“It Is Their Home”: Julius Malema Welcomes Zimbabweans to Come Work in South Africa

• EFF leader Julius Malema said that restaurant owners must not shy away from hiring foreign nationals
• He highlighted Zimbabweans in particular and said that South Africa was their home
• Malema did urge the hospitality sector to hire local citizens first before turning to foreign labour

JOHANNESBURG - Julius Malema has called on employers to give South Africans preference but he also said that Zimbabweans should also be given a chance to work.

He called on restaurant owners not to stop employing Zimbabweans and said that South Africa is their home. He added that the same applied to any other "African brother or sister".

However, he did stress that locals must be given preference. Youth unemployment is currently sitting at a whopping 66.5%.

Malema made these statements while visiting the Mall of Africa in Midrand. He was at the mall to visit the Kream restaurant. According to TimesLIVE, when he tried to enter the establishment he was barred from entry by the manager.

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However, Malema refused to take no for an answer and was eventually allowed to enter the restaurant.

Malema said that the purpose of the visit was to inspect the restaurant to ensure that African people are coexisting in the hospitality sector according to IOL.

Labour Dept responds to EFF's restaurant inspections, blames limited resources

Earlier, Briefly News reported that the Department of Employment and Labour had responded to an incident yesterday (20 January) when the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) visited several restaurants at the Mall of Africa to inspect if they are adhering to labour laws and how many foreigners they are employing.

"Inspection of companies for whatever purpose is the work of officials of government. It's like going to a police station and taking over their duties," the department said.

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The department's justification for not conducting their own inspections

Sabelo Mali, a departmental spokesperson, said that the department condemns the EFF's inspections as they feel they overstepped their mandate by taking unsanctioned action, News24 reports.

Thembinkosi Mkalipi, the Chief Director for Labour Relations, said that the department would be conducting inspections similar to those carried out by the EFF, but their limited capacity and lack of resources are inhibiting them from achieving this goal.

Source: Briefly News