Strengthening worker rights: 10,000 new labour inspectors to protect workers

Employment and Labour Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya lauded President Cyril Ramaphosa during the SONA debate on Tuesday for announcing a post-1994 record of 10,000 new inspectors for the Department of Employment and Labour. In a transformative initiative heralded as unprecedented since 1994, the Department of Employment and Labour is poised to enhance its enforcement capabilities dramatically with the addition of10,000 new labour inspectors. This significant announcement was made by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the recent State of the Nation Address (SONA), signalling a decisive commitment to improving working conditions across South Africa.

Ramaphosa said that to tighten enforcement, they will hire an additional 10,000 labour inspectors this year. At the SONA debate on Tuesday, Employment and Labour Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya praised Ramaphosa for making a groundbreaking announcement since 1994 of 10,000 inspectors, who will be employed in the Department of Employment and Labour. He said this has not been done since 1994, but Ramaphosa has managed to achieve it.

Sibiya said the department will ensure the strategic use of the president’s announcement of 10,000 additional labour inspectors. “The additional capacity will assist inimproving 300,000 workplace visitsannually to about 1.6 million inspections, President. This is how far your intervention is going to go,” Sibiya explained.