"We're Not Asking": South African Activist Group Demands Jobs for Citizens at Expense of Foreigners
- An unnamed South African activist group stormed a company, demanding that foreign nationals be replaced with local citizens
- The group's leader said that they were not asking but demanding employment, with or without a CV or the needed qualifications
- The incident adds to a growing wave of anti-immigrant sentiment and xenophobic tensions in South Africa over the past few weeks
An unnamed activist group has confronted a South African company, demanding that citizens be given employment in place of foreign nationals amid ongoing xenophobic tensions in the country.
Source: Twitter
Xenophobia has been a persistent issue in the country for years, with locals frequently targeting foreign nationals over perceived competition for jobs and resources.
Since the issue resurfaced, a growing number of South Africans have pushed for companies to prioritise hiring citizens over immigrants, arguing that high unemployment rates justify the demand.
The tensions have led to a section of locals taking increasingly aggressive steps to press their case, moving beyond protests to directly confronting businesses they believe are favouring foreign workers.
Some foreign nationals in South Africa, including Malawians, have retaliated through protests of their own.
The X video of a confrontation between Malawian nationals and South Africans is below.
Activist group demands jobs for South African citizens
In a video spotted by YEN.com.gh, an unnamed group stormed a company to demand that South African nationals be given employment in place of foreign workers.
In the video, a woman who appeared to be the leader of the group is seen emphatically confronting representatives of the company.
She went on to issue an ultimatum, making clear that their visit was not a plea but a demand.
The leader of the unnamed group was also emphatic that jobs had to be given out regardless of whether applicants had a CV or not.
"We are not here to ask guys. Let me emphasise, we are here to demand these jobs. All these people are South African nationals, and they are not employed because of you employing foreign nationals. We don't want money, we don't want anything. We just want these people to be employed. That is going to happen today, whether we give you a CV or we don't."
The Twitter (X) video of the activist group confronting the company about employing South African workers is below.
While the video has triggered reactions, there is no confirmation of when and where the incident took place.
Reactions to South African activist group demanding jobs
The video drew sharp and divided reactions online, with many questioning the group's approach and the logic behind demanding jobs without qualifications.
YEN.com.gh compiled some of the comments from the post.
@atoms2atoms wrote:
"The perception that these illegals are paid less is disingenuous. They work hard, are trustworthy and reliable. There is a coffee shop in Claremont that has such a high turnover of local staff due to fingers in the till."
@Keldeen100 said:
"You don't have qualifications but want to work? Is that growth or audacity? Well, they should keep dragging themselves backwards for all I care."
@MohdZBello1 indicated:
"What a disappointment after all the support other African countries gave you when you desperately needed it."
@kayomide_007 commented:
"You don't fix unemployment by demanding jobs, you fix it by earning the skills for them."
@Engrphaloyeh added:
"Telling foreigners to remove foreign nationals and replace them with locals with or without qualification. Wow. And this one too is an activist in her mind. We will be here by the time the consequences start."
@msonline911 said:
"The company should just immediately give her a business case problem to solve, just to test and inform the entitled South African that just being a citizen is not enough to get to the top and eat with the big boys."
Source: Twitter
Zulu King warns activists ahead of June 30 march
According to an earlier report by YEN.com.gh, prominent South African anti-immigrant activists Nkosikhona Phakel'umthakathi Ndabandaba and Ngizwe Mchunu received a stern warning from Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini ahead of their planned June 30 march.
The King's warning came after a Malawian national was murdered and two others seriously injured following a march in Pietermaritzburg on June 19, 2026. The monarch urged fellow Zulus to show compassion toward immigrants, acknowledging that suffering had driven many to South Africa in the first place.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
