The people of South Africa have had a rude awakening over the last 5 or 6 weeks as the economy has changed drastically. The normality will not be the new normal and this is going to take years to repair. Jobs that were secure and now hanging by a thread and if this lasts much longer then the unemployment numbers will escalate rapidly.
Would you be happy being unemployed knowing that there are illegal immigrants stealing your jobs? The borders have been open for however long I can remember and have no idea what is required to qualify for entering South Africa. As far as I know the borders are open for whoever wants to enter and that is a huge risk to everyone living in the country.
South Africa with all it's bright lights and endless possibilities of a modern city in Africa has lured millions. The truth is many end up living on the poverty line but some also end up in decent well paid jobs. Jobs that have been taken away from locals who cannot find jobs and are desperate and angry.
With the current economic climate jobs are being lost daily and finding employment right now will be virtually impossible. I read somewhere that the unemployment percentage could reach as high as 40 percent which is barmy. If there were no illegal immigrants that number would be far less however and this is what everyone is seeing right now.
Illegal immigrants have been blamed for the massive crime rate the country has experienced but if you are unemployed what are you going to do. If I was unemployed and need to feed my family you would have to turn to crime. Surely the only way anyone should be allowed into the country for work is if they have a job to go to. Educated people who offer skills and not uneducated people who are coming for manual labor. There are enough people seeking that type of work already and not enough to go around.
Xenophobia reared it's ugly head a few years ago and the possibilities of it happening again are real. We have seen other countries in Africa close their borders to foreigners namely Ghana and Nigeria. The people here would like to see the same as they believe the government should be putting their people first. I do agree with this as if you can't look after your own people what are you doing in power. People are genuinely suffering at the moment and this has become serious.
