POLOKWANE – Non-compliant employers in Polokwane’s hospitality sector, particularly restaurants, are facing serious consequences after a joint operation by the Department of Employment and Labour, the police, and Home Affairs officials led to the arrest of nine illegal foreign workers, including minors.
The arrests were made last Thursday at a restaurant in the city during a four-day blitz targeting non-compliant businesses.
Read more: 2 minors among 9 foreigners arrested at Polokwane Asian restaurant
The operation, which focused primarily on restaurants violating labour laws, saw immigration officers and police raid several establishments across the city.
The downtown taxi rank along Church Street was one of the first stops, where multiple illegal foreign nationals were apprehended. Eight restaurants in the central business district were also raided and inspected.
At one of the larger shopping centres, inspectors found three chain restaurants in serious violation of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, the Unemployment Insurance Act, the Unemployment Contributions Act, and the Occupational Health and Safety Act, according to senior inspector Joel Themeli.
“They failed to provide personal protective equipment where necessary and lacked certificates of compliance for electrical installations,” Themeli reported. As a result, contravention notices were issued.
Themeli also highlighted poor record-keeping practices at several establishments, including bars along the N1, where employees were not issued payslips, raising concerns over whether they were compliant with UIF and other employment benefits.
While some employers met the requirement of paying the national minimum wage of R27.58 per hour, the department continues its efforts to ensure all workers, whether legally employed or not, are working under lawful conditions.
The operation is part of a larger national initiative aimed at cracking down on labour law violations.
Themeli warned that these raids could continue indefinitely but withheld details about future targets.
