6,220 Foreigners Employed in Government Departments, South Africans Question Their Credentials

• Over 6,000 foreign nationals are employed in government departments, according to the Minister of Public Service and Administration Mzamo Buthelezi
• Gauteng has the highest number of foreign nationals employed, with the health and education portfolios responsible for the biggest number
• South Africans are questioning why so many foreign nationals occupy departmental posts when so many locals are still unemployed

Foreign nationals in South Africa have been in the headlines of late, with many in the country here illegally. While calls have been made for them to be deported, it may surprise many that the South African government also employs foreigners.

Minister of Public Service and Administration Mzamo Buthelezi recently answered questions on the matter and confirmed that, as of 31 July 2024, 6,220 foreigners were employed in government.

Gauteng leads the way for foreign employment

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Gauteng leads the way when it comes to the provinces with the most foreign nationals employed.

Gauteng’s administration accounts for 1,705 foreign employees, while Mpumalanga has 653 foreigners and KwaZulu-Natal has 647.

Western Cape, Limpopo and the Free State have the lowest numbers.

Minister defends "minuscule" number

While the number has surprised many, Buthelezi highlighted that it only makes up a minuscule percentage of the actual workforce.

She stated that the actual number only accounted for 0.5% of the overall government staff. The number also includes temporary employees.

Health and Education portfolios were responsible for the highest number of foreign representatives.

Saffas questions foreigners' credentials

Following the release of the stats, netizens have questioned what qualifications the foreigners hold and, in particular, why locals couldn't do the same job.

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@MervynFiford1:

“Still a huge number of foreigners employed in SA government departments. And the big question is, WHY?”

@Soul_of_Wits:

“@deptoflabour must explain how these people got these jobs. Are they rare skills? Who on earth came up with the so-called 'critical skills list'? It's a stupid idea.”

@ZNxarhuni:

“We need not one single one of them.”

@b_dikela:

“How did these foreign nationals get government jobs in SA? Did they steal their IDs? If so, why should they not be removed? Also, I know some Rwandans in the Department of Energy who must have got there by devious means.”

Premier pushes for deportation of foreigners

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has made calls for illegal foreigners to be deported from the country.

Briefly News recently reported that the Premier said they would only be legally allowed back.

Ntuli called for sterner measures, saying that foreigners were responsible for numerous crimes in South Africa.

Source: Briefly News