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Minister of Employment and Labour TW. Nxesi was addressing the occasion of the National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) dialogue meeting on 18 March 2024 in  Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape.

“Labour migration is an international issue. That is why every day in news, we see pictures and videos of migrants trying to enter European countries, some even drowning. It is a sensitive conversation but we need to dispassionately focus on the legislative framework internationally and domestically, and balance this against the challenges we face as a country", Minister Nxesi said.

The Minister said central to this, is the rights of all workers within the Republic of South Africa as enshrined in the constitution. The gathering was told, that South Africa has no problem with migrants, however the problem arises when they are undocumented and illegal in the country. “If you hire an undocumented foreign national and have a disagreement and you fire him or her, that person can commit serious crime or can kill you and leave the country and you will start blaming the police".

Nxesi told the meeting that advantage is taken over these disparate political and economic refugees and exploit them. He said that the preference for foreign nationals is not for the reason that they are hard workers, but, because they are exploited for cheap labour.

Minister Nxesi warned employers who continue to employ undocumented foreign nationals, subjecting them to inferior labour standards, not declaring them in their employment records and failing to register them for existing social protection measures such as the UIF, Pension Fund and Compensation Fund, to stop the practice.

“The risk brought by these illegal practices is too high for the stability of the country. As the Department of Employment and Labour, we will continue to participate in joint inspections that are organised with Police, Home Affairs, Road Traffic Management and Customs that have proven to be successful in dealing with various transgressions" Nxesi forewarned.

The objectives of the Dialogue are:

• To facilitate the sharing of innovative practices related to labour migration governance, in particular, putting into practice social dialogue by implementing a tripartite plus approach;
• Identify labour migration governance progress so far, gaps and challenges in the country as well as main opportunities to consider in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region;
• Provide a platform for tripartite partners to re-organise and re-strategise on labour migration governance.

The discussion enticed participants from various government departments, state-owned businesses, local and district municipalities, employers, social partners (business, community, and organised labour), traditional leaders, international organisations, and non-governmental organisations.

According to the Chief Director Provincial Operations, Nomfundo Douw-Jack, the inputs will be consolidated and submitted for inclusion in the final National Labour Migration Policy. She told the gathering that consultation continues.

For more information, contact:

Sabelo Mali

Ministerial Liaison Officer

082 729 5804/ Sabelo.Mali@labour.gov.za

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​Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour​

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