South Africa is drafting a law that will impose a limit to the number of foreigners that companies can employ at any given time, Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said on Wednesday.
Motsoaledi said the proposed law would introduce employment quotas for foreign nationals as part of efforts by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government to deal with rising unemployment and a resurgence in anti-migrant sentiment.
“If you are a South African business person who opens a restaurant or a factory, there is no law that tells you what to do, you can bring 100% foreign nationals or 100% South Africans. We are saying there is an issue with unemployment and the absence of those quotas,” Motsoaledi told Bloomberg news agency.
The presence of large numbers of foreigners – particularly black Africans from neighbouring countries – has stoked resentment against non-South Africans in recent years, resulting in deadly xenophobic attacks in 2008 and 2015.
The attacks against foreigners have resurfaced in recent months, with South Africans attacking businesses owned by or trucks driven by non-South Africans.
The resentment has been worsened by rising unemployment, pegged at a record 35% at the end of 2021.
JN/APA