IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa. Picture: Khaya Ngwenya / Independent Newspapers
Durban — IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa has called for the total removal of foreigners in the hospitality, construction, e-hailing and trucking industries in South Africa.
Speaking to the Daily News as the party gears for the policy conference next week, Hlabisa said there was absolutely no need to hire foreigners in these industries in the country since they were not scarce skills. He added that those jobs were for the locals and don’t require special skills.
Touching on the IFP’s foreign policy as the party prepares to hold a policy conference next week, the IFP leader said although he did not want to sound xenophobic but the party was against the illegal influx of foreigners who were taking jobs and services that were reserved for the local people, adding that under IFP government jobs in these industries would benefit local people.
Hlabisa said that the law was clear that the country should hire foreigners in the jobs if no one within the country can do that job. He added that work permits should have a time frame because after completing the jobs, foreigners will have to go back to their countries.
“One of the reasons why we have high unemployment in the country is the government’s failure to protect locals from unfair competition for jobs in these industries I have mentioned above. Under the IFP-led government, locals will benefit from these jobs because we will get rid of foreigners from these industries,” said Hlabisa.
Hlabisa further warned businesses who hire foreigners in these industries would be punished under an IFP government Hlabisa said the party was aware that the businesses were saving a lot of money by hiring these foreigners since they were underpaying them.
“We know some of them hire foreigners with no ID and pay little money and the foreigners have no choice since they are desperate,” concludes Hlabisa.
Local truck drivers have also been complaining about employment of foreigners in the trucking industry and have been blocking sections of the N3 highway to voice their anger at the government. The locals argued that the illegal practice by local businesses was reducing their bargaining power to get decent salaries because foreigners accepted meagre pay.
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