ANC Gauteng calls for employment quotas for foreign nationals in private sector

The ANC in Gauteng has called for a quota to be put into place for the employment of foreign nationals in the private sector.

“It is illegal to come into a country illegally. To even employ a person who has come into the country illegally, it’s illegal. So what we are saying is that there must be some quota that speaks to locals,” said ANC Gauteng provincial secretary Thembinkosi “TK” Nciza on Wednesday.

Nciza was speaking during a media briefing of the outcomes of the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) meeting on Monday at the Ruth First House.

‘People blame unemployment on government’

“People sit and believe that only the government must employ our people, which is not possible. Everybody wants to sit and blame everything, including employment, on the government,” he said. 

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“If the private sector doesn’t come to the party, people will revolt against the government without seeing that we have a private sector that is not coming to the party.”

The ANC in Gauteng called upon the private sector to start employing South Africans and to agree on a quota.

“We must have a quota. We will start in Gauteng and engage in these matters,” Nciza said.

The provincial secretary added that it is the responsibility of the ANC to continue to fight for the South African people.

No xenophobia

He, however, emphasised that the party wasn’t calling on people to be xenophobic and not employ foreign nations.

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In the party’s statement on the PEC meeting, it further commended the Gauteng government for the work it has done combatting unemployment through the Nasi iSpani programme.

“The ANC calls on the private sector to come on board in improving on the work that has already been done by the provincial government. This includes calling for industries such as the hospitality industry to start employing local South Africans,” the party said in the statement.