Foreigners are job takers. Nevertheless, karma plays against them?

Research has shown that over the last decade, African immigrants have been met with, and exposed to, severe xenophobic attacks in South Africa.  Many of these have been working within the informal sector; they have not attempted to apply for jobs in the formal sector. Some explained that it is comfortable to work for their fellow nationals; some avoid formal sectors because of tax or other wage deductions. From my sample, 83% worked for family or friends, 8% worked for other foreigners unrelated to them in any social manner and 9% worked for South Africans.

In addition to a generally negative national perception of foreign workers, foreign employees in the informal sector do not contribute to the South African GDP. Furthermore, they are seen as an expense to the South African economy because they occupy vacancies that, in theory, could have been occupied by South Africans. Many South Africans, as compared to foreigners, do not have the necessary skills or education. On the other hand, foreign workers do not necessarily need training because they are either already qualified or the type of work is simple.

One thing that I found interesting is that foreigners are intellectuals, and in some instances too much for their own good. Their intellect or awareness triggers a need for further investigation to find out the reasons that some of them are not interested to give their opinions on the matters that concern them. I discovered that the majority of the foreign labour refuses to participate in surveys because they are afraid of their residence status being investigated, or they have lost hope/ trust in the local government, and adapted to their current situation.  While this is the case, the majority is exploited financially, emotionally and physically in a few cases.

Some employers hold foreign employees at work for longer hours because of lack of representation. However, the majority of foreign workers work for a maximum of eight hours or six days per week like some of the South African labour members. And yet, they are paid less than R2000 per month.

The role of these employees is significant to those who employ them. They help homeowners run their households and entrepreneurs run their businesses at affordable prices. In comparison to the South African employees, foreign workers provide a comfortable management area to their employers because they understand the principles of hard work and dedication, they are desperate for employment, and the South African Labour Law rarely protects them.

What is going on: Karma or Injustice?