Tough times for foreigners as Ramaphosa slams undocumented workers hiring

By Staff Reporter/Agencies

TOUGH times are ensuing for Zimbabwean nationals living in neighbouring South Africa amid calls by the latter’s president Cyril Ramaphosa for companies to stop hiring undocumented foreigners saying such a move directly breaches the law.

The developments are a slap in the faces of several Zimbabweans in the neighbouring nation as the majority of them are reportedly not covered by any permit.

An additional 182 000 Zimbabweans are likely to be affected further as their Zimbabwe Exemption Permits are set to expire after the additional twelve months’ reprieve to migrate to other documents is set to expire at the end of 2022.

But Ramaphosa vowed to engage employers about employing undocumented foreigners while addressing the government’s Human Rights Day rally in Koster in the North West on Monday.

“Yes, we want people to be properly documented in our country, we want employers to be careful and hire people who are properly documented.

“Let us make sure that we remember we are a country of diverse people and hence the appeal we make to employers, do not employ undocumented workers, because when you do you create tension among the people of our country.”

This was specifically directed at employers in the hospitality, agriculture, transport and other labour intensive sectors.

“When employers knowingly hire undocumented foreign workers they are breaking the law. When they do that they are also contributing to social tensions between our citizens and foreign nationals who are living here or have taken refuge here,” said Ramaphosa.

He however slammed the anti-foreigners movements like Operation Dudula  and reminded South Africans that they live on a continent of 1,3 billion people who are inter-dependant amid calls to find social solutions to the pressing problems.