Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth conducted a blitz inspection at a restaurant in Midrand. Picture: Labour Department
The Departments of Labour and Home Affairs have intensified inspections at businesses suspected of violating labour laws. The departments are now urging South Africans to report such cases.
In a recent raid, authorities arrested the owner of Babel, a restaurant in Menlyn, Pretoria, along with two employees who allegedly did not possess proper documentation to be in the country.
The employer faces charges and a fine, while the employees will be deported. The employer has denied employing undocumented foreigners.
Late last month, inspectors in Limpopo shut down several government departments due to non-compliance.
They prohibited the use of buildings housing the Department of Cooperative Governance, Bela-Bela Local Municipality, and the Department of Home Affairs in the Waterberg district.
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Spokesperson Mapula Tloubatla said that the Occupational Health and Safety Inspector found the building to be at risk of collapse due to major wall cracks, endangering both clients and staff.
The Department of Employment and Labour’s office in Makhado was also deemed unsafe due to inadequate ventilation.
In Gauteng, police arrested three undocumented foreigners last month who were illegally employed at a restaurant in Midrand.
The inspectorate was conducting compliance checks related to the National Minimum Wage Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act, Basic Conditions of Employment Act, Unemployment Insurance Act, and Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act.
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Seven employers were inspected in one day, with all found to be in breach of at least one labour regulation.
Earlier this year, then-Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi called for harsher sanctions against businesses that knowingly employ undocumented foreigners.
He said that the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) and the Department of Small Business Development were working to strengthen laws to prevent undocumented foreigners from operating businesses in the country.
Motsoaledi’s successor, Leon Schreiber, announced in July that inspections would increase by over 50% in the coming year, targeting restaurants, spaza shops, farms, and mines, with actions including deportations of those illegally employed.
To report businesses suspected of breaching labour laws, South Africans are encouraged to use official channels.
The department has provided a contact list for provincial chief inspectors and specialists who can be reached for inspections.
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