By- EFF President Julius Malema Wednesday approached white restaurants and demanded that the owners give South Africans employment preference ahead of foreigners.

Malema, however, said the employers should not stop employing Zimbabweans.

He made the remarks when he toured some restaurants to establish the employment ratio of South Africans versus that of foreign nationals. He told journalists after visiting restaurants in the Mall of Africa in Midrand:
We want to make an emphasis to the owners of restaurants that no-one should stop employing Zimbabweans and say the EFF said they don’t want them.
We want Zimbabweans to work in SA. It is their home. They should make no apologies about hiring Zimbabweans or any other African brother or sister. In doing so, they must be considerate that there are locals who must at all times be given preference.
Malema was initially barred from entering Kream restaurant with a manager handing a letter telling the politician that he would not be allowed inside.
He was eventually let in and commenting after the incident, he said Kream leadership apologised for their misbehaviour and blamed it on their legal department that had allegedly given the order.

Malema added that the EFF was pushing for the protection of the rights of South Africans and making sure local citizens are prioritised when it comes to employment.
He added that they are, however, not saying “our Zimbabwean, Lesotho, eSwatini and fellow African brothers and sisters should not be employed.”

Malema’s move has been condemned by political analysts who said it could incite xenophobia against foreigners.