Low Number of Immigrant Workers in South Africa

According to Misbar’s investigation, the discussion about the citizenship of South African restaurant workers began in April 2020 when South African Finance Minister Tito Mboweni made a startling claim about the number of foreigners working in South Africa’s restaurant industry. According to News24.com, Mboweni said that when he returned from exile in 1990, eight in 10 restaurant workers were South African. “The other two were probably Malawian or Zimbabwean. Today almost 100% are non-South African.” The claim resurfaced in October 2020 when the Economic Freedom Fighters, South Africa’s second-largest opposition party, called on businesses to ensure that at least 60% of their workers were South African citizens.

According to the African Centre for Immigration and Society, from 2012 - 2014, only four percent of people of working age (15 years to 64 years) across the whole of South Africa were born outside of South Africa. While the overall number of immigrant workers is low in South Africa, there is a greater representation in the hospitality industry according to a report developed by OECD Development Centre.
According to HeadTopics.com, data from South Africa’s national statistical agency shows that foreign-born workers made up 6.5% of “housekeeping and restaurant workers” in 2017.
While many foreign-born workers are employed in the hotel and restaurant industry, the overall number of immigrant workers is very low compared to the total workforce. There is no evidence to support 100 per cent of restaurant workers in South Africa are foreign.