Malema Urges Zimbabweans to Seek Jobs at Home, Prioritizes South African Employment

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has called on Zimbabweans to seek employment in their own municipalities rather than in South Africa, while stressing that local workers should be prioritized for municipal tenders.

Speaking at the EFF’s Siyabonga Rally in Seshego on August 16, Malema said South Africa’s high youth unemployment rate meant that the country needed to focus on creating and protecting opportunities for its citizens first.

“We are not saying Zimbabweans should not be given jobs, but they must get jobs from their own municipalities,” Malema said. He pointed to Harare and other Zimbabwean cities as places where job opportunities should be sought instead of South Africa.

South Africa’s official youth unemployment rate stands at 66.5%, a figure Malema described as alarming and unsustainable. He said this was one of the reasons the EFF was prioritizing policies that directed municipal tenders and other local job opportunities to South African workers.

The EFF leader’s remarks come as a shift from his 2022 position, when he encouraged South African employers to hire Zimbabweans and other African nationals, though still maintaining that preference should be given to local citizens.

At that time, Malema had argued that African solidarity required employers to consider workers from across the continent, particularly those from countries facing economic and political challenges. However, in Seshego, his message focused squarely on the need to protect South African jobs amid deepening economic hardships at home.

His comments are likely to stir debate, as South Africa continues to grapple with tensions over migration, particularly around competition for jobs, housing, and access to services. The issue has been a recurring flashpoint in South African politics, with unemployment often at the center of these discussions.

Malema’s remarks also come at a time when Zimbabweans continue to migrate to South Africa in significant numbers, driven by limited opportunities in their own country. The EFF leader insisted, however, that it was the responsibility of Zimbabwe’s municipalities to create employment for their people, not South Africa’s.