The cabinet has approved an ANC proposal to reserve jobs in some sectors of the economy for South African citizens.
This decision is designed to tackle our record unemployment figures, which could feed into anti-immigrant sentiment.
“Every country in the world gives preferential treatment to citizens in terms of employment,” home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi told Business Day on Sunday. “The xenophobic matter is used as a toy gun to prevent us from doing the same. If we blink in implementing labour laws, we will continue to threaten the sovereignty of SA.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa was expected to announce the plans, but refrained from doing so pending consultations about which sectors will be affected.
Motsoaledi said all the government wants is to ensure South Africa’s high unemployment levels – officially at 34.9% – are reversed.
“What we are now doing is implementing existing laws and strengthening others. We are doing a disservice to ourselves and the whole of Africa if we continue to be a free-for-all. Foreigners in SA must be here legally, and businesses in SA must register all their workers,” Motsoaledi said.
He added that it is “ridiculous” that foreign companies operating in South Africa have a quota of hiring only 40% foreign nationals, but there are “no restrictions” on South African companies in terms of whom they can hire.
The government is suing Huawei Technologies for violating employment equity regulations that impose a limit on the number of foreigners it is allowed to employ in the country. The company has about 90% foreign nationals at its South African unit. The government is imposing a fine of R1.5m or 2% of the unit’s revenue, whichever is greater.
Motsoaledi said the government will continue to ramp up protocols at border posts to deal with the massive influx of illegal foreign nationals into the country.
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