Anti-immigration group, Operation Dudula, has called on the City of Cape Town to put South African job-seekers’ needs above those of undocumented and illegal immigrants.
On Saturday, members marched from Keizersgracht Street to the Cape Town Civic Centre to hand over a memorandum demanding that South African citizens be prioritised for jobs from the municipality.
Among their demands was also a ban on hiring illegal or undocumented foreigners.
Protesters carried posters that read: “take your skills back to your country” and “illegal immigrants are a burden on our country” and sang struggle songs until they arrived at their destination.
The movement’s deputy chairperson, Lulamile Bavuma said people were tired of “begging for jobs” while foreign nationals “got first choice”.
“While our people are suffering, undocumented foreigners are getting jobs because they do it for cheaper. We know this because we see it.
“According to the immigration Act 13 of 2002, illegal foreigners cannot be hired in South Africa, so this means that laws are also being broken,” he said.
Bavuma said Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s order for the immediate deportation of 18 Chinese nationals from the East African country earlier this year was based on patterns that were playing out in South Africa.
According to reports, Kagame made the decision after it came to light that Chinese investors allegedly exploited Rwandan workers.
“We see the same thing happening here. Foreign shop owners (have) South Africans working for them. Look at Bellville, it’s a hotspot for this type of illegal businesses,” he said.
Bavuma called on government to heed warnings on illegal immigration and its impact on the country’s resources and government’s ability to deliver services.
“This country is already burning. First with our education system, where our children don’t even get placement in schools because (undocumented) children are taking up space at schools.
“In Joburg (back in 2019) we found 250 000 foreign kids placed in schools, this is also something we are also going to tackle,” he said.
Bavuma insisted that their group and their stance was not xenophobic.
“We see an influx in (illegal) foreigners, because our government allows it. We also see an increase in crimes such as kidnappings of foreigners because they are the ones making the money in our country.
“I am not saying sending them back to their country would take away the crime, because crime remains a crime, no matter who you are, but I am saying that it would decrease such cases,” he said.
Senior project administrator within the mayor’s office, Ayanda Nonambane received the memorandum.
Chairperson of the Somali Community Board of South Africa, Abdirizak Osman, said while they were in agreement with the movement’s call, they believe that it was government's role to enforce the law.
“It is right that they are marching and calling for enforcement on labour laws, but what is not right is that sometimes they do end up taking the law into their own hands.
“It is nothing new that foreigners are being accused of taking jobs, even though the employers are the one’s that should be held responsible because they are paying for cheap labour.
“However there are procedures to be followed, with regards to these concerns.” he said.
Civil society group, Action Society’s, director Ian Cameron said while undocumented foreigners should not be able to get jobs, those who were in the country legally should be allowed to get employment without hindrance.
“If someone is here legally they should be allowed to do what they need to do and be allowed to partake in the economy, as long as they do so adhering to the laws of South Africa,” said Cameron.
Weekend Argus