THE South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) metro region asked mayor Patricia de Lille to establish an investigation into allegations the City was employing “whites only” for management posts in its Goodwood Disaster Risk Management offices.
The union says it has been mandated by its constituency at the Goodwood office to lay a complaint, halt the appointments of three manager posts and for the City to investigate nepotism, favouritism and the reservation of jobs.
Samwu organiser Archie Hearne said the appointments of Johann Minnies as a manager for Disaster Risk Management, Elana Prague as a store manager for Fire and Emergency Services and a person named Surita as a manager for Disaster Risk Management Operational Control Centre were flawed.
The City hit back, saying the appointments were fair and there was no wrongdoing.
In their complaint, Hearne said it was brought to Samwu’s attention that “vacant jobs" were reserved for certain “white individuals" who have left the City of Cape Town for greener pastures and have now been re-employed.
He said the Employment Equity Office had endorsed the appointments, which “is a far cry from achieving transformation within the City”.
Two of the appointments, according to Hearne, were “surprising” because both applicants were external candidates.
“Internal candidates seem to have been disqualified and or not found to be competent.”
“We therefore… request the City of Cape Town to investigate the two claims made and whether there are grounds to stop or alternatively abort the recruitment and selection process, and subject it to an internal investigation.”
The City’s media department referred all enquiries to corporate services and compliance Mayco member Xanthea Limberg.
Limberg said employment equity remained their priority.
“In respect of appointments to the safety and security directorate since January 2016, of a total of 172 new appointments less than 5% were white.
“The City is wholeheartedly committed to employment equity. One significant factor which has an impact on the City in this regard, is that our employment equity compliance can only be achieved as quickly as our natural rate of attrition takes place.
“The City is, however, constantly working towards achieving our target in a sustainable manner. We follow a competitive recruitment process and appointments are made in line with EE targets and the candidate’s overall suitability for the position. The City’s Recruitment and Selection processes are consistently applied."
After the elections Cosatu took mayor Patricia de Lille to the Equality Court,claiming there were too many white males on her mayoral committee.