A group of Mandalay and Montclair residents braved the wet weather on Tuesday to march over a jobseeker database they alleged has been manipulated and flawed.
The disgruntled residents marched to the sub-council 12 office where a memorandum of demands was submitted.
The demands included a call for Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis to investigate the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) job placement and process.
According to the residents, for the past five years, Mandalay and Montclair were excluded from the programme.
They also complained about the lack of transparency and information to residents and alleged distortion of information.
Activist and Community Police Forum deputy, Lelethu Kashe, said in other communities people were being hired and were aware about how the programme worked.
“We decided to march because we have been sending emails with our complaints and they have not been addressed.
“We were told that job seeker forums must submit the numbers of unemployed people and they promised jobs.
“In July we saw other people being employed and those who filled forms not employed.
“Then the councillor told us to update our details in the data system every year, but the sub manager tells us something different … that people don’t have to update details.
“We want the city to probe this EPWP matter and reasons the councillor uses demarcation not to give us services.
“We raised our voice against the corruption and unfairness in the EPWP system whereby the same people get contracts. We don’t know if we fall under Khayelitsha or which area,” she said.
Sub-council 12 chairperson Solomon Philander said: “Sub-council 12 received the memorandum and will respond to the listed concerns in due course.”
The City did not respond to questions on whether it would investigate the allegations.
The municipality was given until September 15 to address the complaints.
Cape Times