Hundreds queue for Israel jobs

Hundreds of youths yesterday flocked to Golden Peacock Hotel in Lilongwe where an Israeli agent is recruiting people to work in Israel under a labour export arrangement with the Malawi Government.

During a visit to the site, young men and women from across the country were seen walking in to express their interest and submit required documents.

Two young men we spoke to said as far as they are guaranteed of safety, they cannot hesitate but take up the challenge. They were apparently referring to the Israel-Hamas war.

“They [the agents] have assured us that we are going to work in farms not in the military. Life is unbearable here in Malawi and I can’t wait for my turn to go to Israel,” said one young man who asked for anonymity.

The recruitment process requires the youth to first present themselves to the agent for physical assessment before obtaining a medical report from African Bible College Clinic at a fee of K150 000 and a police clearance report at K5 000.

The applicants are also required to present a passport, national identity card and two passport-size photos before filling an eight-page form. There is no professional qualification required and the age range is between 25 and 35, The Nation established.

The development comes barely two days after the first cohort of about 221 young people was airlifted by an Israeli Airbus A321-251 on Saturday night.

Ministry of Labour Principal Secretary Wezi Kayira was yet to respond to The Nation questionnaire by press time at 8pm yesterday.

But in a statement dated November 24 2023 signed by Kayira, the Ministry of Labour said Malawi had embarked on an initiative to export labour to various countries, including Israel as part of the Tonse Alliance’s commitment to create jobs and empower youths.

The ministry said the youth going to Israel will work at certified and approved locations classified as fit and safe environment.

Reads the statement in part: “In addition, medical insurance and repatriation arrangements are in place for the youth involved. All labour exports are guided by Malawi Government’s Labour Export Programme and Harmonised Labour Export Guidelines of 2022.”

However, the arrangement has drawn mixed reactions from social and policy commentatos who have cautioned government to critically look into the issue of labour migration to avoid putting Malawians at risk as Israel is currently a war zone.

In an interview yesterday, governance and security issues expert Sherif Kaisi said Malawi has engaged in labour export deals before and it is acceptable according to the laws of Malawi, but the timing is poor.

“Peace and security is the priority of every individual and government is responsible for making sure that people are protected,” he said.

But another governance analyst Victor Chipofya faulted the government for lacking transparency on the arrangement.

He said: “This whole issue is raising a lot of questions on whether it is being done in good faith or not. Government needs to come clear on what arrangement it has with Israel, what are the work conditions, security and well-being of the people and of what benefit is it to the nation.”

However, he said if done properly, Malawi could indeed benefit economically from labour migration as some of the earnings could be repatriated to Malawi, thereby increasing the country’s gross domestic product.

Professor Wiseman Chijere Chirwa, a social scientist with expertise in governance, public health systems, labour migration, land and agrarian change research, said labour migration has positive and negative effects both to the individuals and the nation.

He said: “It is not as straightforward as black and white. There are a lot of factors that need to be considered, an elaborate legal and management instrument as well as the involvement of Parliament. It might also have a long negative effect for Malawi if we don’t handle it well.”

Leader of Opposition in Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa, who first raised the issue in Parliament last Thursday, accused the government of opting to keep the issue secret because it knows this is an “evil transaction”.

Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture is on record as having said that between 30 000 and 40 000 workers have left the country’s farms since the October 7 attacks.