The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport‘s Amajuba District offices, situated on Faraday Street in Newcastle, have been barricaded by disgruntled members of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
Speaking with Newcastillian News, on Wednesday, 8 November 2023, the protesters raised concerns about the alleged irregularities in the recent recruitment process conducted by the local department.
With the EPWP workers gathered outside the Department’s Newcastle offices to air their grievances—their protests centred around a recent recruitment drive for Road Aid Workers positions.
One EPWP member, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed their frustration, stating, “During the recruitment programme, we were called in for assessments and were assured that we would be given the jobs once the process was complete. However, people from outside of Newcastle were brought in and given the jobs.”
The new hires reportedly hailed from Ladysmith, prompting local EPWP members to question the transparency of the recruitment process. As a result, the protesters are demanding justice, a fair recruitment process, and a meeting with the MEC of Transport to address their concerns.
Four memorandums have been submitted to the local offices since the beginning of October 2023.
These memorandums outline the EPWP members’ attempts to seek answers from the Head of Department and request a detailed explanation of the recruitment process to assess the fairness of the alleged new hires.
Regarding the equality of the alleged new hires, an EPWP member said, the process needed to be reviewed as they (nonlocals) did not have to take the written assessments, which the Newcastle based members had to complete. Further allegations surfaced that the panel responsible for allegedly hiring the individuals personally knew the Ladysmith people.
Furthermore, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport’s Newcastle office was approached for comment, but no response was available at the time of publication.
With the EPWP members receiving no satisfactory response, and having chained the gates closed, one protestor said, “We, as the EPWP participants, decided to close the gates on Monday, 6 November, until the MEC comes to answer our questions. We don’t want to talk to the HOD as he explained that he was not part of the recruitment process, so the gates will remain closed until the MEC comes to us.”
While the protestors demand answers, security personnel and police are monitoring the situation to ensure the strike does not escalate.
Furthermore, delays in service delivery are expected with the EPWP members locking the main gates to the premises.
As the situation unfolds, local residents and stakeholders are urged to share their thoughts on the matter in the comment section below.
