TANG, has issued an official press statement to address and clarify several points around the recent raid at the Sandton restaurant. Picture: Supplied
Sandton’s Tang restaurant has spoken out for the first time after several staffers were arrested during the blitz operations, saying their waitresses earned R20,000 on average monthly. The restaurant says its hiring practices were compliant with the law.
On Wednesday, police reportedly arrested four undocumented workers, including a human resource manager at Tang, which is located at the Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton, Johannesburg.
In a statement shared with IOL, the Tang Group chief executive and founder, Nicky van der Walt, clarified the nature of the arrests and laid out their employment practices.
Van der Walt, said their HR Manager was never arrested or charged with any malpractice, but she was interviewed “in relation to employee record verification,” said Van der Walt.
He said one of the four workers had since produced their work permits, while he admitted the others had expired permits.
“Regarding the alleged undocumented individuals, we wish to clarify that four workers were recently taken into police custody following a raid at our Sandton location.
“One has since presented his legal work permit, while the other three were in the process of renewing their expired permits, which were valid during their hiring,” he explained.
The Home Affairs, Department of Labour and the Hawks are taking part in a blitz inspection operation across Gauteng and on Wednesday several Sandton restaurants were arrested.
The blitz inspection comes after a video by a disgruntled Babel former employee expressing her dissatisfaction over her employer’s treatment and alleging that the restaurant is violating the Labour Relations Act.
Tang Hospitality, which prides itself in offering world class services in both their Cape Town and Johannesburg locations, explained they are a law-abiding employer fully compliant with South African labour laws and practices.
“We verify all information provided by prospective employees during the recruitment process, including skills, qualifications, legal status, and work experience.
“By signing their employment agreements, all new hires confirm the authenticity and legality of all submitted documents.
“To maintain our high standards, we conduct regular HR and compliance audits to ensure all documentation is valid and compliant. We actively engage with the Department of Employment and Labour, which conducts regular inspections of our operations,” said Van der Walt.
Tang is a compliant member of the Bargaining Council Agreement for the Restaurant, Catering and Allied Trades Johannesburg area, said van der Walt.
“We adhere strictly to minimum wage laws, ensuring that none of our employees receive below the set rates. Our wait staff operate on a commission structure compliant with Bargaining Council rates.
“We are extremely proud that our waitrons are some of the highest paid in the industry - with average waitron having earned R21,971.76 in June, R20,123.47 in July, and R21,805.16 in August 2024 and some individuals earning up to R60,000 per month in commission and tips,” said Van de Walt.
Van de Walt also added that the Sandton location’s gas certification is held by the landlord, who was unavailable during inspections.
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