‘If foreigners leave, we are finished’ — South African women take to the streets to protest xenophobia, deportations

• South African women staged a protest against xenophobia and the deportation of foreign workers.

• The protesters said many factories rely on skilled migrant workers, particularly machinists.

• They warned that removing foreigners could lead to job losses and factory closures.

• The women appealed to President Cyril Ramaphosa to allow foreign workers to remain in the country.

A group of South African women have taken to the streets to protest growing anti-immigrant sentiment and calls for the deportation of foreign nationals, arguing that removing foreign workers would cost many locals their jobs and worsen economic hardship.

The women, many of whom work in the country's clothing and textile industry, gathered with banners carrying messages such as “No to Xenophobia” and “Foreigners Must Stay,” insisting that migrants play a crucial role in keeping factories running and preserving employment opportunities for both foreign and local workers.

Speaking during the protest, one woman rejected claims that foreigners were taking jobs from South Africans, arguing instead that many businesses rely heavily on the skills brought by migrant workers.

“We are here today, we're trying to save our jobs,” she said. “When they are taking the foreigners away, that's the foreigners who are giving us jobs. We won't have jobs.”

The women explained that many of the foreign workers employed in factories are skilled machinists whose expertise is difficult to replace.

“Most of the foreigners are machinists. We don't have local machinists,” one protester said, dismissing claims that there are enough South Africans available to fill those roles.

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According to the protesters, employers have struggled to recruit and retain local workers for specialised factory positions. Some claimed that many South Africans who are hired often leave shortly after joining, while experienced foreign workers remain and help keep production lines operational.

One of the women, who said she had worked in a factory for nearly five years, warned that deporting foreign workers could have severe consequences for the industry.

“If you chase them, we are nothing. The factories are going to be closed, and we are going to be poor, we are going to be hungry. We have children. What are our children going to eat?” she said.

The demonstrators also appealed directly to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, urging the government to abandon any policies that could result in the mass removal of foreign workers.

“Mr Ramaphosa, you can't chase the foreigners. They are part of us, they are our people,” one protester said.

The women repeatedly stressed that their demonstration was not only about protecting migrants but also about protecting local livelihoods.

“We are South Africans, we say no to xenophobia,” one of them declared. “We need foreigners.”

Several protesters argued that foreign workers help sustain industries that employ thousands of South Africans and that removing them without trained replacements could lead to factory closures and job losses.

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The protest comes amid renewed debates in South Africa over immigration, employment, and the role of foreign nationals in the country's economy. Anti-immigration groups have repeatedly argued that foreigners are taking jobs from locals, while supporters of migrant workers say many sectors depend on specialised skills and labour that are often difficult to source locally.

Far from viewing foreigners as competitors, they said they see them as co-workers, colleagues, and contributors to industries that support their families.

Their message was simple: removing foreign workers would not solve unemployment but could instead deepen economic hardship for many South Africans already struggling to make ends meet.