Nothing depresses me more about our country than our attitude towards immigration. We fight to keep people out. I’ve just heard that the CEO of a major foreign-owned company has had to return home and re-apply for a work permit. His company employs more than 5,000 South Africans.
I had some of the best pasta I’ve ever tasted in a little Italian restaurant near Cape Town the other day. I can’t actually describe how good it was. I’m not a foodie or a food writer, but I swear it was absolutely extraordinary. Trust me, I’m a journalist. The restaurant is run by actual Italians. They employ six black South Africans. The department of home affairs is threatening to revoke the Italians’ work permits. It can’t be anything substantive, though as I’ve written here recently the government’s critical skills list is being cut back sharply, meaning it feels we need fewer skills because we can do most things ourselves. It could be that the ability and experience required to produce the pasta I had the other day is now widely available among South Africans themselves. Nothing depresses me more about our country than our attitude towards immigration. We fight to keep people out. I’ve just heard that the CEO of a major foreign-owned company has had to return home and re-apply...
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