MK VETS LAND CITY JOBS
Fears of unrest over forceful demands
THE ethekwini Municipality has kowtowed to the strong-arm tactics of the umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) and awarded jobs to more than 80 people who claimed to have served the ANC’S armed wing.
More than 100 MKMVA members stormed the Durban City Hall on Tuesday, demanding jobs.
Afterwards, Durban’s mayor, Zandile Gumede, allegedly issued a directive instructing the municipality’s human resources department to award jobs to MKMVA members who had previously applied for employment.
City manager Sipho Nzuza confirmed on Friday that 15 MKMVA members would start working tomorrow as full-time general assistants in the city’s Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), while another 36 would be allocated jobs with effect from May in the Department of Roads and Stormwater Maintenance, and 30 in Parks and Recreation.
Nzuza said this was in line with the national Military Veterans Act which states that municipalities, government departments and stateowned entities should support umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) veterans and their dependants by providing jobs, advice on business opportunities, access to municipal health services and housing. The names and credentials of those claiming to be MK veterans, who have now been given jobs in the city, have not been publicly disclosed by either the municipality or the MKMVA.
The 15 MKMVA members who will start work tomorrow refused to be interviewed.
“There is a list of all those who were verified as genuine members of the military,” said Nzuza. “Going forward, I will be approaching other government institutions to come on board and provide job opportunities for them because the municipality at the moment does not have vacancies for all of them.”
MKMVA provincial spokesperson Themba Mavundla has welcomed the city’s latest move, claiming that its members had waited a long time for the city to deliver on its promise to provide them with jobs.
This week’s decision is likely to spark an outcry among people who successfully applied for the same positions that are now being taken by the MKMVA members.
A well-informed source within the municipality said: “The problem is that some people have gone through the normal recruitment process. They passed the tests and interviews and (were) told they had got the job and would be starting next month.
“HR people will now have to go back and tell them they will no longer be starting work because their positions have been taken by MK people. This whole thing is a mess. People who were supposed to start work have a right to even take the municipality to court over the issue,” said the source.
The MKMVA’S demands for city jobs also follow its members’ invasion of several housing projects, most recently in Pietermaritzburg and Port Shepstone.
Political analyst Lukhona Mnguni said that while the demands of genuine MK veterans for jobs and housing were justifiable, he questioned the MKMVA’S tactics.
He also warned of unrest if the ethekwini Municipality continued to entertain forceful demands from organisations such as the MKMVA and Amadelangokubona, a business forum that has used political connections and strong-arm tactics to land tenders and government contracts.
“It fuels this notion that for you to be listened to, there must be a form of protest that is beyond peaceful. If we look at it in the context of ethekwini politics, it’s a growing trend, which is a danger,” said Mnguni.
“If the municipality keeps on entertaining that culture, it might just cement great social unrest in the city and that would no be good for governance because clearly opportunities will no longer be transferred to society in a fair and equitable manner. They would be based on who makes the most violent demands.”
Mnguni said Gumede should be engaging other government spheres in addressing the needs of MK veterans.
“Inter-co-operative governance is something that is promoted by our own constitution, and in government there’s a division that deals with ex-combatants looking after them.”
Mayoral spokesperson Mthunzi Gumede said ethekwini had established a dedicated office supporting the veterans.
“The mayor is looking at capacitating that office to become efficient. As the city, we recognise the role played by them (MK veterans) and we are committed to ensuring that they are looked after as per the policy,” said Gumede.
“Those who have been employed did their interviews last year, but there was a delay for them to start work. The mayor tasked the city manager to look at what caused the delay so that in future we prevent such incidents where we have people protesting at the doorstep of the city hall.”
Philani Mthembu, an MKMVA regional executive committee member, said the organisation would wait patiently “until all its members were taken care of by the government”.
The organisation has reported that it has 20 000 members. Mthembu said the MKMVA had 750 members in Durban. “We have waited for 22 years to get jobs, houses and other needs. We do not mind waiting until all the needs of our members are met,” he said.
“We are not criminals. These are people who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the country. The government should have taken care of them long ago. They do not want to use force. All they are asking for are jobs so they can take care of themselves.”
Interviewed at a protest at former president Jacob Zuma’s court appearance on Friday, national MKMVA spokesperson Carl Niehaus applauded Gumede for being the first mayor to open a special office for MK veterans, but said the way the MKMVA members had expressed their demands in Durban on Tuesday was “a bit problematic”.
“I think comrades (MK veterans) should have done it a little differently considering the mayor is really trying her best,” he said.
National MKMVA chairperson Kebby Maphatsoe has called for tough action to be taken against people masquerading as MK veterans in demanding municipal jobs and interfering with government housing projects. in terms of