Voice of America
11 Oct 2019, 02:35 GMT+10
JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's Minister of Small Business Development is pushing a radical solution to last month's clashes between locals and foreigners over jobs: Ban the foreigners.
At least, ban them from jobs in the informal economy, says Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.
"We as a department, we are going back and check within the provisions of our law that says, within this threshold, foreign nationals cannot participate ... . But we are going to be specific, like what they have done in Ghana, what they have done in Zimbabwe, in Angola, in Botswana," Ntshavheni said. "We are going to engage with Cabinet to say, Cabinet, if we are not definitive there is going to be a problem. "
A ban on migrant workers in salons, small shops, and as street vendors would prevent recurring fights with locals competing for those jobs, Ntshavheni said.
Anti-immigrant violence that swept South Africa in September left at least 12 people dead, most of them South African nationals. The violence prompted Nigeria to repatriate hundreds of its citizens while Malawi repatriated at least 75.
But Chairman of the African Diaspora Forum Vusumuzi Sibanda said the minister's suggestion is shocking.
"We are opposed to it because that is a violation of the constitution," he said. "It is not only cruel, but inhumane. So, it means that people will be actually closed off from getting any means of survival and supporting their families, which is all what these people want considering what they have run from, in their countries."
Zimbabwean Samantha Dube, 29, runs a nail and hair salon where she trains her workers with new skills.
"If South Africa stops allowing us to do this, it means the people that I'm empowering will also fall," Dube said. "The children that I feed will also be affected. I will no longer be able to take my children to school. My sisters that are going to school, it means they will have to drop out. My parents, it means they will have to suffer more and more."
Banning foreigners from certain jobs could also have a negative impact on South Africa's economy, which competes with Nigeria's as the biggest in Africa.
The Sustainable Livelihoods Foundation in 2010 found that nearly half of small groceries in Cape Town were run by foreigners.
The number of foreign-run small businesses is even higher in South Africa's Gauteng Province, where many migrant workers live.
Nigus Temesgen is a member of the United Ethiopia Community Association of South Africa, whose members work mostly in the informal economy.
"When we are selling belts, socks, so many small materials on the public areas, especially around taxi ranks and bus stations, we are also benefitting the economy," Temesgen said. "And the government must help people, support people. This is unnecessary. We are all Africans."
But for Minister of Small Business Development Ntshavheni, South African nationals should come first - even with informal jobs.
As the issue is debated in the Cabinet, migrant workers in South Africa wait nervously and hope that other ministers disagree.
Get a daily dose of Kenya Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Kenya Star.
More InformationNew Delhi [India], April 27 (ANI): As the nation continues to mourn and cries of outrage echo across the country following the April...
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 27 (ANI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara believes the high volume of participation in...
Rabat [Morocco], April 27 (ANI/WAM): A delegation from the UAE's National Anti-Money Laundering and Combatting the Financing of Terrorism...
Karsten Warholm (2nd R) of Norway competes in the men's 300m hurdles event at the 2025 Wanda Diamond League Xiamen Meeting in Xiamen,...
Western powers cause a lot of problems by taking sides in conflicts instead of remaining neutral and fair, Yoweri Museveni has told...
Chattogram [Bangladesh], April 26 (ANI): Ahead of the second Test at Chattogram, Zimbabwe batter Ben Curran believes that the second...
Balochistan [Pakistan], April 27 (ANI): Members and supporters of the Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) staged a rally in Quetta...
London [UK], April 27 (ANI): Following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the loss of 26 lives,...
Ajmer (Rajasthan) [India], April 27 (ANI): All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council Chairman Syed Naseruddin Chishty on Saturday lashed...
New Delhi [India], April 27 (ANI): As the nation continues to mourn and cries of outrage echo across the country following the April...
New Delhi [India], April 27 (ANI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the Pahalgam terror attack case from Jammu...
Pahalgam (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], April 27 (ANI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has officially taken over the investigation...