A pack of pathetic cowards mistaking intimidation for courage. You failed to build a future, so now you blame people who simply worked harder and took opportunities you refused to chase. Hunting foreigners won't create jobs, pay your bills or earn you respect. It only exposes your own incompetence.
Some of us have spent years building businesses, buying properties, creating jobs and contributing to the economy. We have employees, families and communities depending on us.
We're not going to abandon everything we've built because a few people who have never taken the same risks or made the same sacrifices believe entitlement is a substitute for hard work.
@CryptoDefiLord Being rich is not about how much cash you have in the bank; it’s about the total value of what you own. By that measure, Elon Musk is richer because his ownership stakes are worth far more than Buffett’s overall holdings.
The claim that foreigners do not pay taxes is one of the most economically illiterate arguments in this debate. Every foreigner who buys food, fuel, electricity, airtime, clothing or any other taxable product pays VAT. Foreigners who rent properties contribute to municipal revenues through the economic chain. Foreign-owned businesses pay licence fees, company taxes, customs duties and various levies. Foreign workers who are legally employed pay income tax just like South Africans.
But taxes are only part of the story. Foreigners also create demand. We rent apartments, buy goods, use transport, support businesses and keep money circulating throughout the economy. An economy benefits not only from taxpayers, but also from consumers, investors, entrepreneurs and customers. we contribute far more to South Africa's economy than many people are willing to admit. The real irony is that some of the loudest voices attacking foreigners are often the same people who have no idea how much of the economy depends on foreign spending, foreign entrepreneurship and African markets.
Une démocratie n’exige pas l’uniformité des opinions. Elle repose sur la liberté de débattre et de convaincre. Que l’on soit pour ou contre le changement de la constitution, seul un débat de fond permettra de nous éclairer. Dans cet exercice démocratique, je note que l’Honorable Delly Sesanga vient de marquer un point.
Thank you, Mr. President.
While your government is reminding citizens that immigration enforcement belongs to the State and not to mobs, perhaps it is also time to remind South Africans how their economy actually works.
Many people speak about foreigners as if they are a burden, while completely ignoring the fact that South Africa exports billions of dollars' worth of goods and services to the rest of Africa every year. South African banks, telecom companies, retailers, mining suppliers, manufacturers and engineering firms generate enormous revenues across SADC. In countries such as the DRC, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, South African products and services are everywhere. From mining equipment and industrial chemicals to banking, insurance, telecommunications, retail and logistics, South African companies earn money because Africa buys from them.
At the same time, foreigners are part of the customer base that sustains entire sectors of the economy. They rent apartments, buy homes, shop in stores, use transport services, open businesses and spend money every day. Their presence creates demand, and demand is what keeps businesses alive. When demand falls, the consequences are felt throughout the economy. Fewer tenants mean weaker property markets. Fewer customers mean lower sales for retailers and supermarkets. Lower revenues mean businesses postpone expansion, reduce hiring and, in some cases, close altogether. Jobs are lost not because people leave, but because the economic activity they generated leaves with them.
This is why serious economists look beyond labour and focus on the broader economic picture. Every consumer, tenant, entrepreneur and investor contributes to growth. Foreigners are not outside that equation; they are part of it.
Yes, illegal immigration must be addressed. Every sovereign nation has that right. But vigilantism must be addressed too. Once the rule of law is replaced by street justice, nobody is safe.
Too many South Africans seem convinced that employers hire people based on nationality or race. That is simply not how business works. Employers hire based on productivity, reliability, competence, discipline, skills and the ability to create value. A business owner trying to survive in a difficult economy is not concerned with where an employee comes from. He is concerned with who can perform, solve problems, serve customers and help the business grow.
Across Africa, more and more people are beginning to ask a legitimate question: why not build alternatives?
Chez nous, le problème n’a jamais été l’absence de lois. Des textes, il y en a toujours eu. On peut les réviser, les compléter, les renforcer, mais si le marché fonctionne en dollars, si les matériaux sont importés, si le crédit immobilier est inaccessible et si l’État ne met pas massivement des terrains sur le marché, aucune réforme juridique ne fera mécaniquement baisser les prix. La loi peut encadrer mais elle ne peut pas annuler les réalités économiques. Tant que l’offre restera inférieure à la demande et que produire coûtera cher, les prix resteront élevés, avec ou sans nouvelle loi avec ou sans nouvelle loi.
Si on veut vraiment régler ce problème, ce n’est pas une petite loi votée à l’Assemblée qui va tout changer honorable. Le problème est plus profond. Il est économique, structurel et surtout politique.
Le prix des terrains à Kinshasa, par exemple, monte parce qu’il n’y a pas une vraie vision d’aménagement de la ville. Pas de plan clair, pas assez de terrains viabilisés, pas d’extension organisée des routes, de l’eau, de l’électricité. Du coup, chacun fixe son prix comme il veut, souvent sur base des spéculations. Et comme il y a les autorités, les ambassades, les ONG, les sociétés internationales qui cherchent des biens de haut standing, les propriétaires alignent leurs prix sur cette clientèle. Cela tire tout le marché vers le haut.
Pour la construction, c’est pareil. Presque tout est importé… Donc on dépend du taux de change, du transport, de la douane. Même la main-d’œuvre qualifiée pour les grands projets est parfois importée. Forcément, les coûts explosent.
Donc ce n’est pas juste “les gens abusent”. Tant qu’on ne corrige pas ces bases, les prix vont continuer à rester élevés et c’est justifié. Je suis promoteur immobilier à kinshasa et en Afrique du Sud. Je sais de quoi je parle..