Cape Town labour court reinstates driver sacked for negligence at African Bank
A driver fired for negligence after leaving company equipment in a vehicle with a leaking roof has won a labour court battle to be reinstated in his job with back pay at African Bank.
The bank fired Alistair Steenkamp — who was initially employed as a customer relations consultant — in 2021 after charging him with negligence and the use of a company vehicle for private purposes.
'During the period October 25 to 26 2019 you allegedly acted in a negligent manner when you left the company [audio] speakers, used for marketing, overnight in the vehicle when it was raining while you were aware of the leaking roof. The speakers were damaged due to your negligence,' read the charges.
'On November 28 2019 you allegedly acted in a negligent manner by not keeping the company laptop safe while it was in your possession and you lost the laptop due to your negligence. On November 27 2020 you allegedly left the company cellphone in an unlocked vehicle without taking proper care, the cellphone was stolen, resulting in a loss of R3,899.
'During the period January to December 2019 it is alleged that you parked the company bus at times at the residence of a relative without overnight authority. This is in breach of the bank's rules and policy.'
Steenkamp, who was working as a driver when he was fired, pleaded guilty to the first charge and was found guilty on it by the chairperson of a disciplinary hearing. He had been working for the bank since 2018.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
15 hours ago
- The South African
Limpopo police bust truck smuggling stolen goods to Malawi
Limpopo police struck a decisive blow against transnational crime, intercepting a highly organised smuggling syndicate transporting stolen goods from Cape Town to Malawi. At around 2:00 on Thursday, 5 June, the Limpopo Anti-Smuggling Task Team, working with Tshimollo Security and Investigation and Shadow Secure Technology, stopped a Scania truck with superlink trailers near the Polokwane weighbridge. The truck, believed to be part of a broader criminal network exploiting the Beitbridge border post, was found carrying a staggering cache of stolen items following an 18-hour search operation. 'This breakthrough represents a major victory against sophisticated criminal networks that have been exploiting our borders to traffic stolen goods,' said Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe. Stolen Goods Reveal Chopped Cars and Bikes Investigators uncovered chopped parts of a Ford Ranger stolen in Nyanga, including critical components like the engine and dashboard. Sixty disassembled motorcycles, hidden in drums and containers, were traced to thefts from at least seven police precincts across the Western Cape, such as Bellville, Muizenberg, and Sea Point. Electronic goods suspected to have been stolen, including plasma televisions, sound systems, solar tower batteries, and cell phones, were also added to the haul. All were concealed in an elaborate smuggling setup designed to pass undetected through one of the busiest trade routes in southern Africa. 'The collaboration between our Anti-Smuggling Task Team and private security partners demonstrates the power of coordinated law enforcement efforts,' Hadebe noted. The total value of the recovered goods is estimated to exceed R3 million. Four Suspects to Face Justice Four foreign nationals, aged between 37 and 50, were arrested at the scene. They are expected to appear in the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Monday, 9 June, to face charges related to possession of suspected stolen goods. Authorities have also seized the truck and trailers involved, treating the vehicle as key evidence in an ongoing investigation into cross-border smuggling syndicates. Hadebe assured the public, 'We will continue to target these criminal syndicates relentlessly until they are completely dismantled.' With police ramping up their focus on smuggling syndicates, are our borders finally tightening? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
17 hours ago
- The Citizen
R42m water storage facility installed, but taps run dry in Xanthia village
The DA in the municipality has called on municipal manager Jasper Ngobeni to investigate why the reservoir was not being used. A R42 million water reservoir tank built in Xanthia Village, Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, 10 years ago has never been used since its completion. This is according to the residents, who confirmed that the construction of the reservoir did not assist in bringing a sustainable water supply to the area. 'It is true we don't regularly get water because it comes out once or twice a week. When the tank was built in our area, we were adamant that our problem was over. Little did we know it would not help,' said a resident who preferred anonymity, fearing reprisal. The issue of the dysfunctional reservoir is not new; it was raised about three years ago, but no action was taken to ensure the facility's operation. SAHRC investigation In 2021, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) investigated why the reservoir was not operational. When responding to the SAHRC questions, the former municipality's technical services manager, Emmanuel Makhavhu, said the water tank was dry due to an illegal water connection where residents connected their pipes to the main line. ALSO READ: Outrage over Limpopo council's R3 million Warmbaths conference The DA in the municipality has called on Municipal Manager Jasper Ngobeni to investigate why the reservoir was not being used. 'Presently, the municipality has a water supply shortfall of around 47 megalitres of water per day. The DA finds it completely unacceptable that the municipality wasted millions of taxpayers' money on something that brought no benefit to the residents of Xanthia,' said DA councillor Canuel Mnisi. Bushbuckridge municipal spokesperson Fhumulani Thovhakale did not say when the tank was going to start operating, but denied that the municipality had spent money on the project. 'The provincial department of human settlements bought the water storage tank in question as part of its municipal support programme, and the Rand Water Board installed it at Xanthia village. 'The department of human settlements requested the municipality to identify areas with bulk and water reticulations but without sufficient storage of water capacity.'
Eyewitness News
a day ago
- Eyewitness News
Eskom says it loses R3m daily due illegal connections in Soweto
JOHANNESBURG - Eskom says it's been losing R3 million daily from illegal connections in Soweto, forcing the utility to conduct load reduction to ease pressure on transformers. Since September last year, areas including Zola, Jabulani and Zondi have experienced prolonged hours of load reduction due to a transformer breakdown. Initially, residents would only have to contend with a four-hour inconvenience, but lately they have been experiencing up to 14 hours of daily outages. ALSO READ: Gauteng Eskom spokesperson Amanda Qithi says the utility is overwhelmed by issues, including illegal connections in the areas. She's called for patience, explaining that load reduction is the only way to keep transformers running There's a possibility that if a transformer overloads, it may explode as a result, and the people in that area could be injured when the transformer overloads
