Hiring illegal foreigners undermines state – Meth

Employment and labour minister Nomakhosazana Meth says the hiring of undocumented foreigners in various sectors raises serious concerns about their exploitation and the state’s legal frameworks being undermined.

Meth was giving an update on the recent compliance and inspection blitz conducted by the department as well as home affairs, which resulted in the arrest of 81 undocumented migrants.

“We remain deeply concerned about the high unemployment rate of 33.5% among South Africans, particularly affecting our youth," said Meth. 

The two departments went on the inspections from September 17 to September 20, targetting restaurants, farms as well as logistics companies.

At 28, Gauteng had the most arrests followed by Limpopo and the Eastern Cape with 14 arrests each, while 11 undocumented nationals were arrested in KwaZulu-Natal.

 More than 2,681 inspections were carried out over three days with 809 in the Western Cape, followed by Gauteng with 764 and KwaZulu-Natal coming third with 535.  

Deputy director-general at the department Aggy Moiloa said employers would pay a R2,500 fine for each person arrested. “The department of home affairs will start with the deportation of the undocumented foreign nationals,” she said.  

Meth said the inspections revealed instances of non-compliance, including underpayment of wages, unlawful deductions and inadequate health and safety measures. “To date, we have enforced monetary corrections totalling over R10m, compelling employers to rectify these violations, and honour their obligations to their employees,” she said.

Meth said the department was increasing the number of inspectors from 2,000 to 20,000 to enhance its ability to produce effective audits of inspections.

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