A call was made for all South Africans to acquire skills that will make them self-sufficient in order stop blaming foreigners for job losses.

Speaking during an event to welcome new students at Mvelaphanda Skills Development Training and Projects at Tshisahulu, businesswoman-cum-community-leader and founder of the centre, Ms Esther Mushaathama, said there had been a lot of violence directed at foreigners by locals.

She said locals saw foreigners as competitors and claimed that they were taking their jobs and wages. According to her, this could change if the youth could be given the chance to acquire skills that would make them self-sufficient. "Most of our youth are not working because of the lack of skills. Some have good academic qualifications, but cannot find jobs. We need people who are equipped with skills that can create jobs for themselves,” she emphasised.

She said her institution had produced many people over the years who went out and were making a contribution to the country's economy.

Mr Abraham Welawela, one of the former students who followed a course in the hospitality industry, and now a manager at one of the local guest houses, said the centre had changed his life for the better. “I was reduced to a beggar and was absolutely nothing when I arrived here in 1998. I did not have any money, but Ms Mushaathama gave me the chance to study and today I am proud that I am living my dreams,” he said.