Hundreds queue with CVs at anti-immigrant march

Hundreds of jobseekers participated in an anti-immigration march on Friday, gathering at the M7 and marching to Epping Industrial Area. The protest was organized by anti-immigration groups March and March, along with the Labour and Civic Organisation (LACO) and the vigilante group Operation Dudula. At the Epping site, the marchers lined up to submit their CVs.

The purpose of the event, called "Operation Thatha Umsebenzi" or "take the job," was to secure employment for South Africans, regardless of race, gender, or status. The organisers have not disclosed their plans for the submitted CVs. A LACO representative stated that the aim was to force the employment of South Africans in the country.

Unemployed jobseeker Litha Yako, who had been jobless since January, participated in the march and urged non-South Africans to leave so that South Africans could find work. Yako receives financial assistance from her mother and the R370-a-month Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. She expressed willingness to accept any job. Another unemployed participant, Pretty August, has been without work for over three years and relies on piece jobs and the child support grant. August also hopes to secure employment through the march.