March and March calls for stricter enforcement after 13,295 foreign nationals recorded in KZN workplaces

Jacinta Mangobese-Zuma, leader of March and March, has called for stricter enforcement of employment laws following the release of Department of Employment and Labour statistics. In the first half of the 2026/27 financial year, 13,295 foreign nationals were recorded in inspected workplaces in KwaZulu-Natal. The figures were part of a larger report showing 231,850 foreign nationals across 21,371 inspected workplaces nationwide.

KwaZulu-Natal ranked sixth nationally in terms of foreign workers, trailing behind Gauteng, North West, Western Cape, Limpopo, and the Eastern Cape.

Mangobese-Zuma urged the Department of Employment and Labour to take action rather than merely publishing statistics, emphasizing that South Africans should be prioritized in employment, education, and healthcare. The leader of March and March expressed hope that the government would respond to the new figures by enforcing employment laws more rigorously, given the country's high unemployment rate.

She criticized proposed amendments to the Employment Services Act, arguing that they could place asylum seekers on equal footing with South African job seekers, which she deemed misguided. Mangobese-Zuma maintained that South Africans should be given priority for employment opportunities.

Inspector General of the Department of Employment and Labour, Aggy Moila, noted that many foreign nationals were employed in entry-level positions that could potentially be filled by South Africans. However, Moila acknowledged that limited enforcement capacity remained a challenge for the department, which is currently seeking to recruit additional inspectors through Project 10,000.