The Department of Employment and Labour in the Western Cape acted on a tip-off on Tuesday that an employer in Mossel Bay had intentionally defied his prohibition notice.
Led by the Inspectorate, upon entrance at Mikeva Hyper Cash and Carry Wholesalers, a member of the Massmart Group, the general manager was approached and informed that he did not adhere to a prohibition notice issued to him on 02 April 2020.
The initial notice served prohibited the employer from performing any functions at his premises as he had contravened the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1993.
The Inspectorate, accompanied by the South African Police Service then ensured that about 150 workers were escorted from the premises.
The Department says it now intends to take further actions against the employer for not adhering to the notice.
Some of the contraventions included that social-distancing was compromised between the client and cashier and that sanitisers in the workplace were also not certified.
According to David Esau, Provincial Chief Inspector, the inspections at workplaces are not meant to be punitive but instead are meant to ensure compliance to COVID-19 regulations as set out in the law.
