BL Premium reports that the cabinet has signed off on an ANC proposal that jobs in some sectors of the economy be reserved for SA citizens, a move designed to tackle the country’s record unemployment.
Department of Home Affairs (DHA) Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said on Sunday: “Every country in the world gives preferential treatment to citizens in terms of employment … 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.” He added that it was “ridiculous” that foreign companies operating in SA have a quota of hiring only 40% foreign nationals, but there were “no restrictions” on SA companies in terms of whom they could hire. Motsoaledi’s comments came days after the state of the nation address by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was widely expected to announce the plans but refrained from doing so pending consultations about which sectors would be affected. According to the latest figures from Stats SA, the official unemployment rate is 34.9%, making SA one of the highest in the world and heaping pressure on the ANC to come up with policies that will keep voters on its side. But introducing quotas on jobs could also feed into public anger towards foreign nationals, who have been targeted in violent attacks as recently as 2015 when their shops were looted and trashed. Meanwhile, the government is suing Huawei Technologies, a major Chinese information and communications technology player in SA, for violating employment equity regulations that impose a limit on the number of foreigners it is allowed to employ in the country.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Hajra Omarjee at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page