Chaos in Elim over employment opportunities for locals
Residents in Elim claim a shopping centre in the area's main purpose was to provide employement opportunities for local residents which isn't being fulfilled.
LIMPOPO – Chaos erupted in the Elim area on Thursday and Friday morning when community members barricaded roads and set alight tyres, demanding that employment opportunities at a mall be granted to local community members.
Residents closed shops and schools, and no transport was available on the day either.
Residents claimed that one of the shopping centre’s main purposes was to provide employment opportunities for local residents, and that this promise was not being fulfilled.
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Community leader Walter Mabasa said that they were opposing the decision by shop managers to recruit workers from outside the area.
“The managers undermine the communities so we have decided to march and hand over a memorandum. Currently, the rate of unemployment in the area is very high. You just need to visit these communities to know that it’s true and how people are suffering from unemployment,” he said.
He said that they were thankful to businesspeople for empowering their communities by establishing shops so close to them.
“This mall is built within the area, but only a small number of the local people from our villages are being employed. Our people are continuously being neglected, while they should be considered first for job opportunities.”
He said crime was rife in Elim and most of those responsible were unemployed.
“We realised shop owners are hiring friends or relatives who are from outside our area. This should not be the case.”
He said attempts to engage mall management to hire more people from the area had been unsuccessful.
“The mall is not going to open until we meet the owners of this mall,” said Mabasa.
Some of the hawkers who sell vegetables next to the mall said though they are in support of the shutdown, they will run at a loss if this continues.
The management of Elim mall declined the opportunity to comment on CV’s questions. The team was expected to meet community leaders on October 17.
