THE UNEXPECTED CRISIS! | Is South Africa Running Out of Workers After the Crackdown?

[00:00:03][music] [music] 67 minutes.

[00:00:30]67 minutes.

[00:01:00]Patriots and South Africans in general.

[00:01:03]Uh Victoria has alerted me to this big uh shopping mall that is being constructed here. I understand there's going to be a hotel. It is called Time Square shopping mall that is being constructed by the Chinese only fruit.

[00:01:21]Two challenges that have been found here. One, they have employed illegal foreigners from Malawi to work here and told they sleep here. they eat here.

[00:01:35]>> We came in, we met a certain tongue, Jason, and uh I have made it clear to him what the law is saying and he called his boss [music] and we have now agreed that uh by today they're going to take out Malawans tomorrow after 6 South Africans will be here to be employed.

[00:02:00]The list is already there. They are going to start with those on the list.

[00:02:04]They're going to employ 200,000 applicants. The 200 Malawian must go [music] at 9:00. I will be here with uh home affairs to come and verify that there's no mallay in this in this particular building that South Africans are employed. Uh that is the first one that we have agreed. There was a crowd here of uh residents from around here, River Valley and other areas that are closed here. H tomorrow morning, Tuesday, we will be here with them to come and get them employed to replace the Malawans.

[00:02:45]I also met the subcontractors, the SMMES who say they have been paid a low rate.

[00:02:52]>> [music] >> We have now agreed that he's going to bring the developer, the main contractor, meet with them and let them correct this thing of slave payments.

[00:03:04]We are also told the people here have been paid 200 L per day which is way below uh [music] what people are supposed to be paid for this type of construction.

[00:03:16]They are employing Malawans [music] because they are paying them slave salaries.

[00:03:22]SOUTH AFRICANS ARE coming in. WE ARE [music] GOING TO correct those slave salaries. Victoria, you have done very well. The the members of patotic alliance, the leadership [music] that has been coming here, you have all done very well. We do not vandalize, we do not loot, we do not destroy [music] infrastructure where South Africans can be employed. We engage employees and [music] we force them if they don't understand. We bring home affairs. We bring JPD. We bring SAPS and we implement the law. Salute city.

[00:04:13][music] At Times Square Shopping Center, Patriotic Alliance Deputy President Kenny Kunain visited a construction site where allegations were made that a Chinese contractor had employed more than 200 undocumented foreign nationals.

[00:04:31]During the visit, the contractor was instructed to replace undocumented workers with immediate effect. While commitments were made that officials from the Department of Home Affairs would be involved to ensure compliance with South African immigration and labor laws, supporters viewed the operation as proof that immigration laws should be enforced equally regardless of the size of the employer. Others warned that sudden removals of large numbers of workers could disrupt ongoing projects if replacements were not immediately available. The operation quickly became one of the most discussed examples of South Africa's intensified workplace compliance campaign. It is from operations such as these that another argument has begun to emerge. Some business owners now claim that intensified inspections, compliance operations, and community marches have resulted in labor shortages in certain industries. One of the sectors where this debate has become especially visible is agriculture.

[00:05:26]>> No, there is a a shortage. But in terms of quantifying the numbers in terms of how much uh shortage we have in rural areas we we are yet to see the impact but most of the h workers from the rural areas especially farmers including commun it's it's very dire it's a very dire situation. Yes.

[00:05:49]>> Okay. Uh what are your members telling you? You're a member- based organization. Your members are farmers.

[00:05:54]What are they telling about the labor shortages and the labor issues that they're facing?

[00:06:00]>> Obviously, our members are telling us that workers are living in fear obvious for obvious reasons because uh they feel like because they don't document them most of them. So they can see on social media platforms and on television that people are told to leave the country if they don't have documents. So all the time our members are telling us that their workers are always living in fear of police police coming to them to deport them to their respective countries.

[00:06:32]>> What is the impact of this fear?

[00:06:37]>> Obviously the impact is going to be uh uh uh the the the farmers are going to fill the pit in terms of who's going to do the work and getting the job done in their farmers. But uh we are quite happy as an organization that uh uh at least the compliance issue is going to improve because most of the rural uh farmers or farmer farm workers are are exploited by the employers in farming areas.

[00:07:07]>> Yeah. and and and that was perhaps the the next point I wanted to raise here Lloyd is that uh a great deal of as you mentioned uh the members and farmers particularly in rural farmers do not document the people that work for them that is to say they have no idea truly uh what these people's identities are and where they come from uh and what their status in the country is. It seems as though that there's a reluctance by farmers in the farming community by and large uh to regularize those who work for them. Why [music] is that?

[00:07:40]>> You know, any business person uh that wants to make more profit is going to take an advantage of an undocumented worker that is not going to ask for workers, go on leave or go to see their families because it's not easy for them to come back and get employment. So they are taking advantage of all those vulnerable uh uh workers from neighboring countries to exploit them, underpay them and don't allow them to go home whenever there's a crisis or maybe someone is sick or somebody died. So we feel that the employers are taking advantage of vulnerable people from our neighboring countries. According to reports from Quazulu Natal's north coast, some sugarce growers say they are experiencing labor shortages during the peak harvesting season. The reports state that many foreign workers have left farming communities following recent protests against undocumented migrants together with increased government enforcement targeting undocumented foreign nationals. Speaking on the issue, Quazulu Natal Deputy Chairperson Lloyd Hardbi acknowledged concerns about labor shortages. However, he also raised another issue that has become central to this debate. Had argued that some employers have historically preferred undocumented workers because they are easier to exploit. According to his remark, undocumented workers may accept wages below legal minimum standards, work excessive overtime, receive fewer benefits, and be less likely to challenge unfair labor practices because of their vulnerable immigration status.

[00:09:12][snorts] Those remarks shift the discussion beyond labor availability.

[00:09:16]They raise questions about the quality of employment itself. It is at this point that the national conversation becomes significantly more complicated because two very different narratives now exist simultaneously. This is where the debate becomes difficult because each side is describing a very different reality. Some employers argue that South Africans are unwilling to perform certain jobs and that businesses are struggling to find workers after undocumented foreign nationals left. On the other hand, labor representatives, activists, and some community leaders argue that the problem is not that South Africans refuse to work. They argue that many citizens simply refuse to accept wages below legal minimum standards or working conditions that they believe are unfair. If that argument is true, then the discussion changes completely. The issue would no longer be about a shortage of labor. Instead, it would become a question of employment standards, fair wages, and compliance with labor legislation. That distinction matters because labor shortages and labor exploitation are not the same thing. [music] This brings us back to the Times Square operation because that incident introduces another question. If more than 200 undocumented workers could allegedly be replaced immediately by local job seekers gathered at the site, can it really be said that there is no labor available? Or does that example suggest that workers are available but employers may have different hiring preferences? That question remains at the center of this national discussion.

[00:10:40]In recent days, another incident added further fuel to this already heated debate. The business owner was heard saying that he would rather close down his business than employ South Africans.

[00:10:50][music] The statement triggered widespread criticism online and prompted a response from one of the organizers associated with the community mobilization campaign. We will now read that response and it reads, "We understand that some white people have not vomited the evilness of apithe. I have a very strong relationship with all races in South Africa. But I will always strongly condemn the abusive behavior of South African business owners who are scavengers of the souls of our African illegal migrants and foreign black brothers and sisters. The reason why we are calling for illegal foreigners to leave the country is somehow because we want to protect them and also eradicate the corruption that is done by business owners and the exploitation of black workers who happen to be black illegal foreigners. So they are threatening to close down their businesses just because it's sweet to stand on a black person's back and enjoy the profits. What are we going to lose anyway? Because South Africans people are not part of that business anyway. As South African citizens, we must grow conscious and feel for the country. I am not a politician. I don't have to protect anything and I chose to be a man and stand for something. The statement we have just heard represents the personal opinion and allegations of the speaker.

[00:12:02]According to his reasoning, the campaign against employing undocumented foreign nationals is not presented only as an immigration issue. He argues that it is also intended to protect vulnerable undocumented workers from exploitation by employers who may take advantage of their immigration status. He alleges that some businesses benefit financially because undocumented workers are less able to negotiate wages or challenge poor working conditions. Those are serious allegations. Whether they apply broadly across industries would require evidence and appropriate investigation.

[00:12:34]At the same time, the remarks also reflect growing frustration among activists who believe that some employers have become dependent on vulnerable labor while excluding citizens from employment opportunities.

[00:12:46]Others strongly disagree with that perspective and argue that employers are responding to genuine labor shortages and operational realities rather than intentionally exploiting workers. These competing explanations illustrate why this debate has become one of the most contested discussions in South Africa today. The question we asked at the beginning of this report remains open.

[00:13:06]Is South Africa experiencing an unexpected labor shortage or are some sectors adjusting after years of relying on undocumented labor? The evidence presented today suggests that the answer is unlikely to be simple. Some industries report genuine operational challenges following recent enforcement actions. Others point to examples where South African job seekers were immediately available to fill vacancies.

[00:13:28]Labor organizations meanwhile argue that the deeper issue is not the availability of workers but the conditions under which some employers expect people to work. Ultimately these are questions that cannot be answered through emotion alone. They require evidence, transparency and continued enforcement of both immigration law and labor law.

[00:13:47]Because regardless of where one stands on the immigration debate, one principle remains constant. Every employer has a legal responsibility to comply with South African law. Every worker deserves lawful and fair treatment. And every citizen deserves an economy that is both lawful and inclusive. As this national conversation continues to evolve, the challenge for policy makers, employers, workers, and communities alike will be finding solutions that protect the rule of law while also safeguarding economic stability and human dignity. This is a discussion that is far from over. I'm Ivy Smith for Daily Cast News. Thank you for watching.

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