EXPIRED BABY FOOD FOUND IN DURBAN RAID

A DURBAN business was placed under the magnifying glass as inspectors from the KwaZulu-Natal Integrated Compliance and Regulatory Forum descended yesterday.

The forum‚ comprising labour inspectors‚ immigration officials‚ eThekwini municipality inspectors‚ metro police and officials from the provincial department of economic development and environmental affairs‚ raided unsuspecting businesses in the area.

Department of Labour spokesperson Lungelo Mkamba said their point of focus‚ Ozz Cash and Carry‚ had several listed transgressions.

“It was discovered that the store had expired baby food on the shelves‚ as well as electrical items on sale [that] were not certified by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications for safety.

“The electrical items included twoplate stoves‚ lamps‚ heaters and electrical bulbs. It was also found that the store was selling radios and amplifiers that were not certified by Independent Communications Authority of South Africa‚” he said.

Mkamba added the store was also fined R1 000 by the eThekwini municipality for not having a business licence to sell food. He said that labour inspectors also established that Ozz Cash and Carry had contravened the Employment Equity Act and Basic Conditions of Employment Act.

“The employer had no employment equity forum to ensure transformation in the workplace. He said the employment equity plan that was presented by the employer was not being implemented and he would be recommending prosecution – which carries a maximum fine of R1.5-million.”

Labour inspectors also discovered “serious” underpayment for general assistant workers in terms of the sectoral determination for the wholesale and retail sector.