Three members of the controversial G@tvol Capetonian group went on a reported hunger strike on Tuesday January 8 in front of the Mitchell’s Plain Department of Labour office over seven appointments the department made more than a year ago.
Fadiel Adams, Randy Saint Nel and Selvyn Theron brought their camping chairs along with a memorandum of their demands, which include to have the department’s employment screening process vetted, to know where the coloured representation is, the demographics of the panel members who appoint applicants and who signed off on the seven appointments.
Mr Adams said: “A year ago we picketed in front of this building where they appointed seven black people and the department could not give us information as to why this is. Management were notified of our strike and they wanted us to come to their Cape Town offices and we said no, they need to meet us in Mitchell’s Plain. They are also robbing our children of hope. It is bigger than jobs.”
On Thursday January 10, they called off their hunger strike as Marten Leukes, acting provincial head of the Department of Labour, met with them and received the memorandum. However, before this, on Monday January 7, comments were flowing on Facebook after the founder of the DStv Mitchell’s Plain Festival, Rozario Brown, posted a status regarding the department’s appointment of seven black people as employees in 2018 when no “coloured and Indian persons were elected”, (“Protests over jobs at ‘Plain labour office”, Plainsman, January 24 2018).
This after a year has progressed and still no answer from the labour department on appointing employees and how they were selected, said Mr Brown. “My son applied for a vacancy at the department and put it in the boxes at their offices. He has not heard back from them. What are they doing with all these applications collected in a box?”
Mr Brown said they should give young people opportunities to be appointed for these jobs. “Every day they are looking for work but cannot find them because most of the vacancies are filled. This is a predominantly coloured community and not one was appointed.”
Adrian Carolissen from Kuils River, has applied twice at the Mitchell’s Plain offices. He is on most of the job sites and applies when notifications pop up. “I can’t understand that I can’t even land an interview after I’ve applied several times. I have a national diploma in human resources. I don’t understand how I could not land an interview as I have done this for at least 13 years.”
Bronwyn Witbooi from Lentegeur has applied four times to the Mitchell’s Plain office and never received an answer from them. She has a diploma in office administration from the Robert Sobukwe College in Cape Town, a certificate in home care and basic life support and has been a hospitality hostess at Constantiaberg Medical Clinic in Plumstead.
“I agree it’s a race thing, some of the people who are appointed are not qualified,” she claimed.
According to the Employment Equity Act the purpose of the act is to achieve equity in the workplace, by promoting equal opportunity and fair treatment in employment through the elimination of unfair discrimination; and implementing affirmative action measures to redress the disadvantages in employment experienced by designated groups, to ensure their equitable representation in all occupational categories and levels in the workforce.
Mr Leukes said their department would clarify the issue after they had had a look at the memorandum. “This will be discussed within two weeks of receiving the memo. People are on leave.”
Mr Leukes confirmed that they only receive applications through drop-box and no online or faxed applications.
He said the national office had been notified of the memorandum and the demands therein.
G@tvol Capetonian will meet with the department on Tuesday January 22.