Civil movement accuses labour department’s inspectors of taking bribes
Labour department says it took the allegations seriously and promised to investigate the matter.
A small group of people protested outside the Department of Labour’s building in the Pretoria CBD yesterday, demanding that the department investigate claims that its officials were taking bribes from businesses that do not comply with labour regulations.
“You have employers who, irrespective of whether they are locals or foreign nationals, employ people who do not qualify to serve in certain positions,” said Apson Makaung, the general secretary of the SebataKgomo civil movement.
Makaung said the failure of some of the department’s inspectors to execute their duties ethically had led to a situation where the country faces many problems that could easily have been avoided.
He said his movement was concerned that some sectors, such as the hospitality sector, were “full of foreign nationals”.
“They are in jobs that do require scarce technical skills while millions of local people are unemployed.”
He said that “corrupt businesses continue with this because of the department’s failure”.
“These businesses are employing undocumented foreign nationals and exploiting them right under the labour department’s nose,” she said, adding that his movement could not allow such behaviour to continue.
Makaung believed that the department’s failure to monitor and ensure that businesses obey labour laws was one of several reasons why South Africa attracts so many undocumented immigrants.
“Local employers prefer employing undocumented foreign nationals because they are regarded as cheap labour.”
The protesters demanded that the labour department and the Department of Higher Education and Training did some research to identify scarce skills.
“They should then train local people to equip them with these much-needed technical skills. This will help fight unemployment in the country.”
SebataKgomo said inspectors should be properly monitored by, among others, the relevant portfolio committees.
Further, they wanted the government to prohibit the employment of foreign nationals in the hospitality sector.
The turnaround time of cases in the labour court should also be reduced, they said, because some cases take as long as four years to be concluded “which was unjust to the victims”.
Inspection and enforcement services director Malibongwe Gcwabe accepted the memorandum of demands on the department’s behalf.
He expressed concern over the allegations levelled against some inspectors.
“It was worrying that officials paid by the state could still receive money from other places through unlawful dealings.”
He said that the department has a code of conduct for inspectors, which determines the way an inspector should behave.
“One of those principles states that you must perform your duties to the highest standard and abide by ethical principles,” he said.
According to Gcwabe, the department took the allegations seriously and would investigate them.
He promised the protesters that the department would respond to their demands within 30 days.
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