UPDATED COPY
Amid rising anti-foreigner sentiment in South Africa, Julius Malema the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on Wednesday visited Kream restaurant in Midrand, where he met management to find out how many foreign nationals were employed as compared to locals.
Initially, a representative of the restaurant met Malema and his delegation outside and asked that their concerns be put in writing as the owners were not prepared to meet in person.
Although Malema said he had a right as a Member of Parliament to conduct “oversight”, the Kream restaurant representative seemed to decline the request for a meeting “between South Africans”.
A day earlier, the EFF announced Malema’s planned visit to restaurants “to check the employment ratio of South Africans and foreign nationals”.
The EFF said Malema’s visit will consist of interactions with the management of these restaurants, “to check their labour policies, staff compliment and ensure that our fellow Africans are not exploited and locals are employed to a satisfactory level”.
Kream, situated at the Mall of Africa in Midrand, was specifically mentioned as one of the restaurants to be inspected by the EFF.
A radio caller who said he was the owner of the Kream restaurant said Malema had until now been a patron.
“We served him for 15 years and he never raised these issues,” said the caller to Radio 702.
However, after much toing and froing Malema was let into the Krema restaurant. When he emerged he said he was satisfied that there was 50/50 employment between foreign nationals and South Africans.
The EFF leader also visited two other restaurants in the mall.
The engagement comes amid rising attacks on foreign nationals accused of being in the country illegally.
On Monday, residents of Soweto removed “foreign” street vendors from the Bara Taxi rank.
In Turffontein, people were seen fleeing on rooftops from crowds who openly said they were searching for foreign nationals in “hijacked houses”.
Dubbed “Operation Dudula” the house-to-house searches are said to be a “clean-up” aimed at removing illegal foreign nationals from South Africa.
It remained unclear how those behind Operation Dudula were able to determine the nationality or legal status of individuals they confronted.
Human Rights Watch in its World Report 2022 says of South Africa: “While the 2019 National Action Plan to combat xenophobia, racism, and discrimination marked a key step toward recognising and addressing these abuses, it has not significantly improved accountability for xenophobic crimes.”
