Latest news with #Thandi
The Star
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
'Who Ate the Cheese?' The CCMA's collapse and the betrayal of South African workers
When Thandi, a domestic worker in Johannesburg, was unfairly dismissed without severance pay, she turned to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA), a body designed to protect workers like her. Today, Thandi waits endlessly for justice. The CCMA, once a beacon of post-apartheid labour reform, is collapsing under maladministration, corruption, and the deafening silence of those meant to safeguard it. A Legislative Promise Betrayed Established under Section 112 of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) and enshrined in Section 23 of the Constitution, the CCMA was created to 'advance economic development, social justice, labour peace, and the democratisation of the workplace.' As a Schedule 3a entity under the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), it is mandated to operate independently, free from political, union, or corporate influence. Its functions, from conciliating disputes to training on labour law, were designed to empower workers. Yet today, the CCMA's doors are closing. Service centres in Black communities—critical for workers without digital access — have shuttered. Walk-in advice desks, once lifelines for the vulnerable, are gone. The nightmare began in late 2020, when budget cuts axed part-time commissioners, stranding thousands of cases. What was framed as a 'temporary measure' has become a permanent injustice. A Competent Leader, Shackled by Neglect To blame the CCMA's collapse on institutional incompetence would be a lie. The current Director, Advocate Cameron Morajane, is a seasoned labour law expert with a track record of integrity. Colleagues praise his commitment to fairness and the innovative traits evident in his push for digitising case management and expanding rural outreach. Yet even the most capable leader cannot perform miracles without resources. The Director's hands are tied. With a stagnant budget and a 40% reduction in part-time commissioners since 2020, his team is forced to triage cases. 'We're firefighting, not fireproofing,' a staffer admitted anonymously. The Director's proposals for sustainable funding models, including public-private partnerships, gather dust in Treasury offices. Competence means little when the system is designed to fail. Who Benefits from the CCMA's Decline? The answer lies in who 'ate the cheese.' While workers suffer, employers flout labour laws with impunity. Unfair dismissals, retrenchments, and workplace exploitation surge as the CCMA buckles. Yet the state, led by former trade unionists, turns a blind eye. These leaders rode to power on the backs of workers like Thandi, but now preside over the erosion of their rights. Equally culpable are South Africa's labour federations, who sit on the CCMA's board through Nedlac, earning lucrative fees while workers starve. Their silence is deafening. Where is the outrage over closed service centres? Where is the demand for accountability? Their inaction suggests complicity in a system where justice is rationed for the privileged. The Human Cost of Institutional Rot The CCMA's R900 million budget (unchanged since 2023) is dwarfed by entities like the Competition Commission (R1.4 billion). Meanwhile, the Labour Court backlog now exceeds 18 months — a direct result of the CCMA's paralysis. Workers wait six months for hearings; others give up entirely. This isn't bureaucratic failure — it's systemic betrayal. The victims are always the same: Black workers in townships, domestic employees, and farm labourers. They are dismissed without pay, harassed without recourse, and silenced without a platform. The constitutional 'safety net' is a cruel illusion. Reclaiming the CCMA's Mandate: To salvage the CCMA, three steps are urgent: 1. Increase funding and reinstate part-time commissioners, reopen service centres, and modernise systems. 2. Hold labour federations accountable and change the status of their board seats to advocacy, not apathy. 3. Prosecute employers who exploit the CCMA's collapse to violate labour laws. The question remains: Who ate the cheese? • Was it the state officials diverting funds? • The federation pocketing board fees? or • Are the employers thriving in chaos? Until this is answered, the CCMA's promise remains a carcass picked clean by vultures — and even its most capable leaders are left powerless. South Africa's workers deserve more than crumbs. They deserve justice. Tahir Maepa, the Secretary General of the Public Service and Commercial Union of South Africa, and founder of the Resistance Against Impunity Movement
IOL News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
'Who Ate the Cheese?' The CCMA's collapse and the betrayal of South African workers
To blame the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration's collapse on institutional incompetence would be a lie, says the writer. When Thandi, a domestic worker in Johannesburg, was unfairly dismissed without severance pay, she turned to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA), a body designed to protect workers like her. Today, Thandi waits endlessly for justice. The CCMA, once a beacon of post-apartheid labour reform, is collapsing under maladministration, corruption, and the deafening silence of those meant to safeguard it. A Legislative Promise Betrayed Established under Section 112 of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) and enshrined in Section 23 of the Constitution, the CCMA was created to 'advance economic development, social justice, labour peace, and the democratisation of the workplace.' As a Schedule 3a entity under the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), it is mandated to operate independently, free from political, union, or corporate influence. Its functions, from conciliating disputes to training on labour law, were designed to empower workers. Yet today, the CCMA's doors are closing. Service centres in Black communities—critical for workers without digital access — have shuttered. Walk-in advice desks, once lifelines for the vulnerable, are gone. The nightmare began in late 2020, when budget cuts axed part-time commissioners, stranding thousands of cases. What was framed as a 'temporary measure' has become a permanent injustice. A Competent Leader, Shackled by Neglect To blame the CCMA's collapse on institutional incompetence would be a lie. The current Director, Advocate Cameron Morajane, is a seasoned labour law expert with a track record of integrity. Colleagues praise his commitment to fairness and the innovative traits evident in his push for digitising case management and expanding rural outreach. Yet even the most capable leader cannot perform miracles without resources. The Director's hands are tied. With a stagnant budget and a 40% reduction in part-time commissioners since 2020, his team is forced to triage cases. 'We're firefighting, not fireproofing,' a staffer admitted anonymously. The Director's proposals for sustainable funding models, including public-private partnerships, gather dust in Treasury offices. Competence means little when the system is designed to fail. Who Benefits from the CCMA's Decline? The answer lies in who 'ate the cheese.' While workers suffer, employers flout labour laws with impunity. Unfair dismissals, retrenchments, and workplace exploitation surge as the CCMA buckles. Yet the state, led by former trade unionists, turns a blind eye. These leaders rode to power on the backs of workers like Thandi, but now preside over the erosion of their rights. Equally culpable are South Africa's labour federations, who sit on the CCMA's board through Nedlac, earning lucrative fees while workers starve. Their silence is deafening. Where is the outrage over closed service centres? Where is the demand for accountability? Their inaction suggests complicity in a system where justice is rationed for the privileged.
IOL News
16-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
The collapse of the CCMA: Betraying South Africa's workers
CCMA's collapse has led to the betrayal of South Africa's workers, says the writer. Image: Picture: Pexels When Thandi, a domestic worker in Johannesburg, was unfairly dismissed without severance pay, she turned to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA), a body designed to protect workers like her. Today, Thandi waits endlessly for justice. The CCMA, once a beacon of post-apartheid labour reform, is collapsing under maladministration, corruption, and the deafening silence of those meant to safeguard it. A Legislative Promise Betrayed Established under Section 112 of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) and enshrined in Section 23 of the Constitution, the CCMA was created to 'advance economic development, social justice, labour peace, and the democratisation of the workplace.' As a Schedule 3A entity under the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), it must operate independently, free from political, union, or corporate influence. Its functions, from conciliating disputes to training on labour law, were designed to empower workers. Yet today, the CCMA's doors are closing. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Service centres in Black communities—critical for workers without digital access—have shuttered. Walk-in advice desks, once lifelines for the vulnerable, are gone. The nightmare began in late 2020, when budget cuts axed part-time commissioners, stranding thousands of cases. What was framed as a 'temporary measure' has become a permanent injustice. To blame the CCMA's collapse on institutional incompetence would be a lie. The current Director, Advocate Cameron Morajane, is a seasoned labour law expert with a track record of integrity. Colleagues praise his commitment to fairness and the innovative traits evident in his push for digitising case management and expanding rural outreach. Yet even the most capable leader cannot perform miracles without resources. The Director's hands are tied. With a stagnant budget and a 40% reduction in part-time commissioners since 2020, his team is forced to triage cases. 'We're firefighting, not fireproofing,' a staffer admitted anonymously. The Director's proposals for sustainable funding models, including public-private partnerships, gather dust in Treasury offices. Competence means little when the system is designed to fail. Who Benefits from the CCMA's Decline? The answer lies in who 'ate the cheese.' While workers suffer, employers flout labour laws with impunity. Unfair dismissals, retrenchments, and workplace exploitation surge as the CCMA buckles. Yet the state, led by former trade unionists, turns a blind eye. These leaders rode to power on the backs of workers like Thandi, but now preside over the erosion of their rights. Equally culpable are South Africa's labour federations, who sit on the CCMA's board through Nedlac, earning lucrative fees while workers starve. Their silence is deafening. Where is the outrage over closed service centres? Where is the demand for accountability? Their inaction suggests complicity in a system where justice is rationed for the privileged. The Human Cost of Institutional Rot The CCMA's R900 million budget (unchanged since 2023) is dwarfed by entities like the Competition Commission (R1.4 billion). Meanwhile, the Labour Court backlog now exceeds 18 months—a direct result of the CCMA's paralysis. Workers wait six months for hearings; others give up entirely. This isn't bureaucratic failure—it's systemic betrayal. The victims are always the same: Black workers in townships, domestic employees, and farm labourers. They are dismissed without pay, harassed without recourse, and silenced without a platform. The constitutional 'safety net' is a cruel illusion. Reclaiming the CCMA's Mandate To salvage the CCMA, three steps are urgent: 1. Increase funding and reinstate part-time commissioners, reopen service centres, and modernize systems. 2. Hold labour federations accountable and change the status of their board seats to advocacy, not apathy. 3. Prosecute employers who exploit the CCMA's collapse to violate labour laws. The question remains who ate the cheese? • Was it the state officials diverting funds? • The federations pocketing board fees? • The employers thriving in chaos? Until this is answered, the CCMA's promise remains a carcass picked clean by vultures—and even its most capable leaders are left powerless. South Africa's workers deserve more than crumbs. They deserve justice. *Maepa is the Secretary General of the Public Service and Commercial Union of South Africa (PSCU) and founder of Resistance Against Impunity Movement (RAIM) NPC. **The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media
CBS News
26-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
West Sacramento Sikh temple president speaks out after judge keeps ICE out of places of worship
WEST SACRAMENTO — A federal judge ruled in favor of a West Sacramento Sikh temple in a lawsuit over President Trump's immigration enforcement policy. Narinder Singh Thandi is the president of Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Temple Sacramento, of which 50% of the congregation are immigrants, including some who are undocumented. "They should come pray openly. They should not have any fear of being arrested or not," Thandi said. "Just let people know this is a great country, United States of America, so if somebody is doing something wrong, you speak up. Speak up for your rights. File the complaint." A judge ruled in favor of his temple and the other religious institutions that were part of the lawsuit requiring the Department of Homeland Security to "avoid enforcement actions in or near places of worship to the fullest extent possible." The religious institutions suit claims the policy allows immigration enforcement officers to use their "common sense" in deciding whether to enter houses of worship — a change from past policies that sought to avoid enforcement in sensitive places. Civil rights attorney Jeffrey Kravitz said that the protections are minimal because the judge's order only applies to the religious institutions that filed the lawsuit, not to every house of worship in the country, and as has been a longtime federal law. If an officer has a warrant, they can still go into any house of worship. "I think people are going to be somewhat happy that this decision was given, but it's not much," Kravitz said. "When you get to the heart of the issue, which is warrants, it makes no difference." Kravitz said he believes the federal government will file an appeal on this ruling. "So I'm telling everybody no need to be fear. So enjoy the system, believe in the system, believe in God, thank you very much," Thandi said.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sikh communities fear immigration raids at temples as Trump ends sanctuary for houses of worship
After the Trump administration said it would allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in houses of worship, hundreds of members of a Sikh temple in New York have stopped attending services regularly. Another gurdwara, or temple, in West Sacramento, California, has been fielding a half dozen calls daily from members fearful of immigration raids. And others are concerned that community members will begin to forgo essential services often offered in these sacred spaces. Gurdwara Sahib West Sacramento is among the dozens of religious groups that have sued the Trump administration over the past few weeks after the removal of restrictions that prevented ICE from conducting raids in places considered 'sensitive' locations. Across the U.S., members of the Sikh community, who are largely of Indian descent, said they have already seen how anxieties around being caught up in the ongoing immigration crackdown have impeded the way in which some, including naturalized citizens, practice their faith. 'People will stop going to the temple and the mosque and different places, because they're going to feel threatened,' said Narinder Singh Thandi, president of Gurdwara Sahib West Sacramento. 'This is only a holy place that people come for help. People come to pray. They should be able to enjoy the freedom of the United States of America.' The policy that prevented ICE agents from entering so-called sensitive locations, including playgrounds, schools and hospitals, without approval from supervisors had remained intact through several administrations, including during President Donald Trump's first term. But the president rescinded the rule in January, prompting widespread criticism from religious groups and civil rights organizations. The White House did not respond to NBC News' questions about fears around attending worship services or the ongoing lawsuits. The suit that the West Sacramento gurdwara joined as a plaintiff last week, which was first filed by a group of Quaker congregations at the end of January, argued that 'the very threat of that [immigration] enforcement deters congregants from attending services, especially members of immigrant communities.' And this week, another two dozen Christian and Jewish groups filed a separate suit, arguing that the new policy infringes on religious freedom. Thandi said that his gurdwara, which serves between 1,500 and 5,000 people during gatherings, has not been visited by immigration agents so far. But reports of sweeps in the Bay Area, a less than two-hour drive from Sacramento, have had many on edge, Thandi said. And the removal last week of some 100 Indian undocumented immigrants using a military plane has further amplified concerns among worshippers. He said he's had to field several calls each day from concerned worshippers who often inquire about the possibility of ICE raids at the temple, along with other questions about how to keep themselves safe. Thandi also said while the gurdwara provides food throughout the day, he's noticed that around 100 or so people have shifted their meal times, opting to eat during less crowded hours, rather than join in the typical post-service lunch. He thinks the shift may be in order to avoid any potential encounters with ICE. Though attendance is holding so far, he said he's '100% sure' that won't be the case for long if protections over houses of worship aren't reinstated. That's why his temple joined the lawsuit. Thandi added that in addition to mounting concerns among worshippers, the looming potential of ICE raids invites the possibility that the sanctity of their space will not be respected. 'We follow protocol. When we go inside, we sit on the floor and we take the shoes off. We cover our heads,' Thandi said. 'We don't want to have anything like an immigration officer come with the shoes on. … We don't know what he has in his pocket. We definitely do not allow weapons.' (While Sikhs are required to carry a kirpan, or article of faith that resembles a knife or sword, it's worn as a symbol of compassion, not violence, and remains sheathed.) There are an estimated 500,000 Sikhs and more than 350 gurdwaras across the country, according to the Sikh Coalition, a national civil rights nonprofit. The group, who first arrived in the U.S. in the 1800s, have largely made homes in New York and California. But other areas have also become major cultural hubs, including Chicago, Oklahoma City and Dallas. While there's no specific data on undocumented Sikhs, there are roughly 725,000 Indian undocumented immigrants in the U.S., according to 2021 Pew Research Center estimates. A Queens, New York-based gurdwara, the Sikh Cultural Society, has experienced a roughly 10% dip in attendance, translating to around 200 fewer worshippers, its president, Jatinder Boparai, said. Those without documents, he said, likely 'do not want to take a chance.' Boparai said that given the purpose of holy spaces, he agrees with those who have waged the lawsuits. 'Worship places are not supposed to become any ICE raids because people want to pray. We pray, especially the Sikh religion, for the whole world,' Boparai said. Still, Boparai said that he believes the government has 'every right' to conduct immigration sweeps, and that the crackdown isn't necessarily a surprise given Trump's campaign promises. The majority of the worshippers have remained committed to going, he said, and there haven't been any raids at the temple. 'I'm a good citizen,' he said. 'I agree with my government.' Harpreet Singh Toor, a Sikh and longtime community leader in Queens, New York, said the tense environment has even caused distress for some green card holders and naturalized citizens. Toor said he's spoken to several people who have long had U.S. citizenship, but are fearful that any minor brushes with the law decades ago could land them in hot water with immigration officials. And families have been canceling their international travel plans out of concerns that they won't be allowed back in the country, he said. Trump's immigration raids have indeed snagged citizens, including one military veteran in Newark, New Jersey, who was detained and questioned by ICE. Toor said that at this point, anxiety around immigration has leached into numerous aspects of life outside the temple as well. 'Traffic is down in businesses,' Toor said. 'Businesses are complaining about it. Traffic is down in places of worship, whether it is mosque or gurdwara.' Sikh gurdwaras are integral spaces for many community members, particularly Indian immigrants, serving as a center of social and commercial life. That makes the current immigration environment all the more distressing, said Harman Singh, executive director of the Sikh Coalition. Singh said that he's heard from gurdwaras across the country that attendance has been dropping, which could mean that some worshippers are forgoing critical care. 'That's really heartbreaking, because obviously our houses of worship are places people go not just for worship, but also for community, for essential services that they need,' Singh said. 'That includes everything from mental health care to physical health to a sense of belonging.' Singh also mentioned that Sikhs, a minority in India, have long experienced persecution in their homeland. But concerns around their safety in the U.S. are now heightened, particularly after an alleged plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in New York City was uncovered in 2023. The issue of immigration has added yet another layer of tension, he said. 'Folks experiencing religious persecution in India may be coming here to the United States to seek asylum,' Singh said. 'Now those very same people are worried about their safety on U.S. soil, and also now are worried about this added risk to their immigration status.' This article was originally published on
