Labour Department reiterates pledge to end child labour
The fight against child labour was given a shot in the arm with the visit to the Ratlou Municipality, near Mafikeng, in North West, by Labour Deputy Minister, Inkosi Phathekile Holomisa onFriday, 23 November 2018.
Along with other speakers, the Deputy Minister pledged the Department’s commitment to eliminate child labour, with the municipality acknowledged as one of the primary recruitment reservoirs in the country.
The Deputy Minister said all sectors of society should play their part to eliminate this practice. “We must all put our shoulders to the wheel to end this practice so as to ensure that children are allowed to be children. Children who are subjected to this scourge are unlikely to do well at school. Our constitution says children have to be protected from exploitative practice. When one child is exploited, each one among us is diminished,” the Deputy Minister said.
Other speakers echoed the Deputy Minister’s pledge for the concerted campaign to reduce and eliminate child labour. They said the Child Labour Program of Action was South Africa’s roadmap to eliminate child labour.
Francois Geldenhuis, president of the Setlagole farmers union called on parents to ensure that children go to school as part of reducing and eliminating the practice of child labour.
The Deputy Minister was accompanied by senior officials of the Department including Bahumi Matebesi, Deputy Director General: Corporate Services and Marsha Bronkhorst, Chief Operations Officer.
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