Three undocumented foreign nationals were handed a sentence of 12 months in prison with an option of R10 000 fine on Tuesday by the Pretoria magistrate’s court.
The three people impersonating labour inspectors were Okichukwu Michael Uzor (45), Loveness Mandivava (32), and Nyemudzai Muzvidza (33).
The Department of Employment and Labour, who welcomed the arrest, raised concerns of a noted rise in bogus labour inspectors.
Departmental spokesperson Mishack Magakwe said “the department is concerned about the growing number of pretentious inspectors in the province but believes it is only a matter of time before the department pounces on them and the courts deal with them properly”.
The arrests of three bogus labour inspectors in Boom Street, Pretoria, last week sparked warnings by the labour department for businesses to be wary.
Magakwe said the three were accused of going from store to store to “check compliance” with labour laws and requested Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) documents.
He said wary businesses began to discuss the suspicious inspectors on their WhatsApp group and notified the police.
“When the officers questioned them, they discovered that the suspects had forged contracts stating they were working in collaboration with the Department of Employment and Labour, South African Revenue Services (SARS) and the Amandebele Kingdom,” said Magakwe.
He said the bogus officials also had other forged documents in their possession, such as labour inspectors’ cards, which they used to gain access to workplace premises, which is a criminal offence under the basic conditions of the employment act.
“For anyone to pose as a labour inspector and perform any functions related to labour inspection is a crime.”
He emphasised that the department had no contract with any company to conduct inspections on its behalf.
“The department wishes to accentuate and explicitly state that it has no agreements or partnerships with recruitment agencies and that no organisation has been authorised to charge for services rendered by the department.”
He said employers had to exercise extreme caution and report any suspicious visits or requests to the police or the department’s local offices.
“If employers are concerned about the inspector’s visit, they can check the credentials with the department’s nearest office.”
Magakwe said to avoid becoming a victim of a con artist posing as a labour inspector, the department recommended employers to keep in mind that genuine inspectors could be identified by their inspector identification card, which bears the departmental logo, as well as their trademark uniforms.
“These are created in advance of the inspection.”
Magakwe said the department applauded and welcomed the decision by the court.
“It sends a clear message to those posing as labour inspectors and performing any labour inspection functions to flee.
“The department wishes to once again thank members of the SAPS and employers in the Marabastad area for their prompt response in this matter. As a result of their efforts, the three undocumented foreigners were successfully convicted.”
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