Limpopo farm fined R28m in labour law row

A Limpopo farm has been fined a record R28 million for failing to comply with several labour laws after it had been given several warnings by inspectors, the Department of Labour said yesterday. Johannes Mokou, a spokesman for the Limpopo regional office of the Department of Labour, said Montina Farm, which owns more than 20 farms in the province and employs more than 2 000 people, failed to pay minimum wages in line with the sectoral determination, failed to pay leave for its employees and had unauthorised deductions from their pay between 2010 and last year. The sectoral determination for the farm worker sector stipulates R1 503.90 as a minimum monthly wage, R347.10 as a minimum weekly wage and R7.71 as a minimum hourly wage. Phaswane Tladi, the deputy director in the regional office, said: “Compliance must be adhered to in 21 days and failure to do this will prompt us to take the matter to the Labour Court to make the compliance order an order of court.” – Wiseman Khuzwayo