Plans on the table to prohibit foreign workers from certain jobs

Plans on the table to prohibit foreign workers from certain jobs

- Plans are on the table to limit foreign nationals operating in certain sectors of the economy

- The plans intend to only allow foreign nationals with the correct paperwork to work if no South African citizens can fill the role

- This comes as the Gauteng provincial government aims to push through laws to prohibit foreign nationals from working in townships

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If a new set of legislation makes it through Parliament foreign workers might find it even harder to get work in South Africa.

The planned new law will ban foreign workers from certain sectors, only allowing South African citizens to work those jobs unless they have the necessary paperwork.

Liezl van der Merwe, an IFP MP, will bring the legislation to Parliament which will ensure that the number of foreign nationals granted visa does not exceed the prescribed target set by Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi according to IOL.

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Plans on the table to prohibit foreign workers from certain jobs
Liezl van der Merwe will be taking the legislation to Parliament to protect jobs for locals. Photo credit: Parliament of the Republic of South Africa
Source: Facebook

Employment Services Amendment Bill will only allow foreign nationals to be hired if there are no suitable South African citizens who can assume the role.

This is to tackle the perception that many people in South Africa hold that foreigners are taking their jobs.

The IFP want to find a way to regulate certain low skill positions such as drivers, waiters and other occupations that no not require a formal skill to perform.

Narend Singh, the IFP chief whip, said that the government can do more to develop the skills of South Africans who are out of work and the hospitality industry is a perfect example according to him.

Singh said that 90% of waiters working in restaurants are not South African citizens. He defended his position and said that it was not xenophobic and other countries have similar laws to protect their citizens.

This comes at the same time as the Gauteng provincial government proceeds with plans to stop foreign nationals from operating in certain sectors in the province's townships.

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However, the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of SA was warned that the Draft Gauteng Township Economic Development Bill might breach the constitution and might increase the frequency of xenophobic attacks.

Earlier, Briefly.co.za reported that recently the country was plagued by truck attacks in Mzansi due to locals protesting about foreign nationals "taking" their jobs. In an attempt to intervene, a number of truck owners in the KwaZulu-Natal province have opted to make jobs for locals a priority.

KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala says that the government has come to an agreement with stakeholders to make jobs for South African citizens in the truck industry a matter of importance. Owners of trucks have committed to making sure at least 400 jobs will be available for South Africans.

Truck attacks were becoming a concern in the country according to Zikalala:

"Trucks were torched and drivers were attacked in a long-standing dispute over the employment of foreign nationals in the country."

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Source: Briefly News

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