A former Glencore apprentice who was left permanently disabled after a workplace accident has lost his attempt to be reinstated by the Labour Court in Johannesburg.
Moshe Kgatla joined Glencore Lydenburg Smelter as an electrical apprentice in 2014. In March 2015, he was seriously injured after jumping into a moving hot charge car — an incident outside his work area. He was found negligent and dismissed the following year.
Although the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) initially overturned his dismissal and replaced it with a final written warning, Glencore later terminated his learnership, saying his disability prevented him from continuing. He received a permanent disability payout.
Kgatla challenged the decision multiple times, returning to the CCMA in 2019 and later filing a review application in the Labour Court. But the court ruled that he failed to take the necessary steps to move his case forward, leading to it being archived and treated as dismissed.
Acting Judge Grace Mafa-Chali noted that Kgatla had the opportunity to have the matter set down for hearing but failed to act within the required six months.
As a result, his application for reinstatement has been denied.