The Employment and Labour Department has accused employers who hire undocumented foreign nationals of exploitation.
On Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced measures aimed at tightening immigration enforcement, securing the country’s borders and cracking down on employers who hire undocumented migrants.
This was in response to nationwide protests calling for the deportation of undocumented foreign nationals.
The Department’s Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya says the department will recruit 10 000 labour inspectors to improve enforcement of the country’s labour and immigration laws.
Sibiya says, “Illegal foreign immigrants are used by employers because they don’t pay them UIF, they are not registered with compensation fund, they are not registered with UIF, they are not paying them at the minimum wage because they want to exploit them. You can’t register a person who is undocumented with UIF. You can’t register a person who is undocumented with compensation fund. They want to save money and make more profit, it’s all about that.”
Video| Plans to recruit more labour inspectors
