Pretoria, South Africa – The South African government has revealed that over 6,000 foreign nationals are currently employed in various state departments. However, the figure represents a small fraction of the overall government workforce.
In response to a parliamentary question, Minister of Public Service and Administration Mzamo Buthelezi stated that as of July 31, 2023, there were 6,220 foreign nationals employed by the government. This number accounts for less than 0.5% of the estimated 1.2 million people working directly for the state.
The Minister highlighted that foreign nationals with permanent residency status have the same employment rights as South African citizens, in accordance with the Constitution and relevant legislation. The 6,220 figure includes both permanent and temporary employees who have been granted the necessary permits to work in South Africa.
While the government did not provide details on the educational qualifications of the foreign nationals employed, it did break down the distribution of these individuals across different departments. Health and education emerged as the sectors with the highest concentration of foreign workers, particularly in the economic and administrative hub of Gauteng.
The province of Gauteng has the most foreign national employees, followed by Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. The Western Cape, Limpopo, and Free State have the lowest numbers of foreign workers in government.
At the national level, the Ministry of Higher Education and Training and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development have the highest number of foreign national employees. However, the statistics do not include the Ministry of Defence and the State Security Agency.
