​​

The Department of Employment and Labour's joint blitz inspection yesterday (31 January 2024) uncovered issues of Occupational Health and Safety, at an estate construction site in the Pretoria North area, resulting in a shutdown of activities on the premises.

The Department of Employment and Labour's joint blitz inspections in Gauteng, which are part of a series of national inspections in the country, have been conducted in collaboration with various organisations and other government departments such as the Department of Home Affairs, South African Police Service, Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA ), and the Gauteng Metro Police Crime Prevention Unit.  

During one of the inspections, the Department has established that the estate construction at the corner of Gwendolen Road and Kendall Avenue in Pretoria North, has been carried out without any concerns for labour laws such as the Occupational Health and Safety Act - by a company called Central Development Projects.

The Department's blitz inspection in Pretoria North was led by the Department's Chief Director: Provincial Operations, Tshepo Mokomatsidi, and the Department's Provincial Chief Inspector in Gauteng, Advocate Michael Msiza

“We found non-compliance with Occupational Health and Safety, in that their scaffolding did not comply and secondly that there is a hole that is dug for electrical constructions next to the scaffolding, which is a dependable scaffolding and if it falls it will affect the whole system.

“We would also put on record that the construction work agency, came here (at the site) on 15 January (2024) and declared the site unsafe. But despite that, the company continued to operate, hence today we prohibited the operations," said Advocate Michael Msiza.

Advocate Msiza said about 35 foreign nationals were apprehended by the South African Police Service and the Department of Home Affairs onsite of the estate construction premises during a construction operation, while others tried to flee arrest.   

“Those foreign nationals who are suspected to not having work permits in South Africa are taken by the Department of Home Affairs and the South Police Service to verify if they do have them. If they do not have work permits, they contravene the Employment Services Act of the Department of Employment and Labour, which demands an employer to make sure that a person employed in the republic (South Africa) from a foreign countrymust must have a work permit and a certain skill that is not found in the country.

“We will ensure that everyone that has rendered services here is paid for their service in terms of the law and that the person is not deported without being paid. But we will have to check if they are in South Africa legally and also if they do have work permits", said Advocate Msiza.      

The national blitz inspections in the Gauteng Province consists of eight teams and seven official inspectors for each team who have been dispatched to various locations to conduct inspections. 

The Department's inspectors are looking into the level of compliance by employers in the construction industry in accordance with various labour laws such as the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), Unemployment Insurance Act (UIA), Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Disease Act (COIDA) and the Occupational Health and Safety (OHSA).

The media is also invited to attend the blitz inspections and to RSVP, please contact:

Mishack Magakwe

Communication Officer, Gauteng Provincial Office

Contact: 082 908 1828 / Mishack.magakwe@labour.gov.za

For more information, contact:

Teboho Thejane

Departmental Spokesperson

082 697 0694 / Teboho.Thejane@labour.gov.za

-END-

Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour​

​