Uchazwe kabusha umthetho wokwedlulisa isivumelwano sokuqashwa

Njengoba umnotho wezwe ukhungethwe ukhuvethe nje, kwandile ukulahlekelwa yimisebenzi ngokudilizwa, okwenzeka ngokuhlelwa kabusha kwezinkampani, ngokuwa kwezinye kanye nangokwedluliselwa kwezisebenzi kumqashi omusha osethenge ibhizinisi komdala noma osekuhlanganiswe amabhizinisi amabili kwaqanjwa elilodwa osekuyilona eselingumqashi omusha wezisebenzi. 

Ezinyangeni ezedlule sike sabhala siqagula lokhu njengomthelela wokhuvethe kwezomnotho nemisebenzi. Mhla zizi-4 kuNcwaba kophezulu, iNkantolo YoMthethosisekelo ikhiphe isinqumo esicacisa ukwedluliswa kwesivumelwano sokuqashwa. Sibheka lesi sihloko ngoba lesi sinqumo siwumhlahlandlela emacaleni aphathelene nalolu daba, osekucaca ukuthi athe chithisaka ngenxa yomthelela wokhuvethe emnothweni wezwe njengoba sasiqagulile. Sihlaziya isinqumo seNkantolo YoMthethosisekelo ecaleni leRoad Traffic Management Corporation v Tasima (Pty) Limited [2020] ZACC 21. 

Asikhumbuzane ukuthi iSigaba 197 soMthetho Wezobudlelwano Emsebenzini uNombolo 66 we-1995 sivikela imisebenzi uma kuthatha umqashi omusha komdala. Lesi simo senzeka ngenxa yezizathu eziningi okuxuba ukuphela kwenkontileka yomqashi omdala isithathwa ngomusha noma ukuwa komqashi omdala noma ukuhlelwa kabusha kuqanjwe inkampani entsha esingumqashi wezisebenzi. Umthetho uthi, umqashi omusha ungena ezicathulweni zomdala futhi nebhizinisi nalo lithathwa njengeliqhubekayo kodwa kusuke sekushintshe oliqhubayo sekungumqashi omusha. 

Okokuqala okuthathwa umqashi omusha yizinkontileka zokuqashwa zazo zonke izisebenzi azithole zisebenza ngenkathi ethatha. Onke amalungelo nezibopho mayelana nokuqashwa, ezikhona kumqashi nabaqashwa nakho kudlulela kumqashi omusha kube sengathi kusenguyena omdala. 

Konke okwenzeka mayelana nezokuqashwa kumqashi omdala nezisebenzi, nokungamacala, kudluliselwa kumqashi omusha kuthathwe sengathi kwenziwe nguye umqashi omusha. 

Umthetho uyabanikeza igunya laba baqashi ukuba baxoxisane bakhe isivumelwano sokuthi zimalizini ezizokhokhwa ngomdala nokuthi yiziphi ezizokhokhwa ngomusha. Okunye okuvame ukwenzeka kulesi simo yinkombankombane ebaphakathi komqashi omusha nomdala mayelana nokuthi yimuphi phakathi kwabo okumele akhokhe yiphi imali omunye bese ekhokha yiphi? 

Kanti futhi umthetho kawuvumi ukuthi umqashi omusha nomqashwa benze isivumelwano esehlisa iminyaka esisetshenzwe ngumqashwa. Kufanele iqhubeke kumqashi omusha njengoba yayinjalo kumqashi omdala. Lokhu kwagcizelelwa ecaleni le-AST Holdings (Pty) Ltd v Roos [2007] 10 BLLR 291 (LAC) lapho base bevumelene umqashi omusha nesisebenzi ukuthi ilahleke iminyaka aseyisebenzile umqashwa ukuze athole imivunzo nemibandela engcono kunaleyo ayeyithola ngaphansi komqashi omdala. 

Kodwa iNkantolo Yezabasebenzi Yokwedlulisa amacala yakuchitha lokho yanquma ukuthi akukho emthethweni.

Elinye ilungelo lokuvikela izisebenzi ekwedlulisweni kwezivumelwano zokuqashwa yilapho zixoshwa noma zinikezwe imivuzo nemibandela yokuqashwa engaphansi kwaleyo ezaziyithola kumqashi omdala. Zavikeleka esimweni esinjalo izisebenzi kwelika Douglas & Others v Gauteng MEC for Health [2008] 5 BLLR 401 (LC). 

Lapha iNkantolo yathi uma kushintshwa imibandela yokuqashwa sekuphethe umqashi omusha, kufanele ukuthi leyo mibandela kube ngethe xaxa kuleyo ebitholakala kumqashi omdala. Ukuguqula imibandela yokuqashwa ibengaphansi kweyayitholakala kumqashi omdala, kuwukuxosha okuvele kungenabulungiswa (automatically unfair) nokwenza ukuthi ongumgilwa walokho abenelungelo lokunxeshezelwa ngesibalo esikhulu esiyimiholo yezinyanga ezingamashumi amabili nane noma iminyaka emibili. 

Inkombankambane ebiphakathi komqashi omusha okuyiRoad Traffic Management Corporation engaphansi koMnyango Wezokuthutha nomqashi omdala iTasima (Pty) Limited ibimayelana nokuthi lo mthetho wokwedlulisa isivumelwano sokuqashwa kawusebenzi kulolu daba. Umqashi omusha iRoad Traffic Management Corporation okuwuphiko loMnyango Wezokuthutha, ubekuphika ukusebenza kwalo mthetho kulolu daba, ethi yena akangeni ekuthatheni izisebenzi zomqashi omdala ngoba akathathanga ibhizinisi eliqhubekayo kodwa kuphele inkontileka yakhe nomqashi omdala.

Umqashi omdala lona yinkampani ezimele eyayinikwe ithenda ngoNtulikazi wezi-2001 yokuphatha umsebenzi wokuxhumanisa ngobuxhakaxhaka (thekinoloji) okuthiwa yi-eNaTIS, uMnyango Wezokuthutha, oWezamaphoyisa, nabakhipha izincwadi zezimoto, abakhiqiza izimoto kanye namabhange akhipha imali-mboleko yokuthengwa kwezimoto. 

Impikiswano-ke iqale sesiphela isikhathi salo msebenzi inkontileka ingasavuselelwa ngoba noMnyango Wezokuthutha usuthathe isinqumo sokuziphathela wona lo msebenzi usebenzise uphiko lwawo okuyiRoad Traffic Management Corporation. Kuningi obekubangwa nokushudulisana kuleli cala elaze laqulwa kabili eNkantolo YoMthethosisekelo. Esikhuluma ngakho lapha ngokuphathelene nesihloko sanamuhla kuphela. 

Isiwuhlaziya iNkantolo lo mbango ithe umbuzo wokuqala ngowokuphenya ukuthi ikhona yini imbangela esemthethweni ewumsusa wokusebenza komthetho wokwedlulisa isivumelwano sokuqasha noma wokwedlulisa ibhizinisi lisuka komdala liya kumqashi omusha. 

Lapha kutholakala ukuthi bugqamile ubufakazi bokuthi lo mthetho uyasebenza kulolu daba.

Okwesibili ngokweNkantolo, ukuphenya ukuthi likhona yini ibhizinisi noma ingxenye yalo edluliswa ngumqashi omdala eledlulisela komusha. Nakukho lokhu isinqumo seNkantolo kube ukuthi vele le misebenzi ebiyenziwa ngumqashi omdala (Tasima) bekuyilona bhizinisi eyayinikwe lona ngokwethenda. Ngakho-ke akungabazisi ukuthi nezivumelwano zokuqashwa kwezisebenzi nakho kudluliselwe kumqashi omusha. 

Okwesithathu okubalulekile ukuthi, umqashi omusha ubephikisa ukuthatha izisebenzi zomdala ngoba ethi banesivumelwano thizeni esasibahlanganisa sithi lona omdala uzokwenza umsebenzi othile aqede, aphume nezisebenzi zakhe eshiye umkhiqizo. 

INkantolo ikuchithile nalokho yathi akuwona umkhiqizo wodwa oshiywe ngumqashi omdala kodwa yibhizinisi lonke njengoba silichazile ngenhla. Ngakho-ke angeke kwabalekelwa ukuthi nezisebenzi kufanele zidluliselwe kuye umqashi omusha. 

Iphuzu lesine elichithwe yiNkantolo ngelokuthi, umqashi omusha yena akasilona ibhizinisi ngokomthetho asungulwa ngaphansi kwawo kodwa ungumalusi oqapha ukungephulwa komthetho wezithuthi, ukubhaliswa nokuthelelwa kwazo. 

Ngakho-ke umsebenzi wakhe awuqondile ukwenza inzuzo njengoba bekwenziwa ngumqashi omusha. Ilichithile leli phuzu iNkantolo yathi umthetho wokwedlulisa izisebenzi udinga kuphela ukuba okudluliselwa kuye kubengumqashi. Naye lona omusha unegunya futhi uziqashile izisebenzi zakhe, ngakho-ke angekubalekele ukuthatha izisebenzi ebeziqashwe ngumqashi omdala. 

Okokugcina okubalulekile uma kuhlulelwa udaba olunjena ukubheka ukuthi ibhizinisi lidluliswe lonke njengeliqhubekayo yini? Kuleli cala ikuhlaziye kahle iNkantolo yathola ukuthi nembala yibhizinisi lonke eliqhubekayo eledluliselwe kumqashi omusha ngoba uthathe umkhiqizo okuwubuxhakaxhaka be-eNaTIS namathuluzi okwenza lokho.

Ikucacisile neNkantolo ukuthi lesi Sigaba 197 soMthetho Wezobudlelwano Emsebenzini esilawula ukudluliswa kwezisebenzi siqinisekisa ukuvikela abaqashi nezisebenzi ngokulinganayo ukuze kuqhubeke amabhizinisi nokuqashwa.