Explosive allegations about domestic workers and Checkers Sixty60 drivers fleeing South Africa
Foreign immigration conflicts in South Africa have forced tens of thousands of people to leave South Africa, with many working as domestic helpers, delivery drivers, and factory workers.
Companies and experts have warned that this massive exodus will negatively impact productivity and the economy due to the shortages it leaves behind.
However, the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education, Science and the Creative Industries, Makhi Feni, said these claims are untrue and expose employers who benefit from exploiting foreigners.
In a media statement, Fani alleged that the shortage narrative is false and those pushing it are doing so to greedily protect their income.
A Bloomberg report said authorities have processed about 67,000 migrants for deportation or voluntary repatriation in recent weeks.
Zimbabwe has also reported that almost 100,000 of its citizens have returned home since late May, suggesting the total number of people leaving South Africa could be far higher.
SweepSouth, the online platform that connects households with domestic workers, said it experienced its highest booking cancellation rate since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Chief executive Lourandi Kriel said the week of 30 June was particularly severe. “We recorded the highest rate of lost bookings on our platform since the Covid period,” Kriel said, adding that transport disruptions and safety concerns were the main reasons.
“On June 30 itself, the number of lost bookings in a single day surpassed what we typically see in a whole month.”
The Bloomberg report also claimed that migrant workers account for about 70% of Shoprite’s Sixty60 delivery service, which uses a fleet of nearly 10,000 motorcycle riders.
One Johannesburg-based Sixty60 driver from Lesotho told Bloomberg that seven of the ten riders who started working with him in June had already left South Africa.
Another driver said customer demand had also fallen since the protests intensified. Shoprite declined to comment on the latest claims.
However, the retailer has previously said that 8 out of every 10 South African drivers leave before completing the company’s 10-week training programme, leaving many positions filled by foreign nationals.
Unfortunately for employers, South Africans are protected by employment legislation
The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union estimated that about 15% of workers in Newcastle, one of South Africa’s major textile manufacturing hubs, have left the country.
Union representative Siyabonga Ntombela said replacing those workers would not be easy because many South Africans expect higher wages and face significant transport costs.
“It’s not that South Africans don’t want to work. They complain that they end up just accumulating money for transport,” Ntombela said.
North-West University economist Raymond Parsons Lenoke also questioned whether these vacancies would be filled quickly.
“Some opportunities may open up for South Africans, but many sectors are already struggling to attract local workers due to low wages, difficult working conditions, seasonal employment, or the need for specialised skills,” he said.
“While reducing undocumented labour might lead to more compliance with labour laws, it will not necessarily solve the issue of unemployment.”
However, Parliament’s Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education, Science and the Creative Industries, Makhi Feni, dismissed the shortage claims.
In a statement published on 22 July, he argued they are being used to justify the continued employment of vulnerable foreign workers.
“The allegations that there are sectors reporting labour force shortage are insincere and simply untrue. We have enough skilled and educated South Africans who are willing to take any kind of jobs,” Feni said.
He argued that some employers had become reliant on undocumented foreign nationals because they were easier to exploit.
“What could possibly be happening is that employers, especially in low-skilled jobs, want to continue exploiting South Africans who, unfortunately for them, are protected by employment legislation,” Feni said.
He added that businesses are merely shouting ‘labour shortages’ to greedily protect their income, rather than hiring unemployed South Africans.
“We wish to reiterate that South Africans are not xenophobic; it is just that they decided to rise against unfairness from scrupulous employers who thrived on exploiting poor foreigners and took advantage of their vulnerable status in the country.”
“Employers must do right by and for South Africans,” added Feni.
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