17 March 2021
Protesters demanding jobs in the Coega Indusrial Development Zone blocked roads into Motherwell on Tuesday. Photo: Joseph Chirume
All access roads into Motherwell, Gqeberha, were barricaded on Tuesday with burning tyres by members of Ibhayi Workers’ Forum. The protesters were demanding jobs through the Coega Development Corporation (CDC).
Ibhayi Workers’ Forum says it represents the unemployed residents of Motherwell. Protesters were demanding that companies in the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) hire local residents. They said companies were bringing workers from outside.
There were about 200 protesters scattered in small groups burning tyres along the R334 (Kariega Rd) and R345 (Addo Rd).
“Our main grievance is that companies are bringing with them unskilled workforce from outside. Most of our members submitted their CVs at the CDC many years ago.”
“There are jobs that should be reserved for locals like that of general labourers, cleaners, semi-skilled jobs, boilermakers, welders, electricians, drivers and many more that are not classified as critical shortage skills jobs. We have people who are seated at home but are qualified for these jobs,” said the Forum coordinator, Zizi Ntame.
He said they would escalate their protest action until their grievances were met.
Ntame said the only way to stop the migration of local people to other provinces was by forcing companies to employ local residents. We want to stop the importation of workers into our area.”
Ntame cited some haulage companies in the IDZ that he said are overlooking local drivers. “One such company brought an entire workforce of drivers from another province though there are many drivers who are not working in this area,” said Ntame.
CDC Head of Marketing, Brand and Communications, Dr Ayanda Vilakazi, said his organisation had an established process for job seekers. “The CDC has over the years, through investors, provided employment opportunities to various stakeholders within the Eastern Cape and created in excess of 120,000 jobs.”
Vilakazi said the Zone Labour Agreement, which included trade unions, stipulated when contractors could bring in external workforce.
“However, as a general rule, all opportunities follow an 80/20 principle, with 80% of the workforce coming from the local community and 20% from the contractor,” he said.
He said the zone had an employment database in conjunction with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, categorised according to skill sets.
“It should be noted that investors, do however, have the liberty of recruiting workers outside of the CDC database and in line with the Labour Relations Act,” said Vilakazi.
A woman who was among a small group of women burning tyres near the Ramaphosa informal settlement, Addo Rd, said she had submitted her CV at the CDC in 2006. She had applied for a general work position.
“I have been checking since then and they often tell me that my name is still in the database. I live in the same township with people who came from outside our region with their employers and are doing general jobs. They arrived long after I had submitted my application,” she said.
A man who has a Code 10 driving licence said he had given up looking for a job using the CDC. “I am no longer hopeful at Coega. It’s about eight years now since I submitted my CV. The companies just came with their drivers.”