Driven by years of unemployment and mounting frustration, several young people joined the March and March anti-migrant demonstration in Benoni on July 16, saying they hope immigration reforms will improve their chances of finding work.

Among them was Nomthandazo Sithole from the Emandleni informal settlement, who joined fellow March and March Ekurhuleni members.

They delivered a memorandum to the Department of Local Economic Development and a representative from the Gauteng premier’s office.

Their frustrations come amid South Africa’s worsening youth unemployment crisis. Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reported in May that unemployment among people aged 15 to 34 stood at 45.8% in the first quarter of the year, while the youngest workforce, aged 15 to 24, faced an extreme unemployment rate of 60.9%.

Sithole said many young South Africans feel overlooked as they struggle to secure jobs.

“It is painful to see the country’s youth sitting at home unemployed. We are suffering,” she said.

She claimed companies prioritise undocumented foreign nationals over South Africans and called for stricter enforcement of immigration laws.

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“I’m here marching because I want companies to stop employing undocumented foreigners. We also want young people to be prioritised for employment opportunities,” she said.

Sithole rejected the perception that unemployed South Africans are unwilling to work.

“Not everyone is lazy. Foreigners often take any job available, while some South Africans want work that matches their skills. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to work.”

Ntandoyenkosi Yikhali, unemployed for the past three years, said financial hardship pushed her to join the demonstration.

“I can’t afford rent or many household necessities. Life has been difficult for my family,” she said.

Yikhali believes employment prospects for young South Africans would improve if undocumented migrants left the country, claiming many workplaces favour foreign nationals when hiring.

Nikiwe Ndamane, who has been searching for work for two years despite holding qualifications, echoed similar concerns.

“Everywhere I go, I cannot find a job,” she said.

She expressed hope that the campaign would lead to immigration reforms and greater employment opportunities for South Africans.

Ndamane also said she wanted authorities to strengthen action against undocumented migrants involved in crime, arguing that some offenders are difficult to trace, leaving criminal cases unresolved.

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