CAPE TOWN - For eight years, 52-year-old Lionel Jones has been applying for jobs to the City and Western Cape Government (WCG) to no avail, compelling him to question their recruitment process which he alleged “favoured” internal candidates.
The Brackenfell resident holds a National Diploma in Diagnostic Radiography from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology; an Honours Degree in Human Resource Management from Stellenbosch University; and a partially completed Post-Graduate Diploma in Health Care Management.
The father of two said his list of unsuccessful applications to the provincial department of health ran over six pages, while he had about 60 unsuccessful or pending applications to the City.
“I feel disappointed, angry, frustrated and hopeless. I am a father. It is very hard. I am a registered radiographer and a qualified human resource and labour relations practitioner. My plan was to combine my expertise but I have been unable to find employment within the City of Cape Town, Provincial Government of the Western Cape and the private sector for the past eight years.
“I emailed the City and province several times and they hide behind policies, frameworks and legislation to favour internal candidates.
“The unfairness regarding recruiting and selecting between internal and external suitable candidates is wrong.
“Most vacancies are basically geared towards employees who already have jobs. They must give all applicants an equal opportunity,” he said.
The Western Cape Government (WCG) and the City have each denied the allegations.
The province said internal candidates did not receive preference.
“Candidates in the employ of the WCG do not receive any preference.
“A vacant post in the Senior Management Service must be advertised nationwide.
“Any other vacant post, must, as a minimum, be advertised within a department, but may also be advertised in the public service, locally, or nationwide,” Premier Alan Winde’s spokesperson, Cayla Murray said.
City mayco member for Corporate Services, Theresa Uys said the City followed a “robust” recruitment process.
“Due to the high unemployment rate, we receive high volumes of responses to our job adverts, thus, the competition is fierce. Selection decisions are made by a diverse selection panel based on the collective outcome of the selection process.
“Prior to filling a post, the availability of internal potential candidates, as well as the nature of the staffing solution, determines the recruitment mechanism.”
Jones said that “only an elite few have experienced economic freedom” in the country.
The unemployment rate according to StasSA in Q3:2021 increased by 0.5 of a percentage point to 34.9%, the highest since 2008.
Cape Times