The Department of Employment and Labour’s latest findings on the employment of foreign nationals in South African workplaces have sparked outrage among citizens, with some questioning why thousands of South Africans remain unemployed while foreign nationals occupy entry-level positions.
The department’s Inspection and Enforcement Services (IES) semester one report for the 2026/27 financial year revealed that 231 850 foreign nationals were employed at workplaces inspected during the second quarter, ending September 2026.
The findings were released on Thursday, November 12, following inspections at 168 766 workplaces across the country.
Of these, 21 371 workplaces were found to be employing foreign nationals.
According to the department’s Inspector General of Inspection and Enforcement Services, Aggy Moiloa, what was particularly concerning was that many of the positions occupied by foreign nationals were entry-level jobs that could potentially be filled by unemployed South Africans.
Gauteng recorded the highest number, with 59 624 foreign nationals employed at inspected workplaces, followed by North West with 58 533 and the Western Cape with 34 675.
Limpopo recorded 24 972, Eastern Cape 20 385, KwaZulu-Natal 13 295, Mpumalanga 11 560, Free State 5 173 and Northern Cape 3 571. A further 62 were recorded at head office.
The agricultural sector emerged as the biggest employer of foreign nationals, accounting for 46 533 workers across 1 205 employers.
Wholesale and retail followed with 41 359 foreign nationals employed across 6 698 employers.
Other sectors featuring among the top 10 included community services, manufacturing, hospitality, construction, mining, private security, financial services and education.
Moiloa was addressing the department’s Public Employment Services (PES) 2026 National Strategic Planning Conference at the ANEW Resort Hunters Rest in Rustenburg, North West.
Speaking about enforcement of the Employment Services Act, as amended, she called for stronger collaboration between PES and IES, saying enforcement depended on capacity on both sides.
She said the department was also banking on Project 10 000, which aims to strengthen its inspectorate through the recruitment of additional labour inspectors.
The announcement comes at a particularly difficult time for South Africa’s labour market.
Statistics South Africa’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey, released on Tuesday, November 10, shows that the official unemployment rate increased from 33.6% in the second quarter to 33.7% in the third quarter of 2026.
The country now has approximately 8.6 million unemployed people, despite an increase of 101 000 employed people during the quarter.
The number of unemployed people also increased by 97 000, while discouraged job seekers rose by 70 000 to 3.7 million.
The figures have further highlighted the frustration experienced by job seekers, particularly young people struggling to secure employment.
Government has also acknowledged the shortage of labour inspectors.
Employment and Labour Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya announced that R700 million had been allocated in the current financial year towards employing additional inspectors, with a further R1.6 billion allocated for each of the following two financial years.
The funding forms part of government’s phased plan to recruit 10 000 additional labour inspectors.
The department’s findings quickly became a talking point on social media platform X, with several users questioning the government’s ability to protect employment opportunities for South Africans.
Jack Phakathi questioned the purpose of releasing the figures, asking whether the department was acknowledging its failure to address the situation or rubbing salt into the wounds of unemployed South Africans.
“This is totally unacceptable, those businesses must be held accountable. It can’t be business as usual,” Yenzo Kuhle wrote.
Another user accused government of putting foreign nationals ahead of South Africans despite the country’s unemployment crisis.
Luna Hedgehog also weighed in, questioning whether the latest findings vindicated March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma and the movement’s campaign against undocumented migration.
Independent retailer Manzini Zungu said businesses employing undocumented foreign nationals should face serious consequences.
“High unemployment rate of 33% is self-inflicted. We as businesses are committing a crime. I mean businesses that are in the employment of illegal foreigners need to be closed down. That will be the deterrent. It’s seriously worrying that these aren’t even skilled labour,” he said.
The department’s findings could provide fresh ammunition for anti-immigration movements such as March and March and Operation Dudula, which have repeatedly accused businesses of employing foreign nationals at the expense of South African job seekers.
However, the figures do not establish how many of the 231 850 foreign nationals are undocumented, nor do they establish that all the positions could automatically be filled by unemployed South Africans.
March and March, led by Ngobese-Zuma, has been at the centre of several controversial demonstrations throughout 2026.
The movement first attracted national attention in January when it joined Operation Dudula and members of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party in protests outside Addington Primary School in Durban.
The groups alleged that foreign nationals’ children were being prioritised over South African learners who had not secured placements.
The protests, which began when schools reopened in January, became increasingly tense, with police intervening during clashes outside the school.
KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka subsequently confirmed that the 54 unplaced children had been accommodated in schools.
He also rejected the narrative that foreign children should be blamed for the schooling crisis, emphasising that every child within South Africa’s borders had a constitutional right to basic education.
Ngobese-Zuma faced criminal charges following the unrest and handed herself over to police in January.
In April, March and March expanded its campaign into Gauteng, with supporters gathering in Pretoria before marching to the Union Buildings on April 28.
The movement’s campaign reached a national scale on June 30, when demonstrations against undocumented migration were held in several cities.
The date had been set as a deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country.
According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), nearly 100 demonstrations against illegal migration took place on June 30, bringing the number of related demonstrations during June to at least 150.
The protests were accompanied by reports of attacks on foreign nationals, looting and intimidation, prompting concerns about xenophobic violence.
In July, Ngobese-Zuma vowed that the movement would continue its demonstrations, announcing plans for weekly protests until government addressed its demands.
In August, the organisation took its campaign to Durban during the 46th Southern African Development Community summit, calling on African leaders to address migration and the repatriation of undocumented nationals.
It subsequently announced September 30 as another deadline for government to act.
However, the movement temporarily suspended some of its activities in August while engaging in consultations.
Operation Dudula has similarly faced criticism over its campaigns targeting foreign nationals, particularly its interventions at healthcare facilities, businesses and schools.
Human Rights Watch, in a May 20 report, condemned attacks and intimidation targeting African and Asian foreign nationals, warning that vigilante activities were putting migrant communities at risk.
Several civil society organisations, including Equal Education Law Centre, Equal Education, SECTION27, the Children’s Institute and Lawyers for Human Rights, also condemned the intimidation of migrant children and their families.
They warned that immigration enforcement could not be conducted through threats, intimidation or interference with children’s access to education.
The debate has also attracted international attention, with concerns that anti-migrant demonstrations could damage social cohesion and South Africa’s economic relations with neighbouring countries.
The latest employment figures are therefore likely to reignite an already heated national conversation about undocumented migration, unemployment, workplace inspections and the responsibility of businesses to comply with employment and immigration laws.
Whether the findings will trigger another wave of demonstrations remains to be seen.
However, with March and March having previously mobilised thousands of people around similar demands, the release of official figures showing more than 231 000 foreign nationals employed at inspected workplaces could become another rallying point for those demanding that government put South African job seekers first.
