Party loyalty for municipal jobs

ALFRED Nzo district municipality has come under fire for questioning jobseekers about their party political affiliations in their application form for employment.

The South African Public Services Union (Sapsu) in Mbizana has criticised the municipality, saying that having job applicants indicate which political party they were affiliated to would disadvantage those who were not members of the governing ANC.

The municipality advertised 152 extended public works programme (EPWP) positions and directed applicants to submit an employment form, obtainable from the municipality’s website or offices. In the form, job-seekers are asked if they hold any political office, which party they were affiliated to and, if any, when membership expired.

Municipal spokesman Lubabalo Majenge said not everyone was required to answer the section requesting details of which party applicants were affiliated to.

“The part of the job application form that required applicants to provide [details of] political affiliation, is only applicable to senior managers referred to as Section 56 managers, who are directly accountable to the municipal manager,” he said.

The Municipal Systems Act states that a municipal manager – or manager directly accountable to a municipal manager – may not hold office in a political party, whether in a permanent, temporary or acting capacity.

However, the employment form does not specify who is required to fill in the information.

Sapsu said it was concerned that job-seekers affiliated to opposition parties might not be employed, even if they were the best qualified candidate.

The acting chairman of Sapsu in Mbizana, Zwelihle Moya, said yesterday that employing people on the basis of political party affiliation was unfair.

Alfred Nzo was rated earlier this year as the worst place to live in in South Africa by the SA Institute of Race Relations.

“We are assuming that a DA person or someone from any other party that is not in governance has no chance of getting the job,” Moya said. “If in order to get a job you have to be a member of a certain political party, where exactly are we heading towards as a country?”

Constitutional law expert Pierre de Vos said yesterday that unless applying for a position as a judge, asking job-seekers which political parties they were affiliated to was unconstitutional.

“Your political affiliation is not allowed to play a role in your employment for a normal job. “That is unconstitutional.”