Keypoints:
- Farms lose experienced seasonal workers
- Unions dispute labour shortage claims
- Seasonal visa demands gain momentum
UNPICKED citrus hanging in South Africa’s orchards has become a symbol of the country’s migration crisis, as farms and factories struggle to replace foreign workers who left amid anti-migrant protests and intensified immigration enforcement.
The departures expose a deep contradiction. Employers say experienced workers have vanished, yet millions of South Africans remain unemployed. The dispute is whether the country faces a genuine shortage of labour — or too few people prepared to accept low-paid, insecure and physically demanding jobs.
Crops wait as workers leave
Zimbabwean farmworker Aaron Majatamhe was heading home at sunset in one of South Africa’s leading fruit-growing regions when he pointed to citrus still waiting to be picked.
‘I see a lot of farm owners who are crying now,’ the 33-year-old told AFP. ‘People have to harvest those naartjies, but there is no one.’
More than 160,000 people have left South Africa in recent weeks, according to an AFP tally based on repatriation figures supplied by African governments.
The exodus accelerated after fringe anti-foreigner groups declared June 30 an unofficial deadline for undocumented migrants to leave.
Zimbabwe accounted for the largest share of returnees, many of whom had worked in agriculture, construction and domestic service.
Sugar belt feels the shock
In KwaZulu-Natal’s sugar belt, one north coast farmer said he lost as much as 80 percent of his cane-cutting workforce almost overnight.
Another grower near Mid-Illovo said farms could not cut all the cane ready for harvesting after experienced workers from Lesotho left.
The disruption adds an economic dimension to South Africa’s anti-migrant mobilisation ahead of local elections, where immigration has become entangled with anger over unemployment, crime and failing public services.
Labour shortage claim disputed
South Africa’s official unemployment rate reached 32.7 percent in the first quarter of 2026, making claims of an absolute labour shortage difficult to sustain.
Patrick Williams, an organiser with the Commercial, Stevedoring, Agricultural and Allied Workers Union, told AFP that employers often favoured migrants because they were cheaper, more flexible and less likely to demand contracts, benefits or legal protection.
Foreign farmworkers, he said, frequently worked seven days a week, skipped breaks to increase piece-rate earnings and received less than the national minimum wage.
The central question is not simply whether South Africans are willing to work, but whether employers offer wages and conditions capable of attracting them.
Factories lose specialist skills
The exodus has also reached manufacturing.
A clothing factory manager in Durban’s Chatsworth district said the departure of machinists from Malawi and Mozambique had made it harder for factories to meet production targets.
Replacing years of specialist experience will take time, even where South Africans are available and willing to undergo training.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government has meanwhile announced a wider immigration enforcement strategy while warning citizens against vigilantism.
Visa scheme leaves seasonal gap
On July 20, the Department of Home Affairs invited applications for the second phase of its Trusted Employer Scheme.
The programme prioritises visa processing for senior executives, technical personnel, corporate employees and investors. The official notice states that it is not intended for unskilled or low-wage labour.
That means it will not directly resolve the shortages reported on farms, strengthening demands for a separate seasonal-worker system.
Agricultural groups want a regulated programme allowing workers from SADC countries to enter South Africa where local labour supply is considered insufficient.
Any such scheme would require enforceable contracts, legal wages and safeguards against recruitment abuse. Without those protections, it could formalise the exploitation unions say created employers’ dependence on vulnerable migrant workers.
Safety fears overshadow labour debate
The wider rise in anti-migrant violence has also drawn diplomatic and legal pressure.
Ghana asked the African Union to address xenophobic attacks, while two Ghanaian nationals submitted a separate petition to the ICC over attacks on migrants.
At least four foreign nationals have been killed during the unrest, according to police data cited by AFP.
Majatamhe has decided to remain in South Africa for now, even though he fears for his safety. He told AFP that he did not have enough money to return to Zimbabwe — a reminder that many migrant workers have little freedom in deciding whether to stay or leave.
