Kya Sand residents march over lack of jobs
After protesting at the companies in Kya Sand Industrial Park, leaders of the movement are hopeful that the residents of Kya Sand will get employed.
Residents of Kya Sand took to the streets to protest about the employment of undocumented foreigners in the area.
The peaceful protest was led by Combat Movement Kya Sand Msawawa branch and other members from Zandspruit, on May 24. Residents handed over a memorandum of demands to companies in Kya Sand Industrial Park.
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The protesters were chanting a protest song Asina luvalo ngalento esiyenzayo (We’ve got no fear for what we are doing) as they walked to the companies.
“We have had enough of Kya Sand locals not working and illegal foreigners working at these companies,” said Phumelele Mgunuzo, the chairperson of the local organisation
“There are a lot of people here who have matriculated and some went to universities, but they are not working, which is why we decided to come here and protest.”
Mgunuzo told the Randburg Sun, “They can’t hire undocumented foreigners while South Africans aren’t working.”
According to him, it makes no sense because those people are not taxed. “They must hire 70% of the residents and 30% of foreigners with legal documentation.”
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The memorandums of demands were handed to four business parks, and they agreed to respond within 24 hours.
However, the deputy chairperson of the movement in Zandspruit, Solly Moagi, said the protest is not intended for all foreigners but for the ones who came to the country.
“We want the Department of Home Affairs to come here and verify their documents to make sure there are no fraudulent documents.”
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Albert Matsaung, the provincial manager of the Department of Affairs in Gauteng, accepted the memorandum and promised to attend to the protester’s demands.
“We will come to inspect the companies, but we will not announce our coming dates because if we do so the following day when we come, we will not find anyone.”
Matsaung applauded the leaders of the movement for requesting the department to conduct an inspection and evaluate businesses that are hiring foreign nationals without the necessary papers.
Meanwhile, the organisers of the protest said that they will continue to protest if their demands are not met.
