Many willing workers, not enough jobs
JOHANNESBURG - Workers' Day is meant to honour the dignity of labour and the rights of workers.
But the Foundation for Rights of Expression and Equality has one question for government: Where are the jobs?
Free SA says that for over 12 million South Africans, there is very little to celebrate on this public holiday.
Free SA spokesperson Noluthando Hlophoyi unpacks this further.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eyewitness News
an hour ago
- Eyewitness News
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen gives Cabanac his marching orders
CAPE TOWN - Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has finally given his controversial chief of staff, Roman Cabanac, his marching orders on his birthday. Cabanac took to social media to announce his firing following months of uncertainty about his future in the minister's office. ALSO READ: Steenhuisen says it was wrong to appoint Roman Cabanac Late last year, Steenhuisen was reported to have asked Cabanac to step down due to a public outcry with South Africans accusing him of racism and posting offensive content online, but Cabanac refused. Cabanac says it's not over and questioned his termination letter. "I received a letter that terminates my tenure as chief of staff to the Minister of Agriculture. I received it yesterday, which was on my birthday, so fantastic timing. I believe there are a few flaws with the termination letter, so I'll be looking for options going forward."
IOL News
4 hours ago
- IOL News
Jacinta Zinhle MaNgobese Zuma's campaign against illegal immigration gains support
March and March campaign supporters Scelo Mlaba, Gcina Dube, Mxolisi Nxumalo and Msizi Ngidi after their picket outside the Pietermaritzburg Magitrate's Court on Thursday. Image: Bongani Hans FORMER radio personality Jacinta Zinhle MaNgobese Zuma's newly established March and March Until We Win campaign against illegal immigrants is gaining traction around the country while being allegedly shunned by the government. On social media, ordinary South Africans have expressed their support for MaNgobese Zuma's campaign. However, she expressed concern about the government departments' lack of support. MaNgobese Zuma, who also enjoys support from ActionSA, said the national police and KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli, were the only ones not hostile and who were willing to hear her concerns. 'Otherwise, all the other departments are very, very hostile when we try to work with them. 'We write letters without getting responses, we try to facilitate engagements, we don't get feedback from them, and we tried reaching out to the president,' she said. She spoke to this reporter telephonically on Thursday after a group of her supporters picketed outside the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate Court where a suspect, who was believed to be from Malawi, had appeared for allegedly raping a 10-year-old girl from Copesville. Although she welcomed Ntuli's campaign against illegal immigrants, she stated that this was not sufficient. 'My point is that you cannot do something once off and keep quiet for three months because the situation is dire and requires serious intervention,' she said. She wanted President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a state of emergency against illegal foreigners and deploy the army to assist the police in flushing them out of the country. 'The police cannot do this by themselves, as they are already overwhelmed. 'Our courts and the national defence force need to play their parts,' she said. She called on the South African citizens to assist by stopping to rent out spaces in their homes to the illegal immigrants to open spaza shops. MaNgobese Zuma described the issue of illegal immigrants as the country's crisis that has depleted already scarce resources earmarked for the local citizens. She said there was no way that the government could misinterpret the March and March campaign as xenophobic because it was supported by legal foreigners who understood the situation. She said the crisis was clear because people were losing their jobs as companies were opting to employ illegal foreigners. 'We state all those things in our communication with the departments, and if they keep ignoring us, things are going to get worse. 'Look at the health department, people complain about overcrowded clinics and hospitals, leading to the lack of access to healthcare, and that leads to more tension on the ground. 'We recently saw a report from ActionSA stating that 70% of the files at the Department of Health in Johannesburg belonged to foreigners, and that speaks to the situation that is not healthy,' she said. Responding to ActionSA MP Dr Kgosietsile Letlape's parliamentary questions last year, Public Service and Administration Minister Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi said out of 12 million employees of government departments nationally and various provinces, more than 6,000 were foreign nationals. MaNgobese Zuma said she started the March and March campaign on March 24 this year after realising the future of young South Africans was bleak. 'I was inspired by looking at the future of this country and seeing the pain from thinking of my poor children of South Africa, where they can no longer be able to go outside and play because there is kidnapping, human trafficking, and drugs. 'The youth of South Africa don't have jobs,' said MaNgobese Zuma. She alleged that illegal immigrants were contributing to the high crime rate. 'They are armed to the teeth with all kinds of ammunition and guns, and there is even a spaza shop mafia run by Pakistanis and Somalians, and when South Africans try to open a shop, it becomes a crisis. 'How is that even possible that a country cannot allow its citizens to open spaza shops?' she said. According to the Home Affairs website, the department deported close to 47,000 illegal immigrants in the 2024/2025 financial year alone. In a statement issued on April 2, Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber described the country's deportation rate, which he linked to improved working relationships between his department, the Border Management Authority and police, as having improved than the previous years. 'The fact that Home Affairs now performs more than double the number of deportations conducted in a country like France, which has the highest rate of deportations in the European Union, sends a clear message to offenders that the days of impunity are over. This improved performance, coupled with our digital transformation reforms that will automate entry and exit to prevent people from entering the country illegally through our ports of entry, is contributing to enhanced national security and trade facilitation,' said Schreiber. [email protected]
IOL News
7 hours ago
- IOL News
Tensions flare as university questioned over hiring more foreign nationals than coloured South Africans
Patriotic Alliance Member of Parliament Ashley Sauls grilled the leadership of Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University during a parliamentary questioning the university's employment practices, especially concerning foreign nationals and the marginalisation of coloured South Africans. Image: Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University Instagram Patriotic Alliance Member of Parliament Ashley Sauls grilled the leadership of Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) during a parliamentary briefing before the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training, questioning the university's employment practices, especially concerning foreign nationals and the marginalisation of coloured South Africans. Central to the exchange was Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Enimos Manyawi, who was asked to clarify his citizenship and national allegiance. 'Chair, I do not renounce my Zimbabwean citizenship. I'm proud of my dual citizenship of both Zimbabwe and South Africa. I still hold my Zimbabwean ID. I did not renounce it. Zimbabwe also allows me to be a naturalised South African, and I've naturalised as a South African.' Pressed by Sauls to affirm his national identity, Manyawi explained: 'I consider myself to be South African. I travel in South African passport. I'm naturalised as a South African my adult life, my working life, was spent in South Africa. My children were born in South Africa.' Sauls challenged this position, saying: 'What you should say, CFO, is that I am Zimbabwean, because it sounds like you are denying that you're Zimbabwean. You must be proud to say, 'I am Zimbabwean and I'm a naturalised citizen of South Africa.' As such, I'm Zimbabwean and hold dual citizenship in South Africa and Zimbabwe, but I am Zimbabwean. The Zimbabweans are watching you, and are you now saying you are no longer Zimbabwean? You must be proud, you must say, I'm Zimbabwean.' When asked whether it was correct for the Zimbabwean government to prioritise jobs for citizens born in Zimbabwe, Manyawi said: 'Yes, it's correct for the Zimbabwean government to prioritise jobs for Zimbabweans, it's correct.' The exchange then moved to job prioritisation in South Africa. Sauls asked: 'How do you view South African citizens that are saying that jobs that they voted for is occupied by foreign nationals or permanent residents? How do you feel about that? Honourable member, I take it that the context is now different, it has moved from my situation to that of foreign nationals and permanent residents. Am I getting it correctly?' 'You're correct. I do agree with that sentiment. However, the context is, we are a university. When we employ people at a university, we may also, from an internationalisation perspective, consider foreign students, which is something that universities must strive to build. And also the international flavour in terms of the employees that we take on,'' Manyawi said. Sauls then directed his questions to Dr Johan van Heerden, Chairperson of the Human Resource Council committee, asking: 'Are you happy that out of 1,893, only 111 are white South Africans?' Van Heerden said: 'I'm happy that the statistics accurately reflect the demographics, primarily of the country and that of the region.' Attention then shifted to Ordette Ramsingh, Senior Director of Human Resources, who confirmed that she's classified as a coloured: 'I'm classified as a coloured South African,'' she said. Sauls highlighted a glaring disparity: 'Now, to the both of you, out of 1,893 total, there are only seven coloured South Africans nationals, foreign nationals, not permanent residents, foreign nationals, are 10 in total, 10. They are more than coloureds in total at the university. Agreed?' Ramsingh attempted to justify this by saying: 'Our employment equity plan works on the basis of natural attrition. So it's not working on the basis that we basically get rid of people in order to get the representation figures right. It works on the basis of natural attrition, and you will know natural attrition, especially in a South African university sector where our turnover is something like 2.7%. ''You just don't get the opportunity to very robustly and aggressively increase the numbers where they may be lacking. That category of employee [foreign nationals] is based on a contract. They're not permanent employees.' Sauls, visibly frustrated, responded: 'Are you listening to yourself now? Yes, I am listening to myself. You have seven coloured South Africans in total. You have on contract, it's still employment. Somebody's going home with money. You have 10 foreign nationals, more than coloured South Africans born here. ''Foreign nationals, based on the conversation we're having here, there's permanent residents, there's naturalised citizens. Now you have foreign nationals that doesn't have permanent residents. They don't have naturalised citizenship. ''You have more of them employed at the university and less coloured South Africans born here. How do you justify that? Do you understand what I'm saying? Coloured South Africans are being marginalised in this country. There is no justification. I overlook the whole permanent resident thing. I overlook the whole naturalised citizen thing. You cannot explain away.' Sauls then directly challenged Ramsingh's reasoning: 'You are basically saying more foreign national supplies than colours. Your stat says. I'm saying that. It's impossible. I will show you the statistics any time. ''And I'm going to challenge that officially. There are hundreds of coloured South Africans looking for jobs in this country. And for you to employ more foreign nationals and the law doesn't allow you to do so and you are justifying it and you're from the race group. I'm extremely disappointed.' [email protected] Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel IOL Politics
