Dear Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour,

Dear Chairperson and Members of the Portfolio Committee,

I write as a concerned, livid South African citizen and a self-employed young person from Kwa-Sokulu, Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal.

How can government provide and create employment opportunities for foreigners while South Africa is sitting with one of the highest unemployment rates in the world? Our youth are unemployed, graduates are unemployed, mothers who are trying to run small businesses like me are struggling to survive.

We are livid and we do not approve of any plans government has planned out for foreigners at the expense of South African citizens.

Our Constitution says government must serve its citizens. Section 195 says public administration must be development-oriented. How is it development-oriented to prioritise foreign nationals for jobs when millions of South Africans are jobless, hungry and hopeless?

We are not asking for hate or xenophobia. We are asking for PRIORITY.

We demand:
1. South Africans must be first for all employment opportunities in South Africa.
2. The Department of Employment and Labour must enforce that companies hire South Africans before looking outside.
3. Government must publish clear data on how many work permits are given to foreigners in sectors where South Africans are available and qualified.
4. Government must invest that energy into fixing youth unemployment, small business funding, and skills for South Africans.

We cannot have foreigners being given opportunities while South Africans are left behind in our own country. That is not fair and that is not what we voted for.

We as South African citizens do NOT approve of any plan that favours foreign nationals over us while unemployment is this high.

Please consider this submission and respond with what concrete steps the Committee will take to protect South African jobs for South Africans.

Yours in desperation and hope,
A Concerned South African Citizen
Kwa-Sokulu, Richards Bay, KZN