Municipality in North West denies reserving jobs for ANC

Moses Kotane local municipality in North West has refuted allegations that it is only recruiting ANC card-carrying members for employment.

The municipality says it never deviated from the legal recruitment processes, but residents are unconvinced and protested at the municipality in Mogwase on Thursday.

Anger over list of names

They submitted a complaint about alleged unfair recruitment practices to the council after at least 14 names of ANC card-carrying members were circulated on social media allegedly earmarked for the 49 jobs advertised by the municipality.

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The listed ANC members were from the party branches and the list was allegedly submitted by councillors.

One of the protesters, speaking anonymously, yesterday said the group was addressed by municipal manager Mokopane Letsoalo.

He said the list was fake, but the names on it were some of the people who applied for the jobs.

Letsoalo said he was unsure whether they were shortlisted for interviews or not.

‘Democratisation and development’

The angry residents demanded that jobs be offered equitably to address the injustices of the past, historic inequalities, workplace imbalances and prejudices caused by apartheid policies and comply with employment equity and affirmative action policies.

“South Africans recognise the injustices of the past and they believe our democratic government has put in place policies to heal the divisions and to build a workforce based on democratic values, fair labour practices and human rights.

“Local governance entails transformation in the form of reconstruction, democratisation and development,” they said.

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The municipality refuted allegations of unfair recruitment processes and distanced itself from the hiring list.

List allegedly fake

Spokesperson Berlina Lekgwethane said: “The fake recruitment list aims to intentionally damage the municipality’s reputation.”

Meanwhile, ANC North West refuted reports that national chair Gwede Mantashe had interfered with the by-elections in ward 45 in Rustenburg resulting in the ANC losing the ward.

uMkhonto weSizwe candidate Thabiso Molefe won by a large margin. Mantashe and the ANC provincial leadership reportedly were to blame for the ANC loss after allegedly imposing an unwanted candidate.

However, ANC provincial secretary Louis Diremelo said Mantashe was not involved in by-elections.