Day: January 27, 2023

South Africa remains the most unequal country in the world – says Employment and Labour Inspector-General, Moiloa

There is very little to show in terms of transformation in the workplace in South Africa even after 24 years the country entered into democracy.

This is according to the Department of Employment and labour Deputy Director-General Inspection and Enforcement Service, Ms Aggy Moiloa.

Ms Moiloa was delivering a keynote address during the Department of Employment and Labour’s Employment Equity Breakfast Session at the Da Vinci Hotel in Sandton, Gauteng today (27 January 2023).

The purpose of the Breakfast Session, themed: “It begins with the will, desire and a decision to commit to transformation”, was meant to debrief and inform various stakeholders such as the employers and employment consultancy on the following:

Overview of Employment Equity and Transformation of Workplaces 2021/22 Financial Year.

Status of Compliance with Employment Equity

Employment Equity Amendment Bill 2018

And included an open discussion in relevant matters with concerned stakeholders in the programme

“Unfortunately 24 years later (since the enactment of the Employment Equity Act in 1998) EEA, when it comes to the area of employment equity, we have got very little to show in terms of transformation. All of us by choice or by default can be an activist for transformation. Our slight posture as a country, it surely really its ugly head even in the instance of pioneering and driving transformation,” said Ms Moiloa.

Ms Moiloa said compliance levels with EEA remains regretfully low and said that the low levels of compliance frustrate the intention of policy interventions.

“So the issue of non-compliance with the Employment Equity cushions and sustains unpalatable tendencies. South Africa remains the most unequal country in the world. Discrimination runs too deep. Transformation leaves a lot to be desired. The level of compliance is even more unacceptable,” Ms Moiloa.

Ms Moiloa said in the 2021 to 2022 financial year, the level of non-compliance in terms of the Employment Equity is at six percent of compliance and 96 percent for non-compliance.

The Breakfast Session was also attended by other speakers such as the Chairperson of the Commission for Employment Equity, Ms Tabea Kabinde, who presented on the 21st Employment Equity Report; Mr Mxolisi Yabo, Deputy Director: Statutory Services presented on the Employment Equity Amendment Bill 2018 and Advocate Fikiswa Bede, Chief Director: Advocacy Stakeholder Relations – who shared the status of compliance with Employment Equity by employers in the country.

Ms Bede told attendees that 860 inspections on Employment Equity have been conducted across the country from April to December 2022. However, only 12 employers were found to be compliant and 848 were found to be non-compliant.

“So, the levels of non-compliance really frustrate the intention of policy intervention which seeks to achieve transformation in the labour market and we have not seen it even if you check the Employment Equity Report,” said Advocate Bede.

Ms Moiloa also said that the Department has also started inspections of the JSE Securities-listed companies in South Africa.

Source: Government of South Africa

The Department of Water and Sanitation continues to clamp down on farmers involved in unauthorised and illegal water use and ensure perpetrators are brought to book.

Almost two months after a farmer in Estcourt was fined over R1.7 milllion for illegally abstracting water from Wagendrift Dam to irrigate his crops, another Estcourt farmer has been fined an administrative fee of R1.5 million for conducting illegal and unauthorised water use activities, which is in contravention of the National Water Act.

The owner of a farm under the Pongola to uMzimkhulu Water Management Area was found to have contravened and violated their Water Use License by going beyond the boundary or limit when he constructed an illegal dam in his farm without the required water use authorisation.

The department’s Director for Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement, Thandi Mopai, said the unlawful activity was discovered during a compliance monitoring inspection carried out in 2018 and subsequently, a notice of intention to issue a directive in terms of section 53(1) (a) of the National Water Act of 1998 was issued.

Mopai said a directive was later issued, instructing the owner to cease unlawful water uses and demolish the unlawful dam.

“After exhausting all the available avenues, the department opened a criminal case against the farmer with South African Police Services in Estcourt. On 19 January this year, the department entered into a mediation agreement with him to pay an amount of R1.5 million administrative fee for constructing an illegal dam for the use of water in his farming business.

“On 19 January 2023, a mediation agreement between him and the department was reached and as a result an administrative fee of R 1.5 million was paid to the department’s account,” Mopai said.

As part of mediation between the parties, Mopai said it was also agreed that the farmer shall apply for the water use authorisation for illegal dam within 60 days and the department concurred that the application will be subjected to normal processes.

“This is part of the ongoing work by the department as a regulator of the water and sanitation sector, to uproot and eradicate all unauthorised and illegal use of water resources,” Mopai said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Officials of the Department of Employment and Labour are in Polokwane, Limpopo, to help citizens with Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) applications and processing of claims for workers.

“Officials are continuing with assisting clients, who are flocking to Nirvana Hall, to apply for UIF and Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Disease, as well as registering work-seekers on the Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA) database for possible employment opportunities.

“On the first day of the campaign, we captured 347 claims but encountered challenges with UI-19 forms that were incorrectly filled,” said the department’s Director of Beneficiary Services in Limpopo, Vuledzani Mulindi, on Thursday.

As the department’s open day and ‘Taking services to the people’ campaign entered its second day in the city, Mulindi said departmental officials have since met with the Department of Basic Education’s Programme Manager to come up with solutions to ensure that former teacher assistants around Limpopo are correctly declared for UIF.

“We, [along with Basic Education], are going to have open day sessions meant for teacher assistants, so they can rectify any challenges experienced with regard to incorrectly filled UI-19 forms,” he said.

Mulindi urged employers to attend these sessions in their numbers.

“We are making a call to employers… to utilise the u-Filing system to register employees for Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Disease, as well as the Unemployment Insurance Fund.”

He encouraged employers to not only register workers, but to also take further steps to pay contributions and declare workers on a monthly basis, as required by law.

“It remains the responsibility of an employer, after termination of service of a worker, to ensure that worker information is updated on a monthly basis to show the current status and employment history.

“Failure to submit the declaration may cause delays with the processing of claims for unemployment or other benefits,” Mulindi said.

The last session of the campaign is currently underway and is set to conclude in the afternoon.

The department will announce in due course the open day sessions, which will cover all the 10 districts in Limpopo.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Department of Employment and Labour has warned the public to be vigilant after it noted with concern yet another scam titled ‘Youth employment programme’, which makes empty promises to those who are unemployed.

In a statement on Thursday, the department said South Africa is undergoing one of its toughest economic phases, with unemployment at an all-time high, and scammers are taking advantage of the situation.

“The department wishes to warn the public to be cautious of newly-found messiahs, who promise members of the public paradise. The department does not have a ‘Youth employment programme’.

“In the latest scam, the scammers are promising to reward participants in the so-called programme with obscene stipends. But before this can happen, a potential participant in the programme has to pay a deposit fee at [a] retailer and also furnish personal details,” the department said.

The department said this latest scam follows a number of rackets, in which members of public are asked to pay to receive pay-outs.

The scammers also fraudulently use the social media accounts of the department and Employment and Labour Minister, Thulas Nxesi, to swindle the public.

Meanwhile, the department said it has a Public Employment Services (PES) branch that assists companies and workers to adjust to changing labour market conditions.

PES offers a range of free public employment services. These services range from registering work seekers on the Employment Services of South Africa (an online job matching platform), employment counselling, and providing subsidies/schemes to non-governmental organisations that assist in the employment of people with disabilities.

“It is illegal in South Africa to be asked to pay for a job. Desist from paying so-called fully refundable fees when looking for employment. Under any circumstances, if unsure what action to take, go to any of the department’s more than 125 offices or labour centres and mobile service points that are spread throughout the country for more information.

“Be alert and protect yourself. Do not part away with your hard-earned cash and personal details. Do not pay for a job offer,” the department urged.

Source: South African Government News Agency