By Marcus Moloko
At least 50 undocumented immigrants have been arrested during an inspection in Clayville, Ekurhuleni, on Friday afternoon during an official raid of the construction site suspected of employing dozens of undocumented foreign nationals.
A construction site in Clayville, Olifantsfontein, was shut down after inspectors discovered it was operating with suspicious construction permits.
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The raid formed part of a Multidisciplinary High Impact Blitz Inspection led by Employment and Labour Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya.
Law enforcement officers joined the Department of Labour in the operation, which targeted sites suspected of employing undocumented foreign nationals.
At least 50 undocumented immigrants were arrested during the inspection.
Sibiya said the department was responding to public concerns raised in a widely circulated video and emphasized that the crackdown was necessary to enforce compliance.
“Numerous undocumented migrants were taken away today. We are honoring the invite after that video. But there are gaps in the law, and these gaps allow employers to take advantage of workers,” Sibiya said.
The Department of Labour confirmed that the site was immediately closed and that investigations into fraudulent permits and unlawful employment practices were ongoing.
This was after this footage surfaced of a man stating there were foreign nationals working at a construction site while some South Africans were celebrating Valentine’s Day.