Government Says It Plans to Create 2 Million Jobs by 2024 While Clamping Down on Foreign Nationals

• Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi said that the government plans to create two million jobs in the country
• The minister believes that foreign workers had been employed at the expense of South African workers
• Nxesi said that the number of undocumented immigrants in the country needs to be reduced despite being considered a sensitive matter

JOHANNESBURG - The government plans to reduce the country's high unemployment rate by creating almost two million new jobs by 2024. Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi said he does not know if his goal is achievable.

Many South Africans believe that immigrants are to blame for the lack of jobs in the country. Responding to this, Nxesi told News24 that foreign workers had been employed at the expense of the South African workers. He said the issue is caused by employers who deliberately employ "vulnerable" people.

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Nxesi believes that reducing the number of undocumented immigrants needs to be addressed, despite being considered a sensitive matter. He said in countries such as Zimbabwe, Botswana, Nigeria and Ghana, foreign nationals can't be employed. The labour minister said government must find a solution to limit the number of migrants coming from neighbouring countries to seek employment in South Africa.

According to Engineering News, Nxesi said Zimbabwe Exemption Permits will likely be extended for those who need to re-apply, especially if their skills are needed in the country. He added that there are many Zimbabweans in South Africa because the country has collapsed.

South Africans are not impressed by the labour minister's plan:

@123verybasic said:

"It sounds nice but we all know in reality he will fail. It's not the first time ANC promised jobs."

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@motsoalediStan wrote:

"Remember when they said migrants are not taking jobs from SA people? Look at their plan now. Nxesi is suggesting that enforcing immigration laws from the workplace to sectors of the economy, and the borders will open more jobs for South Africans."

@Scanlines9 commented:

"So he's not going to ease up on restrictive labour laws, he's just going to prevent employers from hiring foreigners. Heaven forbid they remove any needless regulatory hurdles instead of just adding more."

@BrettTheChiro posted:

"It's not exactly "creating jobs" if your plan is actually to try to chase out immigrants, is it? Those aren't new jobs. Also: "Whether or not that is achievable, I don't know," Nxesi said."

@Clif2Clif stated:

"Sorry to say this, these chaps only care about elections. No real reform.... thank you."

@couchsportsman added:

"Real sustainable jobs can only come from changes to policies of employment and business restrictions and regulations. We need to incentivize people to open businesses here. It's expensive and red tape is crazy!"

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Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi plans to arrest undocumented "rascals" who commit crimes in SA

Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi has taken a firm stance against illegal immigrants and has launched a sting operation against them. A video of his address to the African National Congress (ANC), where he discussed undocumented foreign nations, has been doing its rounds on social media.

Motsoaledi, who has spoken out on numerous occasions about his views on the matter, said that criminals commit crimes in their own countries and seek refuge in South Africa. He said that government should not be scared to discuss issues surrounding immigration and that South Africa is the only country that accepts "rascals".

Source: Briefly News