More than 13,000 foreign nationals employed at inspected KZN workplaces

NewsSportLifestyleEntertainmentOpinionNewsMore than 13,000 foreign nationals employed at inspected KZN workplacesLondiwe Xulu|Published 18 minutes agoCopy to ClipboardAsk AIKwaZulu-Natal ranks sixth in foreign nationals found at inspected workplaces.

Image: Leon Lestrade/ Independent Newspapers

KwaZulu-Natal recorded 13,295 foreign nationals employed at inspected workplaces during the first half of the 2026/27 financial year.

The figures were contained in the Department of Employment and Labour’s Inspection and Enforcement Services (IES) semester one report, which found 231,850 foreign nationals employed across 21,371 workplaces nationally.

The department inspected 168,766 workplaces by the end of the second quarter of the 2026/27 financial year.

Inspector General Aggy Moila said it was unfortunate that many foreign nationals were employed in entry-level positions which could potentially be occupied by South Africans.

Moila was speaking at the Public Employment Services (PES) branch’s 2026 National Strategic Planning Conference at Anew Hotel Hunters Rest in Rustenburg, North West.

Gauteng recorded the highest number of foreign nationals employed at inspected workplaces, with 59,624, followed by North West with 58,533 and the Western Cape with 34,675.

KwaZulu-Natal ranked sixth nationally, behind Limpopo with 24,972 and the Eastern Cape with 20,385.

Agriculture recorded the highest number of foreign nationals employed nationally, with 46,533 workers across 1,205 employers.

Wholesale and retail trade followed, with 41,359 foreign nationals across 6,698 employers.

Other sectors among the top 10 included community services, manufacturing, hospitality, construction, mining, private security, financial services and education.

Moiloa said the PES and IES need to collaborate and strengthen partnerships.

“Enforcement depends of capacity on both sides,” she said.

She added the IES was banking on Project 10,000 to recruit additional inspectors and strengthen enforcement.