In Parliament in August, President Cyril Ramaphosa was asked how he intended to ensure that trading in the informal economy was reserved for South Africans only. He replied that it was necessary to ‘avoid populist temptations to blame economic challenges and unemployment on foreign nationals’ while taking ‘into account the frustration of those South Africans who felt pushed out of the economy by foreign nationals.’
He also announced that an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) co-chaired by the Departments of Employment and Labour, and Home Affairs, was established to deal with issues of labour, migration, border security and skill shortages.
