Allegation that local councillors appoint "only ANC supporters" 

The Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaign in Cape Town is planning a protest on 1st December against what it states is "political party corruption and rampant nepotism" in vetting by local ANC councillors of job applications for work at the new Gugulethu Square Mall. 

As party of a countrywide wave of protests by local residents on local issues,  the Campaign is demanding that the "job application process be open and transparent and that the local councillors are no longer in control of who does and does not get jobs". It asserts that local politicians are "selecting only CVs of ANC supporters and throwing out the CVs of other residents".

The statement by the Campaign reads:

Protest March to Gugulethu Mall to protest corrupt and anti-local job application process
Time and date: 09h00 on 1 December 2009
Venue: Assembly at Kwezi Hall. March to front of Gugulethu Mall on NY1

Tomorrow, the Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaign will again be protesting against the management of the new Gugulethu Square Mall. Despite efforts by the police to stop us from protesting citing 2010 events, the City of Cape Town has declared this to be a legal march.

When we marched two weeks ago, we handed over a memorandum to the manager of the Gugulethu Mall - Azania Landingwe. She told us that she would read the memorandum and respond within a week. However, to this day, we have received no response from the manager.

As a response to the arrogance of the mall's management, we are no longer demanding that 80% of the jobs at the mall be given to residents of Gugulethu. We are now demanding that 100% of the jobs at the mall be given to local Gugulethu residents.

We are demanding that, from now on, the job application process be open and transparent and that the local councillors are no longer in control of who does and does not get jobs.

The Gugulethu AEC has long said that local politicians - particularly Gugulethu councillor Belinda Landingwe - are selecting only CVs of its ANC supporters and throwing out the CVs of other residents. Even managers of stores such as PEP have refused to accept residents CVs saying that they will only take CVs the have been vetted directly by the councillors.

Indeed, the evidence of nepotism is obvious when one considers that the manger of the mall, Azania Landingwe, is a close relative of councillor Belinda Landingwe. This is clearly political party corruption and rampant nepotism and must end immediately.

Our demands include the following:

•  
  1. That management of the mall respond immediately to our memorandum
  2. That 100% of Gugulethu Mall jobs go to local residents
  3. That councillors and the Gugulethu Development Forum be removed from the job allocation process
  4. That police refrain from violence against us when we protest peacefully

We will continue our protests and continue to call for a boycott of Gugulethu Square Mall and all businesses owned by Mzoli Ngcawuzele until the community has more say in the mall and our demands are met.

Statement issued by the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign, November 30 2009

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