Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana advised the Department of Employment and Labour to start recruiting 10 000 labour inspectors ahead of the new financial year when funds will be allocated.

Speaking to the media during a closed briefing before he delivered the 2026 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), Godongwana said the labour inspectors were part of a broader immigration system.

“They are going to be employed over the medium-term expenditure framework,” he said.

In February, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the police, the Department of Home Affairs and labour inspectors would work together to enforce immigration, labour and related laws.

“Employers who hire foreign nationals without the required permits or visas will face the full force of the law,” he said.

“To tighten enforcement, we will hire an additional 10 000 labour inspectors this year. As we undertake these interventions, we insist that the laws of our country must be observed by everyone,” he said at the time.

However, Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth has stated that no recruitment has taken place owing to lack of allocation despite Ramaphosa making the promise in his State of the Nation Address.

In a recent response to parliamentary questions, Meth said the department had submitted a bid to request funding from National Treasury and was awaiting feedback.

“The department has not been able to secure the budget for implementation and deployment of additional labour inspectors,” she said.

On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Godongwana was asked about the funding request by the Employment and Labour Department for employment of labour inspectors.

Source: https://iol.co.za/capeargus/news/2026-10-22-godongwana-says-10-000-labour-inspectors-can-be-advertised-ahead-of-april/