To: Department of Labour Chief Inspector

Department of Labour: Let Qualified Electricians Work – Fix Wireman's Licence Delays Now

Email from the DOL
We call on the Department of Labour (DoL) to take the following steps so that qualified electricians waiting for their wireman's licence can work and earn while the printing problem is fixed:

  1. Publish an online register of approved applicants. Customers, contractors and suppliers should be able to check whether an electrician's application has been approved, using a registration number or ID number. This gives proof of registration without paper letters.
  2. Email each approved applicant a registration number linked to that register, so they can show they are registered.
  3. Issue a secure digital licence, such as a PDF with a QR code that links to the register, until printed cards are available.
  4. Use another printer if the machine can't be fixed soon. If the printing machine cannot be repaired quickly, move card printing to another provider, such as Government Printing Works.
  5. Send a written update to all affected applicants on the size of the backlog and the steps being taken to clear it.
  6. Set up a dedicated contact point for wireman's licence queries that answers within a set time.
We ask the DoL to respond in writing within 7 days of receiving this petition, before the department closes for the December holidays.


Why is this important?

Hundreds of qualified electricians across South Africa have done everything required of them. We studied, passed our exams, built our experience and applied to the Department of Labour (DoL) for our wireman's licence. Then we waited. Many of us have been waiting for months, with no registration number, no confirmation letter and no clear answers. On top of that, the DoL has now told applicants that card printing has stopped because the printing machine is faulty. These delays started long before the machine broke down.

Without the licence, a qualified electrician cannot legally issue a Certificate of Compliance or register as a contractor. That means turning down work, losing clients and watching our businesses stall while bills, rent and school fees keep coming. We are not asking for favours. We are asking for the right to work, to earn and to provide for our families, and for the dignity of being recognised for qualifications we have already earned.