South Africa's Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth during an inspection in Johannesburg's CBD on August 21, 2026. (NNA News/Luyanda Danca)

NNA News – South Africa's Minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth, led unannounced inspections across Johannesburg's central business district on Friday. The inspections targeted alleged breaches of labour laws and immigration rules at shops, butcheries and other businesses.

Meth was joined by Johannesburg Executive Mayor Dada Morero and officials from the Department of Home Affairs, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD). The team checked compliance with working hours, the national minimum wage, leave entitlements, workplace health and safety, and the employment of foreign nationals.

The operation forms part of a wider city initiative to enforce municipal by-laws, tackle illegal immigration and revitalise the inner city, South Africa's economic hub. "We expect people to work eight hours, expect people to have lunch, and expect people to be allowed to leave if they are sick, if they need to go for maternity leave, and so forth. That's why we are here. In terms of the National Minimum Wage Act, there is a minimum wage that must be paid. I just met with a few workers who told me they are working 13 hours, which is an area of concern for me," Meth said.

Under South African law, the standard workweek is 45 hours. As of March 1, 2026, the national minimum wage has been set at 30.23 rand (approximately $1.80) per ordinary hour for most workers, including those in agriculture and domestic work, up from R 28.79. Workers on the Expanded Public Works Programme are entitled to R 16.62 per hour.

Officials inspect a Johannesburg CBD business as part of a labour and compliance operation on August 21, 2026. (NNA News/Luyanda Danca)

Inspectors said they found evidence of excessively long working hours and poor conditions. Several employees reported working shifts of up to 13 hours a day. The department also flagged dirty and poorly maintained premises, particularly at businesses handling and selling meat, as significant health and safety risks.

The minister said her office had also received complaints about severely low pay. One worker reported earning approximately R 1,300, or about $70, a month, well below the legal minimum for full-time work in South Africa. For comparison, a 45-hour week at the current minimum wage of R30.23 per hour equates to about R1,360.35 per week, or $82, and R5,894.40 per month, or about $356.

Following the inspections, the Department of Employment and Labour said it was reviewing evidence to identify employers who had violated legislation. Inspectors documented non-compliant businesses and were assessing findings to determine appropriate legal action, including fines. Morero said the labour checks were an extension of ongoing municipal enforcement.  "No, it’s just continuous by-law enforcement. Now we are just adding the element of labour enforcement. That is why we are here. In the past two weeks, there was also an operation focused on counterfeiting. So it’s by-law enforcement, as we said. We are rejuvenating and reclaiming our city," Morero said.

Johannesburg Executive Mayor Dada Morero speaks to officials during an enforcement operation in Johannesburg's CBD on August 21, 2026. (NNA News/Luyanda Danca)

The heightened enforcement has caused anxiety among informal street vendors in the CBD, who fear losing their trading spaces. Sanelisiwe Moyo, who trades near the MTN taxi rank, told NNA News, "We are scared because we don't know what's going on or what they'll do about us. Some people say street vendors are unnecessary, which makes us fear being chased away from our trading spaces.

Another vendor, Naledi Nzama, said street trading supports her family. "My granddaughter is at university here at UJ because of this money. I started from primary and high school, and she passed well with distinctions, and they took her at UJ." City of Johannesburg officials acknowledged the concerns. Ward 59 Councillor Sthembiso Fortune Hlatshwayo said operations would continue and raised concerns about the illegal subletting of permits despite the existence of municipal trading spaces.

Officials inspect a Johannesburg CBD business as part of a labour and compliance operation. (NNA News/Luyanda Danca)

"The problem we have is that there are available trading spaces. There are spaces. There are people who are given smart cards, but they rent those cards to immigrants. We will continue our operation to reclaim the smart cards that immigrants rent. We have engaged with the municipality," Hlatshwayo said.

The National Minimum Wage Act came into effect in 2019 to protect low-paid workers and is reviewed annually. It applies to all workers except members of the defence force, intelligence services and unpaid volunteers.