Youths from Waterval's Ward 16 claim that their councillor had improperly hired workers for two community projects, one of which involves the paving of Djunane Street, and the other the gravelling of the road leading to the graveyard. This after only 14 general workers were hired last month for both projects out of the 549 candidates.
The dissatisfied youths demand equal employment for all and requested a second meeting with the councillor, Ms Joyce Simangwe, to clarify how other workers, such as security officers and engineers, were hired. Simangwe had availed herself and her committee for an initial meeting, which was held at Djunane Primary School on Sunday, 24 June. The second meeting was held on Monday, 25 July, but the youths said that they had not received the answers they wanted and this time they also requested to see the scope of both projects. Among several demands made regarding Simangwe's leadership was the rotation of employment in all community-based projects, including school-assistant positions. The complainants also demanded that employees who are employed illegally or through back doors be removed immediately, and that Simangwe inform the entire community about the progress of both projects.
One of the complainants, Rixongile Shidzinga, emphasised that they wanted individuals to be hired properly and fairly. "We don't want only people who live in areas where streets are being built to get jobs. But we want equal employment for all, with no favouritism or nepotism. The councillor must understand that she is serving us and that she must report back to us in a transparent manner," he said.
Another complainant, Lufuno Maladzha, said. "Only those who picked the [ballot] paper written 'Yes' should continue working, but those who were employed illegally should stop, because it's unfair as we are all looking for employment," she said.
Simangwe denied the allegations of unfair hiring practices. According to her, the 14 general workers hired on both projects are from the community, but she was not sure, when questioned, how many workers had shown up with the contractor.
"I first consulted the community members, but the majority of the youths in this ward do not attend community meetings. We hired labourers from Ward 16, but only from the biggest voting stations (VD), which is Mulweli 5, Djunani VD 3, Hlalelani VD 3 and Aubrey church VD 3," she said.
The chairperson of the steering committee, Mr Marilele Maluleke, agreed that all the hiring processes had been followed. "We don't see anything wrong with the way the workers were hired. All the community members were invited. We also distributed the advert to student trainees for civil engineering and environmental management on Monday, 1 August," he said.