South Africa’s major labour federations, including the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), FEDUSA, SAFTU, and NACTU, have formally urged workers to ignore an unofficial 30 June deadline for undocumented immigrants to leave the country. The federations warned that skipping work on that date to participate in unauthorised anti-immigrant protests is not a protected labour action and could lead to employees losing their jobs.
Labour Unions Warn Against Illegal Action
The 30 June deadline was established by private groups identified as ‘March and March’ rather than by any branch of the South African government. In a joint statement issued at a Nedlac media briefing, the labour federations emphasised that workers who choose to stay away from their posts to join these demonstrations will be acting outside the provisions of the Labour Relations Act.
We urge workers to report for duty and not place their employment at risk.
The federations further argued that the call for foreign nationals to leave is a calculated attempt to scapegoat migrants for broader structural challenges. Malvern de Bruyn, COSATU Western Cape secretary, asserted that these threats are intended to distract the public from failures to build an economy that serves ordinary citizens.
Context Of Economic Frustration And Security Concerns
The mobilisation around the artificial deadline occurs against a backdrop of long-standing debates regarding immigration policy, including the legal challenges surrounding the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP). These incidents often arise during times of heightened national discussion concerning unemployment, corruption, and service delivery failures, which experts argue are frequently weaponised to fuel xenophobic sentiment.
The state has prepared for the possibility of volatility, with Police Minister Firoz Cachalia noting that authorities have allocated R600-million to maintain law and order should the protests occur. President Cyril Ramaphosa has reminded the public that while the right to protest is protected, it does not include the right to intimidate others or engage in acts of violence. Additional police visibility and contingency planning in major urban centres are expected in the lead-up to the 30 June date.