Protesters demand contracts
A LARGE group of orange overall-clad former Public Works Department employees went on the rampage in Kwazakhele yesterday, burning tyres, blocking roads and demanding the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality extend their employment contracts.
About 150 workers, mostly young men and women from Port Elizabeth townships, claim they were promised five-year contracts by Minister of Public Works Thulas Nxesi ahead of the national election on May 7.
In June, they were told their contracts had been terminated.
Furious at municipal officials, the group set alight tyres, cardboard and mattress- es in Daku Road, stopping vehicles from passing through from 8am yesterday.
They were forced to disperse five hours later when police threatened to fire teargas.
Protest leader Luxolo Narnette said they were angry with the ANC for playing on people’s desperation for employment to win their votes.
“It was a campaign stunt,” he said. “But we refuse to take being treated like dogs lying down. We will keep on protesting until we meet with the mayor. They need to feel our pain.”
According to Narnette R30-million was set aside for the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) which saw thousands of unemployed people cleaning streets and renovating schools.
“There is no way there can be no more money to keep us employed. We were told if the money runs dry, more will be injected. What will people be eating now they are without jobs again?”
Siphuxolo Nkolisa, 24, from New Brighton, said they had also been paid short from February to June.
“Our rate was R100 to R150 per day. We worked a minimum of 20 days which should have added up to much more than just the R445.50 I received from them. I’m my family’s breadwinner. How am I supposed to feed them with such little money?” he asked.
According to Nkolisa they asked city mayor Ben Fihla to address them yesterday, but he failed to arrive.
In a letter written to the protesters in July – seen by Weekend Post – the municipality’s chief operating officer, Mzwake Clay, explained there could never be permanent employment opportunities in EPWP projects.
He said the project forms part of government’s Public Employment Programme emphasising short to medium employment for vulnerable groups in society.
The letter also states the daily rate is governed by the budget for a particular project and workers had therefore been paid accordingly.
Municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said: “Contracts were explained to the EPWP participants and the start and end times were clearly indicated.”