Don’t Shun Them, Formalize Them: A New Approach to Foreign Nationals in South Africa
Don’t Shun Them, Formalize Them: A New Approach to Foreign Nationals in South Africa
By Larry Matlala
The streets of South Africa have become a pressure cooker. As unemployment rises, particularly among the youth, a dangerous narrative has taken hold: that foreign nationals are the enemy. They are accused of stealing jobs, flooding our streets, and crippling our local economy. I stand before you to say that I hold a fundamentally different view.
The anger felt by our unemployed youth is valid. The desperation of living in a country with so few opportunities is real. However, we are pointing our fingers in the wrong direction. The truth is, the informal businesses and labor that foreign nationals dominate are not the jobs most South Africans are fighting for. We cannot allow our economy to grind to a halt while we wait for South Africans to accept work they feel is beneath them. The reality is harsh but necessary to face: many of the jobs held by foreign nationals—from spaza shop management to physical labor—are roles that many locals refuse to take, despite the growing unemployment crisis.
We must stop the violence. We must stop the intimidation. Targeting shop owners and entrepreneurs who are simply seeking economic survival does not create a single job for a South African; it destroys the economic ecosystem of our own townships and cities.
My proposed solution is not rooted in xenophobia, but in pragmatism. I propose a policy of Formalization, Documentation, and Taxation.
We need to stop treating all foreign nationals as a monolith. There are three distinct groups we must deal with, and we need three distinct strategies:
1. The Criminal Element (The "Nigerian Drug Mafia")
Let
us be unequivocal: we have a serious crisis with organized crime. The
individuals—often involved in drug smuggling, human trafficking, and the
operation of illicit drug dens—are a plague on our communities. They
thrive not just on the vulnerability of addicts, but on a corrupt
network of police officials who protect them for a fee. We must be
ruthless in dismantling these syndicates. There must be a zero-tolerance
approach for those profiting off the destruction of our youth through
drugs. We must cut the "tender" relationship between corrupt officers
and these criminals immediately.
2. The Undocumented (The "Lindela" Route)
If
you are in South Africa illegally—without any documentation—you are
breaking the law. I believe in the rule of law. For those without
papers, the process is simple: arrest, processing, and deportation via
the Lindela Repatriation Centre. We cannot have a country where borders
are meaningless. If you are undocumented, you cannot stay.
3. The Economic Migrants & Entrepreneurs (The "Formalization" Strategy)
This
is where my vision diverges from the populist rhetoric of "they must go
home." There is a class of foreign nationals who are running
businesses. They are entrepreneurial. They are "financial migrants" who
came here to work, not to be fed by the state.
Instead of looting their shops or chasing them away, we should be issuing them permits and taxing them.
I propose a targeted tax system for foreign nationals running businesses. This is not about punishing them; it is about creating a clear picture of who is in our country and what they are contributing. If we formalize these entrepreneurs:
We issue them valid migration papers.
We issue them valid business permits per Metro Municipality.
We ensure they comply with municipal by-laws and health regulations.
If we do this, we stop the "shadow economy." We ensure that while they operate here, they pay their fair share to the City of Tshwane. We use those tax revenues to fund the very services—infrastructure, social development, and SMME support—that benefit South African citizens.
A Matter of Protection and Compliance
If
we adopt this system, the rules change for everyone. The foreign
nationals who are here legally will finally be protected by the law. If a
South African citizen intimidates or attacks a legal, tax-compliant
foreign business owner, they will face the full might of the law.
Conversely, compliance must be strict. If a foreign national wants the protection of our Constitution and the privilege of operating a business in our City, they must adhere to every bylaw and every tax requirement. There will be no special treatment.
To my fellow South Africans, I ask for honesty. We must accept that the labor market is complex. Foreign nationals are often used for cheap labor because the natives refuse to do the work. Instead of allowing this frustration to boil over into violence, we must see this as an opportunity. If they are doing the work we don’t want to do, let us at least ensure the state gets a cut of the profits to uplift our own communities.
When I become the Executive Mayor of the Capital City of Tshwane in the upcoming elections, I will implement this vision. I will not allow Tshwane to be a city where mob justice dictates economic policy.
We will not kill. We will not intimidate. We will formalize, document, and tax. We will send the undocumented home, and we will break the back of the drug syndicates and the corrupt police who enable them.
It is time for a pragmatic solution that secures our economy, respects the rule of law, and stops the violence that is tearing our communities apart.
End
Comments
Post a Comment