accident deaths at the company declined from 36 to 11, pointing to its successful safety strategy.

Kumba Iron Ore: The company was nominated in this category because Envision, the successful employee share ownership plan valued at R2,665 billion, brought a most welcome early Christmas present in payouts for the company's about 6 200 employees. The programme is regarded as one of the most successful of its kind in the world.

Winner: Category B: Employer incentive award for good performance: Kumba Iron Ore.

Category C: Worst employer of the year

There are two finalists for the Worst employer of the year award.

Aurora: Aurora Empowerment Systems makes history with this year's awards, as the first employer to be nominated for the second year running as the worst employer. In 2009 Aurora took over the liquidated Pamodzi Gold's assets, and has since looted them irreparably and continued to default on employees' salaries.

The Aurora crisis took a decided turn for the worse this year and its greedy directors were spotlighted, particularly when it became known that Aurora's joint owner, Khulubuze Zuma, lived in luxury and possessed 19 luxury vehicles. This became known in March when the backlog on employees' salaries had already reached the level of R4,6 million. In addition, the company is being held accountable for the threatening natural disaster around the group's mines, where the pumps that have to pump out acid mine water have been removed.

Solidarity has also accused the company of having blood on its hands after an Aurora employee and Solidarity member, Marius Ferreira, committed suicide in April this year. Ferreira and his family lost everything due to the nonpayment of his salary. Solidarity's deputy general secretary, Gideon du Plessis, testified in July this year at the insolvency hearing on Pamodzi Gold (pursuant to section 417 and 418 of the Companies Act), stating that management intended from the first to loot Pamodzi Gold's assets and not to carry on mining activities. By October, Aurora was finally liquidated.

SAPS: The South African Police Service persisted in its notorious unfair application of affirmative action in 2011. This is the second year that SAPS has been nominated as the worst employer due to this practice. In 2009, Solidarity announced that it would be instituting legal action in nine cases against the SAPS and other state bodies due to the unfair application of affirmative action. This year, the number of cases rose to 22, of which most are against the SAPS. (Similar proceedings have been instituted against the Tshwane municipality and the Department of Correctional Services.)

Solidarity has been successful in several of these cases and insists that unfair application of affirmative action will not be tolerated. Moreover, the SAPS is again being nominated as worst employer after deciding to appeal against the decision in favour of Capt. Renate Barnard in the Labour Court. The case has been dragging on for more than five years now and is regarded as the largest of its kind in South Africa.

The appeal was heard in May, but no verdict has been returned yet. According to the deputy executive head of Solidarity, Dr Dirk Hermann, the case tests whether absolute representivity has to be enforced at all costs in affirmative action. ‘The case will also test the question of whether affirmative action should take precedence over service delivery,' says Hermann.

Winner: Category C: Worst employer of the year: Aurora Empowerment Systems.

Category D: Employees of the year

There are five finalists for Employees of the year:

Employees who successfully completed the Gautrain project: Although the project was announced in 2000, construction only started in September 2006 and the multimillion rand project was finally completed on 2 August this year when the last leg of the route between Pretoria and Rosebank was officially opened.

Despite widespread opposition and several problems experienced during the project, the Gautrain is a success. All employees who were in some way or other involved in the Gautrain's development worked together to complete the project successfully and therefore deserve to be nominated as Employees of the year.

SAPS and Metro Police heroes: All the allegations of corruption and fraud in the SAPS and Metro Police cannot disguise the heroic work that is also done here. Countless honourable police officers lay their lives on the line daily for others, inter alia AO Johan Fourie, who saved one-year-old Aldieno Captieux from certain death in an attack by a swarm of bees.

In other cases, the SAPS and Metro Police are directly involved in successfully solving serious crimes and catching the criminals responsible. Although the spotlight often falls on the shortcomings of the police, the SAPS's heroes deserve to be nominated as Employees of the year.

Private security services: Much of the security currently enjoyed by South Africans is made possible by the diligence with which private security services do their work. Because the police is in fact expected to look after citizens' safety, these companies' sterling service is often overlooked. In the meantime, these private security services play a significant role in protecting South Africans.

These employees generally arrive first at crime scenes and make a significant contribution to crime prevention. By nominating the staff of private security services throughout South Africa as the best employees of the year, Solidarity recognises these employees who risk their lives daily in the service of their communities.

Rhino protectors: Conservators, game rangers and members of SAPS are actively fighting in the national parks and private reserves to save the rhino. Although the attacks on South African rhinos were the worst in history this year, progress has also been made in catching and arresting the thieves. According to www.stoprhinopoaching.com, 201 arrests have been made so far this year.

By 6 December this year, 405 rhino had already been poached. These protectors do their work in extremely dangerous circumstances against poachers who do not hesitate to use violence. The rhino protectors' efforts have earned them a nomination as Employees of the year.

Kumba: Earlier this year, the iron mining company Kumba Iron Ore completed an extremely successful empowerment programme for its employees with a payout to about 6 200 staff members. The project's success can be attributed to the significant increase in Kumba's share price since the launch of the programme five years ago. The main reason for the success is the company's employees, who gave hard work and loyalty to take the company to new heights. The Kumba employees therefore richly deserve their nomination.

Winner: Category D: Employees of the year: Gautrain project.

Category E: Worst boss of the year

There are four nominations in this category:

Bheki Cele: Cele follows in his predecessor's steps with a nomination as worst boss of the year. Like Jackie Selebi, Cele is also extremely controversial, although for quite different reasons. Cele was suspended as national commissioner of police in October due to his role in alleged irregularities in two major lease agreements for the police to the value of about R1,6 billion. Meanwhile, taxpayers are paying about R1,3 million per annum for Cele's salary during his period of suspension.

Talib Sadik: The executive head of the Denel Group has been nominated this year as the worst executive head. His take-home bonus for the year was over R1,85 million (amounting to a total income of over R5,8 million this year) - although retrenchments are continuing at the company and it is struggling to recover. According to its latest financial report, Denel continues to work at a loss. 

Philemon Mohlahlane: The former Land Bank CEO has been nominated for the award due to allegations that he was responsible for embezzling about R19 million from an empowerment scheme while he was executive head of the Land Bank. The alleged contraventions took place in 2007 and 2008. 

Joey Mabasa: The former crime intelligence boss has been nominated in this category due to his alleged links to crooked dealings with alleged criminals. Media reports say that Mabasa's contract was cancelled in October after he was transferred to the Pretoria office as head of crime intelligence. Mabasa's relationship with the Czech fugitive and alleged Mafia boss Radovan Krejcir cast suspicion over him, as did his alleged taps on the phones of Hawks investigators.

Despite the probes into Mabasa's activities, it was revealed in October that he had received a golden handshake of R1,1 million from the government after his post allegedly became redundant.

Winner: Category E: Worst boss of the year: Joey Mabasa.

Issued by Solidarity, December 20 2011

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