The Department of Employment and Labour has called on construction companies to hire South Africans first, following a raid that led to the arrest of 50 undocumented foreign nationals at sites in Clayville, Ekurhuleni.
The Department of Employment and Labour conducted a multidisciplinary operation last week targeting non-compliant construction companies at two sites in Clayville, Ekurhuleni. During the raid, authorities arrested 50 undocumented foreign nationals.
Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya issued a warning to employers about the consequences of hiring undocumented workers. He stated that such actions could lead to fines and possible imprisonment. Sibiya highlighted the high level of non-compliance with labour and immigration laws in the country.
"The level of non-compliance in our country is high. Employers are disregarding our labour laws, employers are disregarding our immigration laws. When it comes to occupational health and safety, it’s the issue of safety of our workers and of anybody in the surroundings. If you bring somebody who doesn’t even have what it takes to work in South Africa and works in a dangerous working environment, that person is putting all the workers around him in harm’s way," Sibiya said.
The deputy minister emphasised the need to protect South African workers and address high unemployment. "So, we are trying to protect our country, we are protecting our people but we are saying to employers, prioritise South Africans. Let’s employ our people. We do have skills and we have a high level of unemployment in our country," he added.
This operation underscores ongoing efforts to enforce compliance in the construction sector, where safety and legal hiring practices are key concerns.
