Foreigners Will Leave, Unemployment Will Still Be In South Africa – MTN Chairman

MTN Group Chairman, Mcebisi Jonas, has condemned the intimidation of foreigners in South Africa.

He argued that South Africa’s economic and social challenges should be blamed on failures of governance rather than the presence of foreign nationals.

NEWSNGR reports that Jonas stated this while delivering an eulogy at the funeral of Zimbabwean-born activist and public servant, Thokozani Damasane, in Johannesburg.

He accused politicians of exploiting public frustration instead of addressing the country’s structural problems.

The MTN boss maintained that expelling foreign nationals would not end unemployment, inequality, or corruption, insisting that the country’s problems stem from state failures.

“Foreigners can leave tomorrow, inequality will be with us. Foreigners will leave tomorrow, unemployment will be with us. Foreigners will leave tomorrow, our police will remain corrupt. Foreigners will leave tomorrow, our politicians will still be concerned with one thing: being elected and re-elected,” he said.

According to him, South Africa’s problems are rooted in poor governance rather than immigration.

“The problem is the failure of the state. The state doesn’t manage immigration. It doesn’t manage its borders. It doesn’t enforce law enforcement. It doesn’t manage education. What are you expecting?

“When people feel the burn, they become vulnerable to politicians whose sole purpose is to be elected and re-elected. Some of them have no credibility whatsoever. But they lead marches and tell our people that the problem is not us; it is foreigners,” he said.