How job reservation is going to tackle unemployment is a mystery

21 February 2022 – Business Day

Economists tell us the employment of foreign nationals in SA is less than 3% of our workforce

Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. Picture: FREDDY MAVUNDA

Once again we see a move by government to restrict employment practices (“Job reservation is on the cards, government confirms,” February 13).

Economists tell us the employment of foreign nationals in SA is less than 3% of our workforce. How this restriction is going to tackle SA’s record unemployment is therefore a mystery. 

In essence, the government merely wants to do something to make it look like it is trying to tackle the unemployment problem. Instead of actually addressing our restrictive labour laws and onerous regulations, it is making up more regulations as a decoy.

The statement by the home affairs ministry that it wants to implement existing labour laws is also ridiculous. If the laws exist, implement them, instead of trying to add more ridiculous and unworkable regulations.

First, we don’t have the workforce within the department of employment and labour to monitor and oversee the regulations, and second, few employers are actively recruiting at present, so any new regulations would be meaningless.

The employment and labour minister ought to understand that you cannot retrench people to make way for others purely to fulfil a new regulation mandate. 

The storm trooper behaviour of the EFF when barging into businesses to check their employment records will be heavily emboldened by introducing government-sanctioned quotas. If home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi is adamant that all government is doing is enforcing law and order, that’s what it should do, instead of introducing unworkable and unenforceable quotas.

Michael Bagraim
DA deputy employment and labour spokesperson

www.samigration.com

Home affairs effectively wants to destroy economy

21 February 2022 – Business Live

After 26 years of successfully operating our own business in SA, we are virtually being told by home affairs that we are not wanted in SA anymore

I read Michael Bagraim’s letter with great interest (“How job reservation is going to tackle unemployment is a mystery,” February 15). The issue goes even further.

My wife and I (German nationals) came to SA in 1996, brought foreign investments into this country, founded our own company and employed SA nationals, always at the prescribed ratio of at least 60/40.

After 26 years of successfully operating our own business we are virtually being told by the department of home affairs that we are not wanted in SA anymore. It will not extend our business permits anymore, which means we have to close our doors, sell off our assets and leave the country by the end of 2022.

As a result, SA will lose further jobs, investment and taxpayers. In my view this is actively destroying employment rather than doing everything to stimulate the economy.

Very sad.

www.samigration.com

South Africa sues Huawei over foreign employee quota

Fin24 – 21 February 2022

South Africa sued Huawei Technologies for exceeding the number of foreigners it’s allowed to employ

South Africa sued Huawei Technologies for exceeding the number of foreigners it’s allowed to employ in the country as the government ramps up its rhetoric against immigrants filling local jobs.

The Chinese telecommunications giant has about 90% foreign nationals at its South Africa unit, including all five top management officials, the Department of Employment and Labour said in a statement Friday. That exceeds the maximum quota of 40%, the state said.  

The department has filed court papers in Johannesburg, according to Advocate Fix Bede, who is representing the government. It wants the judge to order Huawei comply with the employment rules and pay a fine of R1.5 million or 2% of the unit’s revenue, whichever is greater, she said. 

A spokesperson for Huawei said the firm is working on a comment. 

In addition to affirmative-action measures to ensure companies and the government employ more Black people and women, South African labour legislation also regulates the employment of foreign nationals to ensure legal immigrants don’t take up positions that can be filled locally. 

The ANC has been cracking down on immigration since losing a large chunk of support in Johannesburg and Pretoria in last year’s local elections, casting doubt over the party’s ability to maintain a long-held national majority in 2024. Two parties that gained ground in the vote appealed to an anti-foreigner sentiment in some communities, which has occasionally erupted into violence.

The government in November announced the end of a more than decade-old program to enable about 200,000 Zimbabweans to live and work in the country. Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi then said this week it would look at employment quotas for foreign nationals

www.samigration.com

10 Bangladeshi men rescued in Joburg, suspected foreign national kidnapping mastermind arrested

News24 – 21-02-2022

Ten foreign nationals were allegedly kidnapped on 26 January 2022 while travelling along the N1 from Musina in Limpopo.

• The alleged mastermind behind the kidnapping of foreign nationals was arrested in Centurion during an intelligence-led operation.
• The arrest was in connection with the kidnapping of 10 Bangladeshi men in January.
• he men have been rescued from a lodge in Bruma, Johannesburg.

A 39-year-old Pakistani national who is believed to be the mastermind behind foreign national kidnappings, was arrested in Centurion, allegedly while calling the foreign nationals' families to demand ransom money.

Dilpazeer Azam was arrested on 6 February during an intelligence-led operation that included Crime Intelligence, Gauteng organised crime officers, Johannesburg's K9 Unit, the Gauteng hostage negotiating team, the Ekurhuleni police department's SWAT team, and private security companies.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Robert Netshiunda said Azam appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on 8 February 2022, where his case was transferred to the Polokwane Magistrate's Court.

Sketching the background, Netshiunda said 10 Bangladeshi men were travelling along the N1 from Musina on 26 January when the occupants of a vehicle stopped them.

"The victims were allegedly loaded into another vehicle and were transported to Polokwane where they were allegedly handed to the suspect near the Peter Mokaba Stadium," Netshiunda said.

He added that the investigating team received intelligence information which led them to a lodge in Bruma, Johannesburg, where the 10 men were rescued unharmed.

"Preliminary investigations have revealed that the suspect was making calls to the families of the victims, demanding ransom."

Azam appeared in the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Thursday on charges of kidnapping and extortion.

The matter was postponed to 17 February for a bail application.

www.samigration.com

South Africa looking at introducing remote-working and other visas

Businesstech - 21 February 2022

South Africa will consider the adoption of remote-working and start-up visas as part of a push to attract more skilled workers.

In his state of the nation address on Thursday evening (10 February), president Cyril Ramaphosa said that the government was also introducing other visa reforms to make it easier for people to enter the country.

“The world over, the ability to attract skilled immigrants is the hallmark of a modern, thriving economy. We are therefore streamlining and modernising the visa application process to make it easier to travel to South Africa for tourism, business and work,” he said.

“A comprehensive review of the work visa system is currently underway, led by a former Director-General of Home Affairs, Mr Mavuso Msimang. This review is exploring the possibility of new visa categories that could enable economic growth, such as a start-up visa and a remote working visa.”

Ramaphosa said that the government has also published a revised critical skills list for the first time since 2014, following detailed technical work and extensive consultations with business and labour.

The updated list reflects the skills that are in shortage today, to ensure that the country’s immigration policy matches the demands of our economy. The president also confirmed that South Africa’s eVisa system is now operational and has been launched in 14 countries, including China, India, Kenya and Nigeria.

The Western Cape provincial government has previously mooted a Remote-Work visa as a way of attracting skilled and wealthy tourists to the country.

The visa would specifically be aimed at attracting ‘digital nomads’ – people who will live in and work remotely from cities such as Cape Town.

Visas for digital nomads are travel permits that legalise the status of travelling professionals. Like tourist visas, they are easy to obtain and do not require long paperwork and a work contract. However, they allow for longer stay

www.samigration.com