ANC cornered to tackle foreigners employment quota

The ANC has finally been pushed by some opposition parties into tackling the thorny issues of immigration, with
reported plans to limit the hiring of foreigners at the expense of locals.

Experts say there is a measure of panic within the ANC after it has clearly failed to deal with the problem, which has now been pursued by populist opposition politicians. The state plan comes against the backdrop of frenzied efforts
by the ActionSA, Economic Freedom Fighters, African Transformation Movement and South Africa First parties to fight for locals to be given preferential treatment for jobs.

Their campaign seemed to have paid off because the ANC had been forced to make a move on the matter after years. President Cyril Ramaphosa was reportedly expected to announce a plan to reserve certain jobs for locals in his Thursday State of the Nation Address. This was only a month since the department of employment and labour announced a plan to introduce maximum quotas on documented foreigners being hired in sectors such as agriculture, hospitality and tourism, and construction, among others.

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Minister Thulas Nxesi said the department had drafted a national labour migration policy and would make amendments to the Employment Services Act to regulate the situation. He said the local population’s job expectations should be addressed first, given worsening unemployment and perception that the labour market favoured foreign nationals.

Political analyst Dr Ralph Mathekga, who helped author both President Cyril Ramaphosa and former President Jacob Zuma’s policies, said with its plan to limit jobs for foreigners and create employment for South Africans, the ANC government was panicking and was not focusing on what mattered.

“I think the government is panicking about the immigration issue, their policy is very creative and seeks to address the politics, and not issues at hand.

“What still matters is how they give effect to implementation, otherwise a gradually paced immigration policy is the way to go,” Mathekga said.

Another analyst, Sanusha Naidu, expressed doubt whether the pending government stance had to do with the opposition, or was rather due to pressure from ANC alliance partner Cosatu, which complained about job losses because foreigners were preferred over locals by employers.

Given that this is an internal election year for the ANC, it was not surprising they began to move to address this matter, she said. Locals have been complaining about foreigners in industries such as restaurants, car washes,
filling stations, second-hand vehicle dealerships, construction, retail and in domestic work.

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Several parties have been making noise about preference of foreigners over locals. There have been campaigns in townships and cities by South Africa First, parliamentary pressure by ATM leader Vuyo Zungula, the Patriotic Alliance’s Gayton McKenzie’s media campaign, and the long-standing stance by ActionSA’s leader Herman Mashaba, that foreign nationals within our borders should be controlled.

But Mashaba was accused by some of behaving like former US president Donald Trump, who opted to erect a border wall to stop Mexicans entering the US. EFF leader Julius Malema recently led visits to restaurants in Gauteng to question them about hiring foreigners at the expense of locals.

This prompted Nxesi to undertake similar unplanned inspections. Mashaba has said illegal immigration compounded serious challenges in basic service delivery for local residents.

– ericn@citizen.co.za