South Africa: Fired for Being Foreign - How Employers Gave in to March and March Threats

What the report says

GroundUp, distributed by AllAfrica, reports that the Casual Workers Advice Office (CWAO) in Germiston has seen a sharp increase in complaints about xenophobic treatment of immigrant workers in Gauteng. The office says that since June it has taken on more than 100 cases involving dismissals, suspensions, withheld pay, exclusion from UIF and unsafe or exploitative working conditions. The article says many of the workers have valid documentation, but still lost jobs or were pressured to leave after anti-immigration campaigning intensified.

The report centers on accounts from workers from Zimbabwe, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo who said employers and others acted after visits or threats linked to March and March, an anti-immigration group. One Zimbabwean worker said she was dismissed after the group arrived at her workplace on 10 June and cited a 30 June deadline for undocumented migrants to leave. Others described being told to go, being chased away from jobs, or being forced into resignation letters. Several said they were not paid final wages or benefits.

CWAO staff told GroundUp they are assisting with CCMA cases, embassy contact, document issues and repatriation requests, but that none of the workers they have helped has successfully claimed UIF because employers would not cooperate. The report highlights broader concerns that immigration has become a scapegoating issue in some workplaces and public spaces. As presented in the article, the issue matters because it affects legal protections, income and safety for migrant workers already facing economic insecurity.