Boitumelo Moloi, Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, informed employers that
the Department has observed with worry that companies in the mining and agricultural
sectors are hiring foreign nationals without proper documentation.
Thursday’s Employers Session was held at the Kuruman Lodge in Kuruman, and Moloi
gave the keynote speech.

“There is a misconception that South Africans are lazy, resulting in employers hiring
undocumented foreign nationals. This perception is not true. Farm murders are made
worse because these undocumented foreign nationals cannot be traced or found as we
do not have their details,” Moloi said.

Moloi informed the group that the National Migration Policy, which will help with the
regulation of foreign national employees, is currently being worked on by the
department.

She called on employers to engage the government. “We need to talk to each other.
You must tell us what you want from our learning institutions,” she said.

She cautioned the employers about the risks posed by the high rates of youth
unemployment in the nation.

She said youth unemployment is a time bomb. “Imagine what will happen if one day, the
youth decide to close your workplaces where you employ undocumented foreign
nationals. The situation will be terrible,” she said.

The department, according to the deputy minister, wants to help illegal foreign nationals
follow the law rather than punish them for breaking it.

She urged people to phone the department if they had questions or needed help.
Moloi urged business owners to use the Department’s Employment Services of South
Africa (ESSA) to post job openings and use the database to find candidates.

Deputy Minister Moloi travelled to Mothibistad to establish a Mobile Employment Center
after her meeting with companies.

There she told the youths to use the facilities to their advantage and stop paying labour
brokers for placements.

She warned them against their tendency to choose jobs, looking for higher post jobs as
well as using social media platforms to their disadvantage.

According to Moloi, young people need to stop being picky about their employment
because they can’t know what they are best at unless they give it a shot.
She further urged them to eliminate their social media accounts because some potential
employers utilize them to make hiring decisions.

The John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality, Sector Education & Training Authorities
(SETAs), and other government agencies worked together to organize the event.

The Department’s Public Employment Service registered more than 700 job-seekers at
the event.