Lockdown diaries - COVID-19 matters!

What are you going to be doing during the lockdown?

  • At home. I’m non essential

    Votes: 70 41.2%
  • Working. The virus doesn’t scare me

    Votes: 41 24.1%
  • On standby

    Votes: 10 5.9%
  • Working from home. Too essential to take any risk!

    Votes: 66 38.8%

  • Total voters
    170
  • Poll closed .
DA sends Minister Ebrahim Patel a book titled “E-Commerce, a South African Perspective”
Staff Writer11 May 2020


The Democratic Alliance (DA) has sent Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel a book titled “E-Commerce, a South African Perspective” via an e-commerce platform.

This, the DA said in a press statement, was to show him how easy and beneficial ecommerce is in the fight against COVID-19.
 
DA sends Minister Ebrahim Patel a book titled “E-Commerce, a South African Perspective”
Staff Writer11 May 2020


The Democratic Alliance (DA) has sent Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel a book titled “E-Commerce, a South African Perspective” via an e-commerce platform.

This, the DA said in a press statement, was to show him how easy and beneficial ecommerce is in the fight against COVID-19.


It's really idiotic and short-sighted to have strangled e-commerce, I get the idea of inequality towards smaller business who can't trade those items because of a lack of platform, but it would also push them to adapt (as everyone is going to have to), some one could easily write a small app for them, and hell people need jobs, we could create a whole network of smaller drivers/couriers. I mean the minister said as much when they put forward the idea that they would allow food deliveries, they said they hoped it would push smaller food suppliers in informal communities to be innovative.
 
'I hope you get the virus' - senior Cape Town cop to be probed for alleged heavy-handedness
A senior police officer is to be investigated for allegedly threatening an elderly woman, a pregnant woman and several Cape Town residents in the Muizenberg area that were arrested for alleged lockdown breaches, saying to them: "I hope you get the virus."
The elderly woman was doubly traumatised because the officer was not wearing a protective mask when he blurted his alleged message, just centimetres from her face.
Also, SAPS officials from the station have since been self-isolated by police management after potential contact with a positive Covid-19 case.
These are among several allegations levelled at police in Muizenberg, Cape Town, by an elderly woman arrested 15 minutes after the "exercise window" ended - a few hundred metres from her home.
It allegedly took place at the same police station which has been criticised for being "over-zealous", and not using "logic or common sense" in some instances, by their provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Yolisa Matakata.
The comments of the provincial police commissioner refer to the arrest of a mother and father who ran on to a beach to fetch their toddler - and were arrested for breaking the "lockdown" regulations.
The 62-year-old woman had been with her son, aged 20, last Tuesday, when they were arrested.
The pair have spoken of their trauma - asking that their names be kept confidential until authorities investigate their case.
They had been walking in Muizenberg, near the fresh-water vlei, during the 06:00-09:00 "exercise window".
The woman is aged 62, and tried to tell police she was late arriving back home because she had slowed on her walk, due to a knee injury.
Instead, she endured a seven-hour ordeal at a police station.
The woman said she had a knee injury - had slowed on her walk - and underestimated the time it would take to return home. As a result, she and her son had neared their home at around 09:15.
There, they encountered police, who arrested them, bundled them into a police vehicle, and took them to the Muizenberg SAPS police station.
There, they joined several more people arrested. Among them was the "ocean protester", who was arrested for "standing still" during the exercise window, as captured by News24 in a video which has since gone viral.
Full story:
https://m.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...-probed-for-alleged-heavy-handedness-20200511

The police are becoming ridiculous - and it seems to be worse in Muizenberg.
 
'I hope you get the virus' - senior Cape Town cop to be probed for alleged heavy-handedness
A senior police officer is to be investigated for allegedly threatening an elderly woman, a pregnant woman and several Cape Town residents in the Muizenberg area that were arrested for alleged lockdown breaches, saying to them: "I hope you get the virus."
The elderly woman was doubly traumatised because the officer was not wearing a protective mask when he blurted his alleged message, just centimetres from her face.
Also, SAPS officials from the station have since been self-isolated by police management after potential contact with a positive Covid-19 case.
These are among several allegations levelled at police in Muizenberg, Cape Town, by an elderly woman arrested 15 minutes after the "exercise window" ended - a few hundred metres from her home.
It allegedly took place at the same police station which has been criticised for being "over-zealous", and not using "logic or common sense" in some instances, by their provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Yolisa Matakata.
The comments of the provincial police commissioner refer to the arrest of a mother and father who ran on to a beach to fetch their toddler - and were arrested for breaking the "lockdown" regulations.
The 62-year-old woman had been with her son, aged 20, last Tuesday, when they were arrested.
The pair have spoken of their trauma - asking that their names be kept confidential until authorities investigate their case.
They had been walking in Muizenberg, near the fresh-water vlei, during the 06:00-09:00 "exercise window".
The woman is aged 62, and tried to tell police she was late arriving back home because she had slowed on her walk, due to a knee injury.
Instead, she endured a seven-hour ordeal at a police station.
The woman said she had a knee injury - had slowed on her walk - and underestimated the time it would take to return home. As a result, she and her son had neared their home at around 09:15.
There, they encountered police, who arrested them, bundled them into a police vehicle, and took them to the Muizenberg SAPS police station.
There, they joined several more people arrested. Among them was the "ocean protester", who was arrested for "standing still" during the exercise window, as captured by News24 in a video which has since gone viral.
Full story:
https://m.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...-probed-for-alleged-heavy-handedness-20200511
This Muizenberg SAPS need to be deployed to Norwood JHB , enough ''real'' jaywalkers , they can have their weekly ''quota'' in 2 hours.
 
Lockdown day 46 : Psssst today it is a very special birthday for a person we all know. I am not tagging him ( hint below:))
Silver.gif
 
Day 46 - 06:55
All quiet on the Eastern front , for now . If you're working - have a nice day , If you're home , have a lazy day .
Nothing planned [again] .
 
Can a company change your salary or salary structure during the lockdown? [my BROADBAND]
What many companies in South Africa are doing during the lockdown is to negotiate amendments to employees’ salaries. This is to keep themselves afloat in an attempt to avoid retrenchments.

Companies are therefore entering into arrangements with their staff. If this is done unilaterally, without consulting their staff, it is technically illegal.

To make changes to employees’ salaries, companies have to do it in consultation with the affected employees. The employees must, in principle, agree to the salary changes.

Theoretically speaking, however, it is like a gun to your head. Unless you accept a reduction in salary, you will be retrenched.

In short, if the salary changes are done in consultation with employees, it is allowed and legal.
 
Can a company change your salary or salary structure during the lockdown? [my BROADBAND]
What many companies in South Africa are doing during the lockdown is to negotiate amendments to employees’ salaries. This is to keep themselves afloat in an attempt to avoid retrenchments.

Companies are therefore entering into arrangements with their staff. If this is done unilaterally, without consulting their staff, it is technically illegal.

To make changes to employees’ salaries, companies have to do it in consultation with the affected employees. The employees must, in principle, agree to the salary changes.

Theoretically speaking, however, it is like a gun to your head. Unless you accept a reduction in salary, you will be retrenched.

In short, if the salary changes are done in consultation with employees, it is allowed and legal.
I had to take a 30% salary cut and a 50% petrol allowance cut or facing retrenchment

I guess we are in a difficult situation here with the economy,so we will try and save what we can

To many people is losing their jobs but is there really an option not to take a salary cut and save your job

I know it's tough and tougher times is lying ahead for us

Sent from my ANE-LX1 using Tapatalk
 
See if your employer/company received UIF payments :
To check if your employer has been paid visit the UIF-Covid-19 Temporary Employee/Employers Relief Scheme here
 
@Silver F Y I , appears Bedfordview may be open , will try to collect my license card tomorrow, will keep you posted.
''Level 4: Licensing and Deeds Office open.
South Africans will be able to obtain licenses and have title deeds registered, as well as access social workers and counseling as the lockdown moves from level 5 to level 4.''
 
@Silver F Y I , appears Bedfordview may be open , will try to collect my license card tomorrow, will keep you posted.
''Level 4: Licensing and Deeds Office open.
South Africans will be able to obtain licenses and have title deeds registered, as well as access social workers and counseling as the lockdown moves from level 5 to level 4.''

Just check the date of that information.
I know last week the transport min essentially said 1st June is when they will open the DLTC's etc again, hence they have extended the validity of licenses (car and drivers) which expired during lockdown to at least 02 June.
 
Can a company change your salary or salary structure during the lockdown? [my BROADBAND]
What many companies in South Africa are doing during the lockdown is to negotiate amendments to employees’ salaries. This is to keep themselves afloat in an attempt to avoid retrenchments.

Companies are therefore entering into arrangements with their staff. If this is done unilaterally, without consulting their staff, it is technically illegal.

To make changes to employees’ salaries, companies have to do it in consultation with the affected employees. The employees must, in principle, agree to the salary changes.

Theoretically speaking, however, it is like a gun to your head. Unless you accept a reduction in salary, you will be retrenched.

In short, if the salary changes are done in consultation with employees, it is allowed and legal.

Yeah. We too have been affected by this, as have most corporate entities in SA. This is the problem with so many companies already being on knife edge before lockdown- all it took was the one last lockdown push and chaos ensued.
Some major players have also implemented across the board reductions (between 15 and 50% depending where in the organogram you sit.
Lots of cuts to benefits as well (provident contributions placed on hold as it saves the company a % every month as well).
payout of travel allowances and subsistence allowances on hold.
Fuel allowances cut.

What boggles my mind is that companies should be fighting service providers to reduce costs (you definitely dont need that R100k a month 500mb/s guaranteed uncapped fibre and voip in the office in everybody is working from home. )
I have yet to see or hear of many companies doing this - and at the same time lots of companies are not providing additional data allowances for their staff to be connected and work from home. I know i have personally used around 2.5TB of data for work in the past 6 weeks from home. And not all that data usage is from an uncapped line - as when the lines get slow i need to switch onto mobile data networks (average use 5gb a day). This excludes the missus working from home (maybe another 500gb for the past 6 weeks or so).
 
EARLY UPDATE 14:30 ,
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has announced that there are now 11,350 confirmed cases of coronavirus in South Africa.

This is an increase of 698 cases compared to yesterday.
COVID-19-stats-in-SA.jpg
 
Can a company change your salary or salary structure during the lockdown? [my BROADBAND]
What many companies in South Africa are doing during the lockdown is to negotiate amendments to employees’ salaries. This is to keep themselves afloat in an attempt to avoid retrenchments.

Companies are therefore entering into arrangements with their staff. If this is done unilaterally, without consulting their staff, it is technically illegal.

To make changes to employees’ salaries, companies have to do it in consultation with the affected employees. The employees must, in principle, agree to the salary changes.

Theoretically speaking, however, it is like a gun to your head. Unless you accept a reduction in salary, you will be retrenched.

In short, if the salary changes are done in consultation with employees, it is allowed and legal.

I get it when a company was struggling and manage to get some income flowing during the lockdown that they lower salaries. It's better than relying on UIF.

But there are many employers that can buffer the effects of the lockdown that is just using the lockdown as an excuse to lower salaries and break every law when it comes to salaries.

The labour courts are going to be a busy place when all this is over.
 
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