South African sugar farmers face labour shortage as migrant workers leave

Sugar cane farmers in KwaZulu-Natal province say a severe labour shortage is threatening the harvest, as thousands of mainly undocumented migrant workers have left South Africa amid rising anti-migrant sentiment and violence. Farmers warn that without enough workers, sugar output could fall, potentially forcing imports and harming an industry that is a major export earner. Labour unions dispute this, arguing that South Africans are willing to do the work but are being overlooked because they would demand fair, legally mandated wages. Al Jazeera’s Haru Mutasa reports from Stanger, South Africa. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X: https://X.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile #SouthAfrica #SugarCane #SugarIndustry #KwaZuluNatal #Stanger #MigrantWorkers #LabourShortage #FarmWorkers #SouthAfricaEconomy #WorkersRights #Migration #Agriculture