South African businesses count cost of migrant exodus
JOHANNESBURG – South African employers and landlords say the recent wave of anti-immigrant protests has left businesses struggling, as thousands of foreign nationals, many legally documented, have fled the country fearing for their safety.
The departures follow weeks of intimidation and threats by vigilante groups, including March and March, which have campaigned for the removal of foreign nationals from South Africa. Among those affected is Mpumalanga ginger farmer Edward Latsky, who said the unrest has crippled his operations after most of his workforce fled despite possessing valid work documents.
Latsky, one of South Africa's few commercial ginger producers who supplies about 30% of the country's ginger, said he was forced to suspend operations after protesters repeatedly targeted his farm.
"I had to halt all work on the farm because buses and groups of people kept showing up to intimidate and even threaten us with death," Latsky told The Citizen.
While he commended police for preventing violence from escalating, he said authorities failed to stop the intimidation or arrest those responsible.
"Of my 50 legitimate workers, only seven remain. Those who lived in the village were physically abducted and forced into taxis, and many of their belongings were stolen and looted while the police turned a blind eye," he said.
Latsky said all his foreign employees were legally employed, but protesters made no distinction between documented and undocumented migrants.
The unrest has also affected property owners. An elderly landlord in Ivory Park, north of Johannesburg, said her rental business had virtually collapsed after foreign tenants fled. She said she previously accommodated ten tenants, most of whom have now left South Africa, including documented migrants who feared becoming targets.
"I had 10 tenants, but most of them have left already. Some of them were even documented, but they were fearing for their lives," she said.
"Government needs to address things in a way that does not cause fear, even to legal migrants."
Property consultant Given Mashele, who specialised in finding accommodation for migrants in Johannesburg North, said demand had disappeared almost overnight as clients either returned to their home countries or relocated elsewhere.
The anti-immigrant campaign has also disrupted employment. A 50-year-old Zimbabwean domestic worker said she lost her job after her employer asked her to leave, fearing accusations of employing and housing an undocumented foreign national. Meanwhile, a Johannesburg resident said she had been unable to retain her Malawian gardener despite repeated attempts to help him obtain legal documentation through the Department of Home Affairs.
The accounts come as the Zimbabwean government continues assisting thousands of returning nationals. Authorities say more than 78,000 Zimbabweans have returned from South Africa since May, either through government-assisted repatriation or independently, following rising anti-immigrant tensions. Analysts warn that while businesses are feeling the immediate economic effects of labour shortages and reduced rental income, the long-term impact could extend to agriculture, domestic services and other sectors that have traditionally relied on migrant labour.
South Africa anti-immigrant protests
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