Cape Town - Langa residents were set to escalate protests in the township on Monday morning after they claimed they have been given “no answers” on alleged corrupt hiring practices at a new mall built in the area.
Protests began on Wednesday morning after the R60 million Langa Junction mall, situated at the train station, was opened for business. Heralded as an economic boost for the township, that would create 200 jobs for residents, angry protesters said it had not benefited anyone, at least not in Langa.
Sihle Tshabalala, a former representative on the Project Steering Committee for the mall, said most of the jobs were being given to residents of other townships.
Tshabalala has vowed to continue protesting until the “steering committee’s corruption has been exposed”. “These jobs are being given to people who don’t live in Langa. Now we have this big mall and it is not benefiting anyone here… I ask you, what is the point of this mall then?”
Granbuild’s Winslow Hare said the majority of subcontractors came from the local community. Granbuild handled the mall’s construction.
The centre, which already includes a host of tenants including Shoprite, will also offer opportunities to local entrepreneurs to set up trading. Langa Junction forms part of an extensive upgrade of the local train station and surrounding precinct.
But Tshabalala claimed that people hired by both the contracting company and the stores that have taken over new space had lied about their addresses.
“They ask friends and family living here for their address and pretend that they are from here. That is not fair. Now, we have people desperate for these 200 jobs but they have been excluded.”
The chairman of the steering committee, local ward councillor Nelliswa Ngqose, was unavailable for comment.
But another one of the area’s councillors, Mayenzeke Sopaqa, said if Tshabalala’s claims were true, it would be a serious concern. “If people in Langa are not getting the jobs at this mall, if that really is the case, that is a very serious concern.”
Cape Argus