‘Unprecedented Since 1994’: Government to Hire 10,000 Labour Inspectors in Historic Enforcement Drive

In a move described as transformative since the advent of democracy, the Department of Employment and Labour is set to hire 10,000 new labour inspectorsa dramatic expansion of enforcement capacity that could fundamentally reshape workplace compliance in South Africa.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the initiative during his recent State of the Nation Address, committing to “tighten enforcement” by adding 10,000 inspectors this year.

Speaking during the SONA debate on Tuesday, Employment and Labour Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya praised the announcement as unprecedented since 1994.

“This has not been done since 1994, but President Ramaphosa has managed to achieve it,” Sibiya said.

From 300,000 to 1.6 Million Inspections

The impact, Sibiya explained, will be dramatic. The additional capacity will expand the department’s reach from its current 2,300 inspectors to 12,300 once the new hires are in place.

“This will assist in improving 300,000 workplace visits annually to about 1.6 million inspections,” Sibiya said. “Over 16.8 million people in the country will have their work environments and employment conditions improved.”

The numbers represent a more than fivefold increase in inspection capacitya scale of expansion that could finally give teeth to labour laws that have often gone under-enforced.

Money Back to Workers

The enforcement drive is not just about compliance statistics. Sibiya pointed to concrete financial impacts already being achieved with current capacity.

“Annually, currently, the department is able to return over R70 million directly to exploited workers back to their pockets from recovered illegal deductions and underpayment,” he said.

With more than five times the inspectorate, the potential to recover stolen wages and enforce basic conditions could multiply accordingly.

Unions Welcome the Move

The Public Servants Association (PSA) welcomed the appointment, noting that it has long raised concerns about chronic understaffing of the labour inspection function.

General Manager Reuben Maleka said understaffing has limited the government’s ability to monitor compliance with legislation such as the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, the Labour Relations Act, and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

“The appointment of a significantly expanded inspectorate is therefore a critical intervention toward protecting workers against exploitation, unsafe workplaces, and non-compliance with statutory benefits.”

Maleka noted a rise in employer non-compliance, including failure to pay pension contributions and allegations that illegal foreigners are being appointed, particularly in vulnerable sectors.

“This measure will enhance proactive inspections in high-risk sectors and will strengthen rapid response to reported violations. This will ensure that employers who disregard labour legislation are held accountable.”

Not Project 20K

The department clarified that the 10,000 new inspectors are entirely distinct from Project 20K, a fixed-term internship programme launched in 2025.

Project 20K recruits 10,000 inspector and enforcement interns annually over two years. Those interns are on 24-month contracts with stipends, designed for youth employment and capacity-building, not permanent employment.

The new inspectors, by contrast, are permanent additions to the enforcement apparatus.

The Challenge Ahead

Numbers alone do not guarantee enforcement. The new inspectors must be trained, deployed strategically, and supported by a functional system of referrals and prosecutions. The National Prosecuting Authority and the courts must be ready to handle the cases that inspections generate.

But the scale of the expansion signals a fundamental shift in ambition. For decades, labour inspection has been under-resourced, reactive, and largely invisible to most workers. A 12,300-strong inspectorate, conducting 1.6 million annual visits, would be anything but invisible.

For the millions of South African workers who toil in unsafe conditions, for less than minimum wage, without contracts or benefits, the promise of 10,000 inspectors is a promise that the state is finally coming to check. The question is whether the promise will be kept.

{Source: IOL}

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