This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.The Citizen reports that SA has a shortage of public health inspectors, but it is not clear who should employ them to enforce health, safety and sanitation regulations to protect the public.
After a foodborne disease outbreak was declared a national disaster last year, government said Treasury would allocate more than R200 million for the employment of inspectors. Recently, a group of unemployed health inspectors accused government of failing to fulfil its promise to employ more than 500 of them. Department of Health spokesperson Foster Mohale admitted there was a shortage, but said it was the responsibility of municipalities to hire them. He also denied that government had promised to employ 520 health inspectors. Mohale pointed out that according to the constitution, the responsibility for municipal health services, including environmental health services, as defined in the National Health Act, rested with local government. He did also advise that a request had been submitted to Treasury to explore funding for the temporary appointment of the inspectors and that discussions were ongoing. “A joint circular has been issued to all 52 district and metropolitan municipalities by the departments of health and cooperative governance and traditional affairs, urging the immediate prioritisation of the inspectors’ appointments,” Mohale noted. But cooperative governance and traditional affairs spokesperson Legadima Leso denied it was his department’s responsibility to employ the practitioners and referred questions back to the department of health.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Masoka Dube at The Citizen
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page