The late Eddie Webster, a prominent thinker on labour and globalisation, situates chronic unemployment and inequality within the broader context of a shifting global economy and the changing nature of capitalism. In his writings, Webster explores the nature of work in the current era and the global economic crisis that is resulting in systemic unemployment. 

Political parties scapegoat

Yet during the 2024 elections, most political parties resorted to scapegoating migrants to win votes, tapping into frustrations over unemployment, crime, and service delivery failures. Politicians like Gayton McKenzie and Herman Mashaba blamed foreign nationals, calling for mass deportations and targeting migrant-owned businesses. Despite these tactics, most parties performed even worse than in the 2019 elections. This demonstrates that this approach does not resonate with the majority in the absence of substantive policy proposals.

But this scapegoating does pose a serious threat to democracy and the rule of law. Political vigilantism has evolved into violent xenophobia. Groups like Operation Dudula embrace right-wing extremism, rejecting democratic values and institutions and opposing our progressive constitution. 

Politicians and vigilante groups capitalise on socio-economic divides, blaming a marginalised and maligned community. This mirrors the divisive populist extremism of global figures like Trump, whose personality-driven politics prioritise division over substantive governance.  

South Africa is no different to the US, Europe and Australia in criminalisation of movement of people, the majority of whom have black or brown skins. Politicians spread misinformation to ensure their party stays in power—a lucrative enterprise. An ordinary MP earns around R1.1 million per year, including basic salary, allowances, and pension contributions. The stakes are high to remain in power. 

The real culprits

Thirty years into democracy, South Africa’s socio-economic crisis cannot be blamed on migrants. The real culprits are neoliberal economic policies such as Growth, Employment, and Redistribution (Gear), privatisation, and outsourcing.  Privatisation and market-driven policies have exacerbated poverty, benefiting only a wealthy minority. And these neoliberal ‘solutions’ are supported by McKenzie, Mashaba, and of course the ANC.  

Precarious work

The workers on motorbikes, delivering online shopping orders for supermarkets like Checkers are a prime example of workers who often lack benefits or a stable income and share a common experience of vulnerability.

So-called “precarious work”, which includes outsourced, part-time, or temporary jobs, as well as self-employed and unemployed individuals, now defines the wage-less segments of globalised capitalism. These workers, who often lack benefits or a stable income, share a common experience of vulnerability rather than traditional work-related solidarity. The workers on motorbikes, delivering online shopping orders for supermarkets like Checkers, are a prime example. And their employers are the wealthiest corporations.  

In addition, women suffer from the neoliberal failure to fund social care, bearing the brunt of unpaid labour in households, caring for children, the ill, and the elderly.

Meanwhile, there are attempts to fight back. Organisations like Street Net seek to unite marginalised and unorganised workers, such as street vendors, in the fight for socio-economic justice. Delivery workers have organised themselves into WhatsApp groups to support each other when accidents occur as they rush to meet the 60-minute delivery deadlines. 

A way forward

Research from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and local studies finds that immigration has no significant effect on the overall unemployment rate. In fact, international migrants are more likely than South Africans to provide employment to others.  And even if we expelled 3 to 5 million foreign nationals, we would still have over 13 million unemployed young people—prime candidates for substance abuse, which is destroying the fabric of society. 

Instead, we must unite in the struggle for a universal basic income grant (UBIG) financed by a wealth tax. We also need to build international solidarity to fight for better working conditions for all. 

Systemic unemployment weakens the trade union movement, and workers are scared to strike for better working conditions, faced with the very real threat of losing what has become a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a job.  Faced with excessive worker exploitation, a UBIG can act as a buffer. With a guaranteed flow of money into the home, workers will challenge abusive or exploitative working environments if they know that the risk of doing so does not mean starvation at home or that their children have to stop schooling. Instead, workers will deal with “precarious work” as a UBIG, which means that workers do not have to accept slave wages, thus driving up wages in exploitative sectors. 

All this scapegoating of migrants does is distract us from calling out the real issues—mismanagement, corruption, and the failure to implement policies that create decent work for all. 

Sharon Ekambaram is a human rights activist. She works at Lawyers for Human Rights and is part of Kopanang Africa against Xenophobia.