Black US Farmworkers Sue Employer After Claiming White South Africans Earned Higher Wages, SA Reacts
- Five farmworkers in Mississippi, in the United States of America, are suing their employer for alleged discrimination
- Many South Africans are currently working in the US as part of Donald Trump's H-2A agricultural visa programme
- South Africans took to social media to weigh in on the news, sharing mixed reactions to the claims of discrimination
PAY ATTENTION: You can now search for all your favourite news and topics on Briefly News.
Source: Getty Images
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
MISSISSIPPI - A debate is brewing online after news broke that five black farmworkers in the United States of America claimed they were paid less than white South African workers.
The farmworkers, who are based in the state of Mississippi, are now suing their employer because of it. The South African farmers were hired through Donald Trump's H-2A agricultural visa programme. The lawsuit filed by the workers accuses the farmer of discriminating against local workers while recruiting white South Africans for the jobs.
Employers accused of making false claims
According to Rob McDuff, the Director of Impact Litigation at the Mississippi Centre for Justice, this is the ninth case that his organisation has brought against farms in the region over the past five years.
PAY ATTENTION: Briefly News is now on YouTube! Check out our interviews on Briefly TV Life now!
McDuff explained that employers falsely claimed they could not find enough local workers, just so they could hire foreign labourers.
"The way they do this is by falsely claiming, to comply with the American law, that they had looked for local workers and cannot find enough to fill the jobs and that to the extent they do have local workers working alongside the white South Africans, they will pay them the same amount of money, which just hasn't happened."
McDuff added that South African workers were paid the wage required under US law, while local workers allegedly earned less despite doing similar work.
The lawsuit relates to the H-2A temporary agricultural worker programme and isn’t related to Trump’s refugee programme. Trump opened the refugee programme to Afrikaners, claiming that they were being persecuted. The US President claimed that there was a white genocide taking place in the country, despite there being an abundance of evidence saying otherwise.
Source: Getty Images
What you need to know about claims made against South Africa
- The FW De Klerk Foundation has rubbished Donald Trump's claims about racial discrimination.
- Donald Trump deleted a tweet claiming that South Africa was a dangerous place.
- The US State Department has explained why it is unhappy with South Africa at the moment.
- The US President offered citizenship to farmers and their families if they don’t feel safe in South Africa.
- Elon Musk claimed on X that the media weren’t reporting on the genocide in South Africa.
- Trump claimed that South Africa had a policy of exterminating people, which is why he would not attend the G20.
South Africans are divided by the news
Social media users weighed in on the lawsuit, sharing divided reactions to it. Some also assumed that it was related to the refugee programme and found it funny that South Africans moved to the US to become workers.
Luther Du Plessis said:
“When you buy a Ferrari, you are going to pay more for it than the Tata.”
Hlax Hlalele Mahlaela asked:
“I thought they were going to be farm owners. So, they pick cotton?”
Mark Nyoni noted:
“It’s probably because of the farming experience and knowledge that they're contributing to the farm. We all know that mostly white Afrikaners are good at farming.”
Directoř Dee Sithole suggested:
“We are fighting the same nonsense in South Africa.”
Xañder Mêrçury agreed:
“At least they see what we black South Africans have been dealing with in this country.”
Zakhele Khoza added:
“Elon Musk is quiet about this but has the nerve to complain about racism in our country.”
Mopedi Moroka MoAfrica stated:
“That's the same inequality we are fighting to eradicate in South Africa.”
Tiho Zadro claimed:
“Pay is by qualification; nothing else matters. Low pay for low or no qualification.”
Trump doubles down on white genocide in South Africa claims
Briefly News also reported that Trump maintained that there’s a white genocide taking place in South Africa, insisting that it needs to be stopped.
The President of the United States has previously falsely stated that a section of the population was being persecuted in the country.
He even offered South Africans refuge in the US if they felt that they were being persecuted in the country.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Source: Briefly News
