ALLEGATIONS AGAINST ANC MP CDE LUMKA YENGENI UNFOUNDED

5 JUNE 2016

The Office of the ANC Chief Whip has noted a report in the Sunday Times regarding alleged violation of labour laws by ANC Member of Parliament and chairperson of the labour portfolio committee, Cde Lumka Yengeni, relating to a labour dispute with her domestic employee.

We wish to state for the record that, contrary to the allegations by the Sunday Times, Cde Yengeni was never found guilty of any violation of the law or mistreatment of her employee. In this regard, there is no CCMA ruling or penalty imposed against her. As it is inevitable in any employer-employee relationship, a disagreement did occur between Cde Yengeni and her employee Ms Lucia Dlephu, which required the counsel of CCMA as a neutral dispute resolution body.

The disagreement between the two parties was amicably resolved through conciliation, a process where the CCMA informally assist parties to explore ways to resolve their dispute by agreement. Such agreements are confidential in nature in line with the Labour Relations Act (LRA). In terms of section 135 of the Act, parties in disagreement may approach the CCMA as a neutral institution for assistance to resolve their differences, and an amicable solution is arrived at without any declaration of guilt or otherwise being made against either party. Sunday Times's allegations that Cde Yengeni was found by the CCMA to have "flouted several laws" are therefore inaccurate, without substance and deliberately misleading.

The Office of the ANC Chief Whip respects the statutory role of the CCMA as an independent institution tasked with facilitating amicable resolutions of labour disagreements by employing appropriate avenues provided for in the law. We are satisfied that Cde Yengeni and Ms Dlephu's dispute has been settled amicably through a fair and neutral process.

Statement issued by the Office of the ANC Chief Whip, 5 June 2016