South African Factories Left Reeling as Migrant Workers Flee
In the aftermath of xenophobic protests that drove thousands of migrant workers from South Africa, factories in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal are struggling to fill the void. Weeks since the protests, rows of sewing machines stand idle at a clothing factory in Newcastle, a manufacturing hub.
Labour Shortages Bite as Factory Owners Scramble to Replace Workers
Factory owners in Newcastle have lost between 12% and 19% of their workforce during the protests. Some workers, particularly those with sewing skills, are in short supply, while few locals are willing to take the low-paying jobs. Mpho Nkosi, a 29-year-old South African administrator, said: “People don’t want to work in factories.”
Analysts say migrants typically work in sectors unappealing to locals. It is unclear how widespread current labour shortages may be, but there have also been reports of unfilled jobs in sugarcane fields. A spokesperson for the Department of Employment and Labour said he was unaware of worker shortages and advised employers to seek the department’s assistance with recruitment.
Skills Gap Disputed as Factory Owners and Union Representatives Clash
The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union estimates that 15% of Newcastle’s 15,000-strong textile workforce left during the protests. Union representative Siyabonga Ntombela disputed the idea of a skills shortage, saying the jobs were not being filled because the pay was too low for South Africans. “We have plenty of qualified machinists in South Africa,” he said.
Labour market researcher Siphelele Ngidi said attracting South Africans to manufacturing jobs would require a government push to revitalise the sector. “It’s not just the wage alone, it’s also the working conditions and the possibility of upward mobility,” he said.
Low Wages and Fewer Orders Hit Factories Hard
Most of Newcastle’s garment factories are owned by Chinese nationals who have been in South Africa for decades. They produce clothing for domestic retailers in an industry the government has championed to reduce reliance on imports and that is vital to Newcastle’s economy. But workers are typically paid per piece completed, meaning only the most productive might earn the national minimum wage of 30.23 rand ($1.83) per hour. Many earn less.
Factory owners told Reuters they could not afford to raise wages because retailers pay little for their garments. A pair of jeans starts at 11.50 rand, while a T-shirt can fetch less than half that. The industry suffered a setback in February when government inspections discovered illegal labour practices at some factories.
Factories on the Brink as Retail Orders Plummet
Liu, a Newcastle factory owner, said most factories had lost retail orders as a result of the inspections. He stressed that not all factories were equally guilty. While that has reduced the urgency of replacing workers who left, the combined impact could push some factories over the edge, causing more South Africans to lose jobs than gain them, he said.
Liu said his business is operating at a loss and he plans to reassess by December whether to shut down. “At the moment everybody’s wait-and-see. I think there’s a possibility we will see a lot of closures in the coming months.”
Source: Joy Online
