Employment and Labour Minister, Nomakhosazana Meth said South Africa has made important progress in protecting children, but child labour remains a challenge that requires “our continued attention".

Minister Meth told the National Day Against Child Labour (NDACL) Commemoration event held in uMthatha today (18 September 2026) that the 2019 Survey of Activities of Young People estimated that approximately 571,000 children between the ages of 7 and 17 were engaged in child labour in South Africa.

“Behind that number are children with names, families, ambitions and dreams. These are children who should be given every opportunity to complete their education and develop their full potential.

“Our labour laws prohibit the employment of children below the legal working age and protect older children from work that is inappropriate, hazardous or harmful to their development and education. South Africa has also made commitments internationally through the relevant International Labour Organization Conventions and the Durban Call to Action, which was adopted when our country hosted the Fifth Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour in 2022," Meth said.

The NDACL was attended by dozens of school children and educators, members of the Eastern Cape Province government, municipality executive members, representatives of the International Labour Organization, social partners, and officials from various government departments. The 2026 National Day Against Child Labour was held under the theme: “Let Me Be a Child".

The Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) – prohibits employment of children under 15 years of age. A person who employs a child is in contravention of law and commits an offence. In uMthatha the employment of children is prevalent in areas such as agriculture, retail and wholesale.

Meth said the theme of the event: “remind us that every child has the right to learn, to play, to grow, to be protected and to dream about the future. Childhood should not be replaced by work that harms a child, keeps a child away from school, or places responsibilities on children that belong to adults.

“When a child says, “Let me be a child", that child is saying: let me learn; let me play; let me be safe; and give me the opportunity to become everything that I can be," she said.

According to Meth policies and laws alone will not protect a child. She said, “these must be translated into action in our schools, workplaces, homes and communities". Meth said the department's Inspection and Enforcement Services branch's intensified workplace inspections were a reminder to employers that protecting children and complying with “our labour laws are responsibilities that must be taken seriously".

“We want you to stay in school, work hard, discover your talents and imagine a future that is bigger than the circumstances in which you may find yourselves today. And this year, our message to children connects with another important national commitment.

“Government has declared 2026 the “Year of Putting Young South Africans to Work," she said.

Meth reiterated that the Department was strengthening programmes that connect young people to training, workplace experience and employment opportunities. She called for collaborative effort by all social partners to eradicate the child labour scourge.

Department of Employment and Labour Acting Deputy Director-General for Labour Policy and Industrial Relations, Sipho Ndebele said the day reminds everyone of taking responsibility by ensuring that children are not deprived of their potential dignity and future.

“Today, therefore, we cannot gather merely to observe a date on a calendar. We need to move beyond awareness into decisive action. We are here today to strengthen our collective. We need to understand the legal framework and policies that protect children and prohibit child labour. Secondly, we need to unite government, civil society and our social partners around a common agenda, and lastly, to drive collective action for enforcement, education and the absolute prevention of child labour.

“These are not abstract objectives; they are the critical pillars of a society that values every child. We carry both the responsibility and the opportunity to turn these commitments into reality. Let us enhance our strategies against child labour," Ndebele said.

In the build-up to commemoration of NDACL the department also had a “Taking Services to the People" programme to render the processing of unemployment insurance fund for ex-mineworkers, deal with compensation for occupational injuries and diseases enquiries, registration of work seekers and provide inspection and enforcement services.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Teboho Thejane

Departmental Spokesperson

082 697 0694/ teboho.thejane@labour.gov.za

-ENDS-

Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour

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