Preventing Companies from Hiring Illegal Immigrants is a Wrong Decision in South Africa

A Moral and Economic Call for Change

| By Collen Makumbirofa | Makumbirofa Farms

This is wrong and this is against God. From our hands we shall eat.

Illegal immigrants deserve to eat, buy food and buy clothes and send their children to school or help their parents. They also pay tax indirectly. We must not think carnally. Our minds are becoming empty. Leave immigrants to run salons and to work in those low-paying jobs.

Preventing immigrants from working and running salons will cause an increase in prostitution and crime. This is a call to lawlessness.

The Root of the Problem

There is no country without illegal immigrants. Illegal immigration is caused by poverty and social injustices. Illegal immigrants must be allowed to work and must be given the opportunity to legalize themselves.

We are Becoming Pharisees

We are becoming hard-hearted, evil, and modern-day Pharisees. Laws that make immigrants illegal can be changed and must be changed. Immigrants must be given the opportunity to be legal. This is not merely a policy question—it is a spiritual one.

Illegal immigrants are poor and suffering people. Why should people be punished for being poor? These include widows and orphans. Most of them are poor not because of their faults. They are poor because the world is oppressive and evil. They are poor because they are denied opportunity and justice.

The Structural Reality

Social structures impoverish the people. That is why we are commanded not to be judgmental but to help strangers and the poor. Some are born from poor families, some were never sent to school, some lost their parents while they were young. Some fled wars and possible death. We must be grateful to see them.

Illegal immigrants, poverty, persecutions, suffering, and oppression are found in the same place. We must help the poor and not judge them in case tomorrow we become poor ourselves.

A Question of Values

We must not be led by pagans and evil people as far as compassion and key issues are concerned. When the laws of men conflict with the laws of God and compassion, we must obey the laws of God and be compassionate to all human beings.

All human life is sacred—document or no document

The choice is clear: Do we follow the hardening of hearts that strips dignity from the vulnerable, or do we choose the harder path of compassion and inclusion? Do we enforce unjust laws that drive people toward desperation, or do we reshape those laws to honor human dignity?

Illegal immigrants bring labor, skills, cultural richness, and economic contribution to South Africa. They fill critical gaps in our economy. They sustain families across borders through remittances. They deserve the opportunity to work, to provide for themselves and their families, and to transition from illegality to legal status through pathways created by governments that choose compassion.

The question is not whether immigrants should be allowed to work. The question is whether we, as a nation, still believe in human dignity.

South Africa’s founding principles speak of human rights, dignity, and Ubuntu—the recognition that our humanity is bound up in the humanity of others. These principles are not negotiable. They are our moral foundation.

If this message resonates with you, if you believe in dignity for all human beings, I invite you to support this work of advocacy and justice.

Makumbirofa Farms is engaged in community economic development projects that provide opportunities for vulnerable populations—including immigrants—to build sustainable livelihoods.

Please support this mission through a donation:

PayPal: makumbirofac@gmail.com

Collen Makumbirofa

Makumbirofa Farms

Website: www.makumbirofafarms.co.za
Email: admin@makumbirofafarms.co.za