Given that eight construction workers lose their lives every month in the Republic, what (a) immediate steps will her department take to strengthen compliance with Occupational Health and Safety Act, Act 85 of 1993 standards across the construction industry and (b) stricter penalties is her department considering for employers who fail to comply with occupational health and safety regulations?

(1) What steps has her department taken against the contractors who were responsible for the collapse of the building in George; (2) whether she will furnish Mr V Zungula with a detailed breakdown of the investigations conducted into the specified collapse, including any findings related to (a) negligence, (b) regulatory noncompliance and/or (c) other factors; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

What (a) total number of labour inspections were conducted in the trucking industry during the 2023-24 financial year and (b) what were the findings?

(a) By what date and (b) how is his department planning to deal with pervasive corruption and fraud in the Unemployment Insurance Fund and the Compensation Fund, as internal processes have proven to be inefficient?

(1) What (a) are the reasons for the arbitrary age cap of 35 years for government jobs and opportunities and (b) steps in policy, regulations and/or legislation is she taking to ensure that even persons over the age of 35 can be considered for some government jobs and opportunities; (2) by what date does her department intend to respond to the memorandum it received on 2 April 2024, which highlights the specified issue?

(a) What specific programmes does her department have in place to support the employment of individuals aged between 35 and 55 years, given the unique challenges faced by the specified age group in the job market and (b) how is her department addressing their needs to enhance their employability and ensure that they have access to meaningful job opportunities?

Following the announcement that 20 000 intern inspectors will be hired, what is the (a) total cost of the specified initiative, (b) breakdown of (i) how the interns will be distributed in each province and (ii) the hours that they will work and (c) specific tests and standards that the intern inspectors will use to ensure black economic empowerment compliance?

(1) What are the full details of all (a) listed and (b) unlisted investments made by the (i) Unemployment Insurance Fund and (ii) Compensation Fund (aa) in each of the past eight financial years and (bb) since 1 April 2024 up to the latest date for which information is available; (2) what is the total (a) amount and (b) income benefit of listed and unlisted investments made through the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) for both entities since the initial investment transactions; (3) whether the PIC incurred any loss over the specified period of business with both entities on any listed and unlisted investment transactions; if not, what is the position in each case; if so, what are the further relevant details in each case? NW1726E

(1) Whether, following the death of five children in Naledi, Soweto, after allegedly consuming snacks from foreign-owned spaza shops, sparking looting of the shops, her department has any plans to implement regulations to ensure that spaza shops are exclusively operated by South Africans, given that running such businesses is not considered a scarce skill; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) whether there are any planned intergovernmental inspections of foreign-owned spaza shops to ensure compliance with the retail sector's minimum wage requirements; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Whether, with reference to communities surrounding the mines in Northham, including Jabulani, who live in extreme poverty while rich mineral resources are extracted nearby, she intends to review or introduce legislation that will ensure that urgent steps are taken to ensure that the wealth generated from the mines directly benefits local communities through (a) job creation, (b) economic development and (c) initiatives to uplift the communities particularly the youth that is currently languishing in poverty despite the resources that surround them?