Department of Employment and Labour, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to host Portfolio Committees on Labour and Rural Development in Free State

The Department of Employment and Labour in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will be hosting the joint Parliament Portfolio Committees on Employment and Labour as well as Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.

The Committees’ oversight visit to the Free State province will commence with a stakeholder engagement in Bloemfontein on Friday, and for the next two days, the entourage will be conducting inspections and stakeholder engagement sessions in farms around Bloemhof and Ficksburg.

In 2021, Parliament mandated the Portfolio Committees on Labour and Employment as well as Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development to jointly conduct coordinated oversight on the living and working conditions in farming communities in South Africa.

The committee will assess the level of compliance in farming communities, and further engage with stakeholders relevant to matters of farm dwelling, their standard of living, their working conditions and all other challenges.

Inspections to be conducted at the farms will also focus on compliance with the National Minimum Wage Act (NMWA), the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), the Unemployment Insurance Act (UIA), and the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA).

Source: Government of South Africa