“They Are Such Hard Workers”: Cape Town Woman’s Praise for Zimbabwean Workers Draws Backlash

• A Cape Town woman named Talia sparked fierce debate online after a clip of her praising Zimbabwean employees went viral
• Her comments came amid the March and March movement's 30 June deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa
• South Africans pushed back strongly, with some questioning whether the preference for foreign workers over locals is about skill or about paying less

A video of a Cape Town woman defending her 20-year history of employing Zimbabwean workers has gone viral and sparked a heated conversation about exploitation, immigration, and the rights of South African workers. The clip was reshared on X on 27 June 2026 by user @tumisole under the caption "E-X-P-L-O-I-T-A-T-I-O-N." The woman, identified as Talia, said:

"I have employed people from Zimbabwe for the last 20 years of my life. They are very hard workers, very diligent, very neat, exceptionally smart."

She added that she was saddened by what was happening to Zimbabwean workers in the country amid the illegal immigration issues.

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The 30 June deadline

The video went viral due to the recent events surrounding the March and March movement, which set 30 June as a deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to self-deport.

The movement has been clear that its target is undocumented immigrants, not those who are legally in the country with valid permits and documentation. Leaders of the campaign have repeatedly stated that foreign nationals who are here legally, contributing to the economy and following South Africa's laws, are not the focus of the protests.

The distinction matters. South Africa's immigration laws allow foreign nationals to live and work in the country with the correct permits. The concerns raised by March and March centre specifically on those who entered or remained in the country without documentation and the strain that this places on public services, employment and community safety.

However, Talia's video reignited a debate on whether some South African employers prefer foreign workers because of no pushback on lower wages and little to no benefits.

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Watch the X clip below:

SA unhappy with Cape Town woman's comments

Opinions were divided and very strong on the X page:

@Mlindorico said:

"When an employer says they prefer one nationality over 20 years, it's fair to ask whether that's about skill or about accepting lower wages and less pushback."

@Mojava wrote:

"Why doesn't she go and operate her business in the country of smart and hardworking Zimbabweans? They hire foreigners while their customers are South Africans."

@Teboho said:

"Unfair discrimination on the basis of nationality. She should be taken to the equality court together with all others who employ foreign nationals. This is a legal matter."

@NoFilter wrote:

"They have been exploiting them all these years. Such crooks."

@Sobholenyoka said:

"Because they are cheap, desperate, not labour law protected, docile!"

More on SA's immigration debate

• Briefly News recently reported on buses of foreign nationals leaving South Africa ahead of the 30 June protests.
• A Malawian national waiting for repatriation in Durban explained why so many of his countrymen were in South Africa and said something about their employers that got people talking.
• Seventeen repatriation buses were turned away at Beitbridge for arriving without the right documents.

Source: Briefly News