VEREENIGING – A multi-disciplinary inspection blitz led by Labour and Employment Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya has uncovered an underground tunnel used by illegal immigrants working for a company in Vereeniging to evade compliance.
The discovery led to the arrest of four Chinese nationals and an employee, who is also an illegal immigrant. The enforcement operation was carried out in conjunction with SAPS, Home Affairs, and the Department of Employment and Labour.
Regarding the company, Sibiya described it as a serial offender that has repeatedly flouted labour laws and remained non-compliant.
According to Sibiya, the company is not complying with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), National Minimum Wage Act (NMWA), (Occupational Health and Safety) OHS, Unemployment Insurance Act (UIA), Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (CIODA), and Immigration Act.
Sibiya states that authorities had to cut electricity on the premises due to hazardous installations and many other contraventions and prohibitions.
“When we arrived, the company locked the gate and refused to open. Police used other measures to gain entry. While we were opening the gate, undocumented immigrants escaped through an underground channel made to evade law enforcement agencies. It took time to discover the channel, which they had invested in to avoid compliance.”
Sibiya said the company had been shut down, adding that the perpetrators would be dealt with accordingly.
“We arrested four Chinese nationals and one Malawian national.”
The deputy minister said that he will take an interest in the said company, as it should learn from learn from Hangda Steel Company, which sets a good example of how things can change for the better.
This is not the first time a company operating in Vereeniging has been closed due to non-compliance.
In August, Gauteng MEC for the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Ewan Botha, led a high-impact compliance blitz in Vereeniging.
The coordinated operation immediately closed an unlicensed waste facility, exposed unsafe and exploitative labour conditions, and led to the arrest of 10 undocumented foreign nationals, including the facility’s owner, for failing to produce valid identification or a passport.
Speaking on the operation, police spokesperson Sergeant Thembeka Maxambela confirmed the arrests, adding that the arrested persons are facing charges relating to the Illegal Immigration Act and the employment of an illegal immigrant, respectively.
