POLOKWANE – The Spokesperson for the Polokwane Municipality, Thipa Selala has emphasised that the protocol for the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) should be followed accordingly and that unemployed people should be given a opportunity to work on projects.
Residents from Seshego Zone 5 and Zone 8 claim that job hunters waiting in line on the database feel jobs are unfairly awarded in ward 11.
Selala explained that the database was established in 2012 with the main purpose of employing people from the community at large for casual work available at various units within the municipality. “Whenever there’s a shortage, the unit would liaise with the Human Resource Department (HR) by giving the number of casual employees needed for a specific task for a period of six months, and the number of casual workers requested is then divided among the wards.”
BONUS spoke to ward 11’s Sanco organiser, Given Molokomme who said the programme aims to provide poverty and income relief through temporary work for the unemployed, but the same people are continuously hired without giving other people a chance. “We’ve been doing follow-ups with the municipality as to what the problem might be and we even sent them a petition which more than 42 people signed, but they haven’t come back to us yet,” he said. Given added that people have registered and been added to the database since 2017 and are still waiting to be hired or called to come and work.
“Myself and ward 11 residents have tried so many times to set up meetings with the municipality, without any progress, and it’s unfair as everyone’s contract should take only up to six months, after which other people should be given a chance. But the problem here is that the same people are employed,” he said.
Given added that on 3 August, they forwarded the matter to HR after they had noticed alleged corruption within the project. “The residents’ names who registered the database in 2017 were never submitted and they were skipped. We think this project only benefits a group of political friends. All we need is for opportunities to be transparent for everyone without favour,” Given said.
Selala added that when hiring casual workers for EPWP within the municipality, they use the databases from the various cluster wards.
“In terms of capital projects within the wards, the contractor is responsible for appointing with applications submitted to the Community Liaison Officer (CLO) and processes monitored by the municipality’s public participation unit,” he said.
Selala concluded by saying that the municipality will investigate the allegations of corruption and look into why people on the list have not been employed yet.
