The dangers faced by workers in South Africa, especially illegal immigrants, have been starkly highlighted by recent tragedies. These workers often toil in the shadows of the country’s labour laws, exploited by unscrupulous bosses who pay them a pittance, disregarding their safety and well-being.
The collapse of an apartment building in George, which resulted in the deaths of 34 workers, is a heart-wrenching example of this exploitation. These workers, many of whom were illegal immigrants, worked in perilous conditions, without proper safety measures or adequate pay.
The tragedy is a grim reminder of the human cost of cutting corners and prioritising profit over people.
Similarly, the collapse of a wall at a construction site in Ballito, which killed four workers, underscores the issue of exploitation in the building trade. Some of these workers, too, were believed to be illegal immigrants, vulnerable and desperate for employment.
Their deaths could have been prevented if bodies such as the National Home Builders Registration Council and the Department of Employment and Labour had enforced safety regulations and labour practices.
Instead, there seems to be an attempt to skirt accountability, particularly in the case of the George building collapse. Last week President Cyril Ramaphosa offered the families of those who had perished financial compensation. Yes, that’s fine, but we need accountability to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
The Department of Employment and Labour boasts an army of inspectors whose duty is to prevent such tragedies. However, these mechanisms have failed, as evidenced by the deaths in George and Ballito. This failure points to a deeper, systemic issue of corruption, negligence, and a lack of accountability within these regulatory bodies.
We also can’t ignore the racial element of both tragedies. That those workers were black, and mostly immigrants, is no coincidence and says much about South Africa’s racist social hierarchies with black immigrants at the bottom of the totem pole.
The prosecution and jailing of employers who flout labour laws and endanger their workers are essential steps in addressing exploitation.
It is imperative that the government strengthens its oversight mechanisms and ensures that labour laws are strictly enforced.
* Quinton Mtyala, is the Western Cape Regional News Editor.
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