Employment and Labour Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya told employers at Raakvat Farm that the Department does not want to leave them in the same condition the inspectors found them.

Deputy Minister Sibiya led five high powered multidisciplinary teams comprising of departmental inspectors and officials from Department of Home Affairs (Immigration Unit), Department of Social Development, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, South African Police Service, as well as a representative from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), during strategic inspections at Ventersdorp, yesterday, 07 August 2025.

“Most important is that we do not want to leave an employer in the same condition we find him. We want to see employers complying with labour laws," Deputy Minister Sibiya said.

Sibiya was calming down the employers who were dumbfounded as one of the teams pounced on them. According to the employers the Department should have forewarned them that they were coming to inspect them.

In response, Sibiya told the employers that, that is the way the government operates. He said the responsibility of inspectors is to make sure that labour laws are enforced and complied with. In addition, Sibiya told the employers that the department wants their businesses to grow so they can employ more people.

“We are not going to turn a blind eye on issues of pay, Unemployment Insurance and Compensation Fund contributions, working hours, leave as well as canteen and restroom facilities. When companies comply, we become happy," he said.

During the inspections, seven workplaces were visited, and many employers were found to be wanting. Five workplaces were issued with Contravention Notices for noncompliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act regulations such as failure to have Certificate of Compliance, risk Assessment for the farm, failure to maintain machinery, having no baseline assessment, no health and safety representatives, no personal protective equipment for employees, no risk assessment for the organisation and many others.

One employer was issued with a Prohibition Notice for operating a moving plant equipment with an incompetent person as well as failing to maintain such equipment.

In terms of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, National Minimum Wage and Sectoral Determination 14, six of the seven workplaces were issued with Compliance orders. Five of the employers were issued with Compliance Orders for failure to keep information on Return On Investment (RoE) as required by the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and diseases Act whereas, the same number of employers were also issued with same for failure to submit declaration of employees to the Unemployment Insurance Fund Commissioner.

Fourteen undocumented foreign nationals were arrested by the Department of Home Affairs' Immigration unit during the inspections on Thursday. An employer from Raakvat farm was fined R25 000 for the ten he employed at the farm. The other four arrested were employed at Almore Landgoed where the employer was not present at the time of the

inspections. All the 14 foreign nationals were arrested and detained at the Ventersdorp Police Station and will be appearing today, 08 August 2025. The Department of Home Affairs will deal with the missing employer.

Addressing his teams earlier before the operation, Sibiya told the teams that they have a responsibility to make sure that the laws of the country are complied with. He reiterated the intention of the inspection being to enforce the laws of the Republic and “those who do not comply must feel the wrath of the law."

“If people start complaining about a country that is known as if it does not have laws or which there is lawlessness, it means it is us who not doing enough," he said.

For media enquiries, 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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