This is according to Boikie Mampuru, the Chief Inspector at the Department of Labour and Employment in North West, after a visit to two farms in the province revealed that some farmworkers were not paid the required national minimum wage. 

The oversight visits to farms in North West by the Portfolio Committees on Labour and Employment as well as Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, come weeks after a three-day oversight visit was conducted by the same committees to farms in the Free State.

OFM News reported that the oversight visits to the Free State ended with a public hearing on the working and living conditions of farmworkers.

The visits followed after various stakeholders informed the committees that the reality of agricultural work is a harsh one.

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The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour, Lindelwa Dunjwa, explained the oversight visits are also due to the motion that was raised in the National Assembly in 2020, which recommended that both committees must embark on nationwide oversight visits to farms to assess the plight of farmworkers across all provinces.

Meanwhile, Mampuru emphasised that farmers can visit their offices in Mahikeng, Klerksdorp and Christiana, amongst other towns, to apply for an exemption, “then we’ll go through their [financial] books and [and statements], and if we are satisfied that they cannot afford to pay the minimum wage, we will then grant them the exemption.”

He further explains that other findings that were made during the oversight visits were that the Occupational Health and Safety Act was not adhered to, and a request was made that workers should be trained to use the machinery in an accurate and proper manner.

“In some instances, the fire extinguishers were not put in the right positions. There was no signage which can indicate to employees or farmworkers in case there was an emergency.

“So, we issued some notices and we are hoping in this coming 14 days, in terms of the national minimum wage, they will comply. And we also gave them 60 days in terms of Occupational Health and Safety contravention notices.”

He adds that the department aims to visit all farms in the North West in a bid to educate farmers and farmworkers about the different labour laws. He says they are also looking into visiting churches and non-profit organisations (NGOs) of which farmers and farmworkers are a part of in a bid to advocate the labour laws.

OFM News