WATCH: Galxcoc Youth Desk to embark in the Youth Economic Township Transformation Shutdown
ALEXANDRA – Young people in the Greater Alexandra Chamber of Commerce and Industries (Galxcoc) want corporate involvement in youth development and access to the market.
The Greater Alexandra Chamber of Commerce and Industries (Galxcoc) Youth Desk have vowed to intensify what they have described as Youth Economic Township Transformation Shutdown in the area.
This was after the wing of the local chamber of commerce led a march to hand over a memorandum of demand to various local big businesses and to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) offices in Sandton, forcing businesses and local shopping malls to shutdown during trading hours on Monday, 18 November.
Communications manager at Galxcoc Youth Desk, Kagiso Leso, said the shutdown was aimed at calling the attention of big corporate in the area to be part of youth development, comply with BEE and lend a helping hand to struggling small businesses in the area. “We don’t want handouts and donations from them. Big companies operating in the area are not doing anything to uplift and develop young entrepreneurs,” he said.
“We want to convey a very strong message to them… None of these big businesses are interested in buying from local producers. They have not only failed the community of Alex but [they have also failed] to comply with BEE which requires them to buy up to 40 per cent of goods from local small businesses. They only take and but they don’t give back to the community of Alexandra in which they operate,” he claimed.
Leso said they were expecting the JSE and local businesses to respond to their list of demands within 14 working days. “We handed over our memorandum of demand to all relevant stakeholders and we are expecting them to respond to our demands in 14 days. We cannot accept to be a dumping site for Mandela Day and deprived of our right to fairly participate in the market as small businesses.”
This was the second shutdown in Alexandra this year following a service delivery shutdown protest in April that was marred by violent protest activities which left roads damaged as a result of fire burnt by protesters.
Alexandra Police Station spokesperson Captain Stephen Malatjie said protesters marched peacefully from Alexandra Township to the JSE offices in Sandton. “There were no incidents of violence or damage to property reported on the day of the shutdown. Protesters marched peacefully from the township to Sandton. Our members monitored the situations until marchers returned to the township,” Malatjie said.
