Minister Nomakhosazana Meth elected vice-chair of ILO government group
via The Citizen2 min read
South Africa's Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth was elected on June 12 as vice-chair of the International Labour Organisation's ILO government group. This group serves as the ILO's executive council and its supreme decision-making body outside the International Labour Conference. The role involves shaping labor policies, setting agendas, adopting the program and budget, and electing the director-general. Minister Meth received widespread support from all 187 ILO member states. The South African government welcomed her election, describing it as a historic endorsement reflecting trust in South Africa's leadership on global labor matters and the Minister's personal leadership qualities. South Africa is recognized for its liberal labor laws, including the constitutional right to strike and a national minimum wage. The country's input in world labor reform was recently demonstrated when legal arguments, partly advanced by South Africa, led the International Court of Justice to confirm that the right to strike is inherent to the ILO convention, resolving a three-decade dispute. South Africa ratified this convention in 1995. Minister Meth holds an honors degree in public administration and has a political career that includes serving as speaker of Mbizana local municipality, speaker and mayor of OR Tambo district municipality, and MEC in the Eastern Cape before her current appointment by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
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Online romance and sextortion scams continue to ensnare individuals, particularly men, despite numerous warnings. Scammers employ a manipulation strategy that involves building trust before exploitation. Psychologist Elize Thesner notes that perpetrators identify vulnerabilities in lonely, grieving, isolated individuals, or those seeking care. Scammers patiently build rapport, trust, and emotional connection, showing interest in their target's challenges. This leads to a carefully constructed relationship where victims emotionally invest in a non-existent future, viewing the scammer as a confidant and source of comfort. Psychologist and medical doctor Jonathan Redelinghuys explains that many victims seek intimacy in its broadest sense, not just sex. Sexual content often enters the relationship later, appearing as a natural progression. Emotional attachment can cloud judgment, making it difficult for victims to discern exploitation. Thesner adds that sexual attraction activates the brain's reward systems, reinforcing the relationship and making it harder for victims to recognize warning signs. Scammers also introduce stories of hardship to create a caregiving dynamic, making victims feel like helpers or rescuers. When the deception is exposed, shame becomes a powerful tool, as fear of public humiliation can outweigh financial losses. Thesner concludes that these scams exploit universal human needs like hope, affection, validation, and belonging, effectively weaponizing them.
Must ReadSextortion scams are on the rise again, moving beyond online solicitations to include real-world threats, according to private investigator Brad Nathanson. Victims, often men, are entrapped through adult websites or classified ads where they believe they are interacting with genuine sex workers. The scams can involve online chitchat or physical contact, with demands quickly escalating into threats against spouses, employers, and family members. Some victims are identified after visiting establishments, with their personal information obtained through illicit means. Nathanson cited a businessman who paid R650,000 before seeking help. Teenagers are also targeted, primarily through social media entrapment, as seen in a case where a boy was extorted with intimate pictures. Nathanson attributes the scams' continued success to victims' ego and their reluctance to involve law enforcement due to fear of exposure or further consequences. He advises victims to cut off communication immediately and never engage with unsolicited messages, as continued payments rarely resolve the situation and only encourage the extortionists.
The ANC's Eastern Cape branch is currently without leadership after the Eastern Cape High Court in Makhanda declared the appointment of the interim ANC provincial task team PTT invalid and set it aside. This ruling effectively leaves the party's Eastern Cape branch leaderless, as the previous provincial executive committee PEC was dissolved last month in favor of the now-nullified PTT. The party's decision to install the PTT was challenged by three aggrieved members, including Lwazi Rotya, a Ward 24 branch member, who argued that the appointment violated the ANC's constitution and infringed on their contractual rights. Judge Vuyokazi Pamella Noncembu criticized the ANC's conduct, stating that their behavior "strongly suggests a lack of bona fides" and that the issues could have been resolved without costly litigation if the ANC had been transparent with its members. The court also censured the ANC for presenting a contradictory version and a belated resolution to oppose the matter.