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New law to block foreigners from working in certain sectors in South Africa

Source: Business Tech, 26/09/2019


While Ntshavheni did not specify exactly which sectors would be
regulated, she indicated that the new legislation would be heavily
informed by the above laws used in other African countries.
She provided the example of the country’s formal and informal retail
sector and how it has changed over the last couple of decades.
“If you look at the retail sector, when we all grew up our spaza
shops were run by ourselves, by our neighbours, we took over shops
from our mothers.
“If you (look) now then that is not the demographic of who is running
our spaza shops.”
Ntshavheni added that South Africans have a penchant to hire other
South Africans, and that locals will take up the chance for
employment if more opportunities are offered to them.
“We are not only introducing legislation to say which sectors are
restricted to South Africans but we are also establishing support
mechanisms for those South African who are operating in these
sectors.”
Protests
The move towards new legislation follows mass protests against
foreign-owned businesses across Gauteng at the start of September.
Bloomberg reports that the protests saw the destruction of more than
50 shops and business premises mainly owned by Africans from
countries in the rest of the continent such as Nigeria and Somalia.
Cars and properties were torched and widespread looting took place.
The violence echoes sporadic outbreaks of attacks mainly targeting
migrants from other African countries in some of South Africa’s
poorest areas.
In 2008 about 60 people were killed and over 50,000 forced from their
homes and in 2015 seven people died in violence. Migrants are seen as
competition for scarce jobs and government services.
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