Publications
Partners
- The Department of Employment and Labour will probe all farms in Robertson in the Western Cape, following allegations of the employment of undocumented foreigners.
- Seasonal farmworkers from Lesotho and Zimbabwe have clashed over jobs in the region.
- The department says it has no records to indicate that corporate visas were issued for any foreign nationals to work on the farms.
The Department of Employment and Labour will investigate all farms in Robertson in the Western Cape for the employment of allegedly illegal foreign nationals.
It, the Department of Home Affairs' Immigration Services and the South African Police Service met with agricultural employers in Robertson to discuss the allegations.
Provincial Chief Inspector David Esau said the meeting followed interaction between the employment and labour department and local municipalities in the Cape Winelands region earlier this week.
They sought to forge collaboration between municipalities, local governments and the national government to deal with issues relating to job creation and undocumented foreign nationals, which is causing instability in the region.
On Thursday, Basotho and Zimbabwean nationals clashed, apparently over competition for farm space after one group allegedly took ownership of the property of another, Esau said.
The Langeberg municipality said about 500 residents used burning tyres to block the entrance to Nkqubela in Robertson and threw rocks at vehicles to prevent contractors from loading workers onto the vehicles.
It said one person was hospitalised and 17 people, including two children, suffered minor injuries during the chaos.
"About 20 dwellings of foreign nationals have been broken into and some burned."
READ | Farmworkers clash over jobs in Robertson
Esau added that there were no Department of Employment and Labour records to indicate that corporate visas were issued to foreign nationals to work on the farms, prompting the department to launch the investigation.
"We need the labour brokers to tell us where they've placed people and on which farms so that we can go to those farms and use the Immigration Act to see if the people are legally in the country," he added.
The department added that employers are vicariously liable if they are aware of illegalities, and added that the department will enforce that.
"If farmers have illegally employed people in the country, the department will be forced to refer the matter to Home Affairs for action."
Never miss a story. Choose from our range of newsletters to get the news you want delivered straight to your inbox.
