Councillor denies allegations of corruption and diverting jobs to pals

Residents from Noordgesig’s ward 29 in Soweto were up in arms this week against ward councillor Brenda Dammie, accusing her of giving work and business opportunities in the area to outsiders.

They protested on streets and blockaded roads, only dispersing after the police were called. Dammie has denied the claims. Community leader and member of the Patriotic Alliance Ishmael Steenkamp claimed Dammie handled all job CVs, saying she “hand-picked” the people she wanted to be appointed.

“Contracts in the area are directed to her and all her affiliations are employed and most of the time it has never been people from the area,” he said.

“She once summoned me to her house, letting me know that she helped me get part of the project at a school so I need to pay up, but I told her I will not do that.”

Steenkamp said the Expanded Public Works Programme had not given people from the community a fair chance at employment.

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“The positions were not advertised in our community groups or forums and we only found out about it when the current employees from other areas said their contracts are ending and there were new posts available. But the application window is already closed,” he said.

A resident, Phillip Williams, said: “This is a big problem as our kids sit at home with degrees and are not even offered any opportunities.”

Antoinette Basson, who has been selling sweets to make ends meet for 14 years, said every day was a struggle. Her daughter is an IT graduate but cannot find work.

“The councillor is doing nothing. “She does not even call meetings or inform the community about job openings. She is honestly never here,” she said.

However, Dammie denied all allegations of corruption and said the claims that people from other areas were being hired were not true. According to Dammie, if the department had employment opportunities, they advertised them without informing her.

“Most departments advertise online, so I have nothing to do with this,” she said. “If they believe as a councillor I am corrupt then they must prove it.”