Former trainees take their fight to Ramaphosa
A group of former Mpumalanga Traffic Training College students have told President Cyril Ramaphosa that they want to be reinstated to finish their training.
They were recruited to participate in the traffic learnership programme spearheaded by the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison in January.
Months later they were issued letters informing them of maladministration that had allegedly occurred when recruiting took place. Their contracts were terminated and they were kicked out of the college.
They waited for an opportune moment and on Sunday they presented their grievances to President Cyril Ramaphosa when he visited Tekwane South to monitor projects currently being carried out there.
Representing the 125 former trainees was Basani Nkuna who told Ramaphosa how difficult their lives have been since they were kicked out of the learnership programme.
“Some of us will be turning 35 years soon and this means we will not be considered for employment opportunities, especially by government. This learnership programme was our last hope. What makes things even worse is the fact that when we try to register for the R350 social relief grant, the system rejects us because it shows that we are employed by the state,” she said.
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“How are we going to vote when this very same government doesn’t even give itself time to listen to us and fix the problems at hand?
We love the ANC but we don’t see a reason why we must vote for it now. All that we want and that we are asking for is to return to the traffic college, because we haven’t done anything wrong, even though we are told that it was our fault,” she continued.
She instead blamed government for playing politics with them, citing that they were hired on merit and if there were problems in the process they must not suffer due to government’s mistakes.
Ramaphosa promised the former learners that he will discuss the matter with the acting provincial chairperson of the ANC, Mandla Ndlovu, and Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane.
“Thank you for raising this matter in the manner that you did. I can see it is a matter that pains you and all the others. I want to assure you that it has been noted and we will deliberate on it.
This matter will be thoroughly discussed and examined. I am really impressed by the way all of you have raised it. I am impressed because you have not gone out to damage and break anything. But I don’t want you to link this issue with exercising your human right to vote. These are two separate issues,” said Ramaphosa.
