Unemployed Capetonians march for jobs, safety and water

Residents of Xakabantu informal settlement in Vrygrond marched on Friday. Photo: Mary-Anne Gontsana

About 70 people marched up Vrygrond Avenue on Friday to highlight their need for jobs, safety, and basic services.

Under the Back To Work Campaign (B2WC), the protesters who were mostly from Xakabantu informal settlement, marched to the corner of Vrygrond Avenue and Prince George Drive.

Wendy Nitscki said she lost her job five years ago after temporarily losing the use of her legs. Since recovering, she has struggled to find work again.

“I am a 50-year-old woman. I know getting a job at this age is difficult, but I am willing to do any type of work, even if I sweep the street. We are a big family. None of us are employed, and we survive on my 75-year-old father’s pension and my sister’s disability grant,” said Nitscki.

Before the march, residents aired their grievances during a dialogue held at a community centre in Vrygrond.

Many residents at the dialogue filled out the City of Cape Town’s jobseekers’ forms that were being handed out to be added to the City’s database for when opportunities become available.

One resident said during the dialogue, “I don’t see the point of these forms anymore. I have lost count of how many of these forms I have filled out and submitted, but here I am still an unemployed mother of three.”

Some residents alleged that people were using bribes to get jobs.

In their memorandums, one addressed to Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and the other to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the residents say only a small fraction of the Vrygrond community are employed under the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), and the EPWP does not provide job security because contracts are short term.

They also asked for a solution to the lack of water infrastructure in Xakabantu, where people currently depend on water truck deliveries. The residents also said the community was marred by gang violence and it had become worse since the Vrygrond Neighbourhood Watch stopped patrolling.

“We had a neighbourhood watch, however we could not sustain it because it was difficult for us to pay for it out of our pockets. As a community we request that SAPS give recognition to the Vrygrond Neighbourhood Watch and properly register it.”

The community has vowed to continue marching and protesting in the coming weeks until they are heard and acknowledged.

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