Inspectors arrest employers and shut down operations after finding undocumented workers living in unhygienic, fire-prone factory accommodation
Scene at the Newcastle sweatshop where undocumented workers were found living amid severe safety and fire hazards. Picture: Supplied.
An inspection blitz at a “notorious” sweatshop in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, led to the arrest of two Chinese employers for labour violations, undocumented workers and serious health and fire risks.
During the joint interdepartmental inspection on Friday, the owners operating Qing Xiu Clothing locked themselves inside their factories. Some of them managed to escape.
The Department of Employment and Labour, the South African Police Service (Saps), Newcastle Metro Police and the Department of Home Affairs conducted the inspection. It took place at the Newcastle Industrial Park’s textile and clothing industry.
Undocumented workers housed in unsafe factories
Inspectors found 34 undocumented foreign nationals who lived on the premises of the clothing/textile factories.
“The exploitative factories where basic labour laws and other laws of the country are disregarded with impunity are a ‘fatal’ hazard waiting to happen,” the labour department said in a post.
Authorities arrested two Chinese employers for violating immigration laws by hiring workers without valid South African documents.
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The inspection also led to a prohibition notice being served to Qing Xiu Clothing.
The Department of Employment and Labour issued the clothing and textile company with the notice after it failed to maintain safe electrical installations. The company also failed to register and produce a steam generator certificate and comply with the Unemployment Insurance Act (UIA) and the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases (COID) Act, among other violations.
“The notice means that the company must not resume activity until it has taken action to remove or control the risk,” departmental spokesperson Teboho Thejane said.
‘Fatal hazard waiting to happen’
He added that the inspectors ordered the workers to vacate the factory by Friday.
“The workers’ quarters were a fatal hazard waiting to happen, and these were found to be unhygienic and susceptible to fire risk,” the spokesperson said.
Mlungisi Zondi, the Provincial Chief Inspector for the Department of Employment and Labour, said the department must carry out more sustained and extensive inspection blitzes. He said these should be conducted across all sectors.
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The Parliamentary Employment and Labour Portfolio Committee oversaw the joint inspection.
The committee is conducting an oversight of the Department of Employment and Labour operations in the Amajuba district.
“The committee is looking at calling all major retail clothing chains that give business to the owners of these sweatshops to account before Parliament,” the department said.
Inspection blitz
The oversight included a visit to the Newcastle Labour Centre. It also involved a multi-sector inspection blitz of farms, manufacturing, clothing and textile, and retail sectors.
Regarding Thursday’s inspection blitz, six manufacturers were inspected, and the results are as follows:
- Unemployment Insurance Fund: six were found non-compliant
- Basic Conditions of Employment Act: four were compliant
- Occupational Health and Safety: five were non-compliant
- Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases (COID): five were non-compliant
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