Cape Town – South Africa has identified 231,850 foreign nationals working at inspected workplaces across the country, as President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government intensifies efforts to tighten immigration enforcement and regulate the employment of foreign workers.
The figures, released by the Department of Employment and Labour on Thursday, November 12, cover inspections conducted during the first half of the 2026/27 financial year.
According to Business Insider Africa, the department inspected 168,766 workplaces nationwide, identifying 21,371 businesses employing foreign nationals.
The agricultural sector recorded the highest number of foreign workers, with 46,533 employed across 1,205 businesses. Wholesale and retail followed with 41,359 foreign nationals across 6,698 employers.
Gauteng had the highest provincial figure, with 59,624 foreign nationals, followed by North West with 58,533 and the Western Cape with 34,675.
Entry-level positions
The findings were also reported by IOL, which reported that KwaZulu-Natal had 13,295 foreign nationals working at inspected workplaces, placing it sixth nationally.
The department’s Inspector-General of Inspection and Enforcement Services, Aggy Moiloa, expressed concern that many foreign nationals were occupying entry-level positions that could potentially be filled by South African jobseekers.
The findings come amid growing government efforts to clamp down on businesses employing undocumented migrants and strengthen compliance with labour and immigration legislation.
In June, Ramaphosa announced a tougher approach towards employers who knowingly employ foreign nationals without the necessary documentation.
“We have uncovered a number of workplaces where undocumented migrants are made to labour under very bad conditions,” the president said, warning that employers found violating immigration laws would face stronger penalties.
Tougher penalties
According to SAnews, the government is implementing a phased recruitment programme to bring in 10,000 additional labour inspectors to strengthen workplace monitoring and enforcement.
Ramaphosa has also called for tougher penalties, including possible imprisonment, for employers who contravene immigration laws.
The proposed changes extend beyond workplace inspections. The National Labour Migration Policy proposes maximum quotas for documented foreign workers, while the Employment Services Amendment Bill seeks to empower the employment minister to introduce limits on foreign employment in specific sectors and occupational categories.
As reported by Business Day, the broader government strategy also includes strengthening border security, accelerating the deportation of undocumented migrants and addressing administrative backlogs in the asylum system.
Ramaphosa has argued that employers who exploit undocumented foreign workers undermine labour standards, fair competition and employment opportunities for South African citizens.
He has warned that authorities can no longer allow employers found guilty of exploiting undocumented workers to “simply pay a fine” and continue operating.
However, the proposed measures do not constitute a blanket ban on foreign workers. Rather, government intends to tighten the conditions under which foreign nationals can be employed while protecting employment opportunities for South African citizens.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
