By Chante Ho Hip, Eye Witness News

As the government cracks down on undocumented migrants, focus shifts to middle-class reliance on cheap labour.

The South African government’s proposal to fine employers who hire undocumented migrants has sparked debate about the middle class’s role in contributing to exploitative domestic work practices.

Professor Jo Vearey, co-director of the African Centre for Migration and Society, said many middle-class households benefit from employing foreign nationals, who are often paid less and work under poor conditions.

“There is estimated to be just under a million domestic workers in South Africa.”

Vearey argued that one of the key concerns surrounding migrant labour is the belief that migrants are taking jobs away from South African citizens, which she said is not supported by the data.

“Data doesn’t suggest that foreign nationals are replacing or displacing South Africans from the labour market. One of the reasons that individuals are willing to accept these exploitative conditions is because they have moved for the purposes of improving livelihoods.”

She explained that holders of Lesotho and Zimbabwean exemption permits, who make up a significant share of this informal workforce, have the right to work until May 2028 and are protected by labour laws if a contract is in place.

However, many domestic workers have no contracts, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse as they seek better livelihood opportunities.

“We need to recognise that the majority of domestic workers, regardless of nationality, are working without contracts in place, so there is a bigger complicity issue here from the middle-class benefiting, abusing poor, Black, predominantly women, for their own benefit,” she said.

Vearey said the government should focus on regularising the status of migrant workers and ensuring that employers comply with labour laws.

“Those employing domestic workers who are from other countries should ensure that they are regularised and have the right to work beyond the end of the exemption permit system.”

[This news article was originally published on EWN under the same title on 11 June 2026, along with the accompanying image.]