By Levy Masiteng
The Employment and Labour Department has reiterated that businesses must hire South Africans following a sting operation that saw the arrest of illegal immigrants in KwZulu-Natal.
A tolal of 64 people, mostly from Lesotho, were apprehended the iSithembe industrial area of Mandeni.
They were arrested for violating labour laws and immigration regulations, together with their employer.
The operation was led by Employment and Labour Minister Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya and Home Affairs Deputy Minister Njabulo Nzuza this week. It was aimed at cracking down on illegal foreign nationals and lawlessness in the country.
Three sections of factories have been shut down and all nine companies raided were found to be breaking the law.
Sibiya emphasised the importance of compliance with South African laws, saying “available jobs should be prioritised for South Africans and those who have valid documents.”
He also expressed concern about employers exploiting undocumented foreign nationals by paying them low wages.
Mlungisi Zondi, who is the chief inspector of the Employment and Labour Department, said employers had 14 days to comply with compliance notices and 60 days to comply with occupational health and safety prohibition notices, failing which they would face prosecution.
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