South Africa: South Africa's Roads Agency Dismisses Claim That '80 Percent of Its Staff Is Foreign Nationals'

What the report says

Africa Check, republished by AllAfrica, reported on 30 September 2026 that South Africa’s roads agency, Sanral, rejected a social media claim that 80% of its staff are foreign nationals. The allegation circulated alongside other nationality-related posts that grew around a separate controversy involving a Sanral contractor and broader anti-migrant sentiment in South Africa.

According to Sanral’s acting chief executive, Lehlohonolo Memeza, the agency has 784 employees in total and only seven are foreign nationals. Sanral said those seven staff members have each worked there for more than nine years. That means foreign nationals make up well under 1% of the workforce, not 80% as the online graphic claimed.

The article also noted that the claim appeared after reports about Lawrence Mudzinganyama, then a director of Moriel Infrastructure Group, a Zimbabwean-owned contractor linked to Sanral. Transport minister Barbara Creecy ordered an investigation into whether the contractor had complied with its contractual obligations. Sanral also denied separate social media claims about its leadership, underscoring how the contractor dispute became mixed with misleading claims about staff nationality.

The fact check matters because it addresses a highly charged topic in South Africa, where false or exaggerated claims about migrants and employment have been spreading online. The report highlights the importance of distinguishing between verified staffing data and viral political messaging.