South Africa has a very real child labour problem. Did you know that? And particularly in the North West province, Cosatu said today. This follows a shocking incident in June where an underage boy named Molefe Mogale lost his hand while operating a machine on the farm where he was employed in Rustenburg. He’s14 years old – and now he only has one hand.

The Basic Conditions of Employment Act  forbids the employment of any child under the age of 15. It’s also illegal for children under 18 to be employed to do dangerous work or work meant for an adult.

Cosatu provincial secretary Solly Phetoe stated earlier today that leaders are either not facing the reality of illegal child labour, or simply don’t have the capacity to address the issue, especially in the North West where it is prevalent, apparently.

“The reality is that we have underage people working on farms. They should be in school. The provincial department of labour is not investigating any of this,” says Solly.