Tshwane Metro said white man's recommendation for position was ‘irregular'

Tshwane Metro refuses to provide information to a Solidarity member regarding the reason he has not been appointed in a position for which he had applied and allegedly been recommended for. Jan Pretorius applied for the position of foreman in the Metro's Department of Water and Sanitation where he has been employed since 1999. In a letter the Metro stated that the intention never was that white people could apply for the position but that the interview panel had nonetheless recommended a white man for the post, which was ‘irregular'.

Dirk Groenewald, head of Solidarity's Centre for Fair Labour Practices, said Pretorius submitted a grievance to try to obtain information on the recommendation for the post. ‘We have also sent numerous letters to the Metro and requested them to supply Pretorius with the necessary information, and to resolve his grievance. However, it is clear that the Metro is deliberately withholding information from Pretorius. We have requested the Metro to provide us with the interview panel's recommendation by Friday, or else we will proceed with legal action.'

Groenewald said Pretorius had applied for the position and was invited for an interview in March last year. ‘However, he did not receive any feedback and later saw that the position was advertised again. Pretorius submitted a grievance and requested the Metro to supply information on the person recommended for the post. The Metro then informed him that they could not divulge this information.

In October last year, Pretorius was informed that white people were not supposed to apply for the position but that a white man had nonetheless been recommended as the best candidate. The post had been reserved for a black woman. Members of the interview panel were present at the time of this admission to Pretorius but refused to confirm or deny that he had been the person recommended for the post. On Tuesday, Pretorius was informed that the issue has not yet been resolved.'

Groenewald said that the Tshwane Metro is persisting with illegal racial practices by discriminating against white people despite the fact that, according to the municipality's own statistics, black employees have been overrepresented in terms of the national racial demographics for more than a year and a half, and have been even more overrepresented in terms of the Metro's regional demographics.

Statement issued by Dirk Groenewald, Head: Centre for Fair Labour Practices, Solidarity, February 19 2014

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