Seskhona’s Andile Lilli and Loyiso Nkohla outside the High Court in Cape Town in September. Photo by Masixole Feni.
6 November 2014
Ses’khona Peoples Rights Movement has given the Western Cape regional office of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa seven working days to respond to its memorandum of demands.
The group claims that Prasa promised 24,000 jobs to them together with Progressive Women of South Africa on 14 July 2014. It accuses ANC provincial secretary Songezo Mjongile of being a stumbling block.
In a memorandum that was read out at the Cape Town railway station on Thursday, Ses’khona said that together with the Progressive Women’s Movement of South Africa they had presented a project to Prasa which would create up to 24,000 jobs.
The project involves rehabilitating the railway infrastructure in the Western Cape and eradicating vandalism of the Metrorail network. Prasa must offer skills development to participants to ensure sustainable livelihoods and encourage positive economic participation for the marginalised.
It also wants Prasa to free itself from “political meddling” by ANC Western Cape Provincial Secretary General Songezo Mjongile and the DA provincial premier Helen Zille.
The memorandum also addressed national minister of transport Dipuo Peters. Ses’khona want her to expand Prasa’s budget to ensure it creates opportunities and sustainable projects such as the one they propose.
Ses’khona members came in hundreds to march and sang anti-Mjongile songs.
Residents of informal settlement Marikana on their own march to Wynberg Magistrate Court arrived during the proceedings to team up with Ses’khona. The march was scheduled to proceed after handing the memorandum to Prasa to the provincial offices of the ANC in the Western Cape.
The group claim Mjongile held meetings with Prasa an attempt to stop the project from being awarded to Ses’khona to prevent the movement gaining political mileage.
But plans to go to ANC offices failed when the members were told not to march there because of security reasons. It was reported that ANC members had mobilised outside the provincial offices. Several Ses’khona leaders spoke from a truck that served as temporary stage and criticized the ANC in the province and Mjongile’s leadership.
Seskhona supporters march to hand over a memorandum to Prasa. Photo by Masixole Feni.
The movement spokesperson, Sithembele Majova said, “Those that are claiming to be defending the ANC are actually defending the man who is ruining it.”
Meanwhile Ses’khona leader Andile Lili was shot Wednesday night in his vehicle outside his house.
Majova said, Lili’s shooting was not a robbery but a political assassination [attempt] which was organised at Thibault Square, seventh floor Sahara House [which is the ANC Western Cape Provincial Offices]. He said, “They have been fighting Andile, they tried to fire him from the party but failed. They removed him from the council but now are attempting to kill him.”
Lili’s brother Mpucuko Nguzo told journalists that he was in a serious but stable condition in hospital this morning and security around him was tight. According to a spokesperson for the Western Cape Health Department, Lili is in a critical condition.
Songezo Mjongile issued a statement on Wednesday dismissing the accusations of political meddling and expressing dismay at the City of Cape Town allowing the march.
Prasa responded: “There is no partnership between Ses’khona and PRASA (Metrorail). Metrorail Western Cape was approached by a community-based women’s organization, the Progressive Women’s Movement (PWM) with a job creation proposal involving youth and women in a project to clean rail reserves. A draft proposal was presented to the PRASA Group CEO, who recognising the need for job creation, proposed a joint working group to assess the feasibility of the PWM initiative. The matter is still in proposal stage and no formalised arrangement exists. No one under the name of PRASA/Metrorail is being recruited nor will be appointed until the project is formally approved.”