BAHLALI DUDULA DEMANDS JOBS FOR LOCALS AT JAKARANDA MALL

Civic Organisation Tshwane Bahlali Dudula picketed outside the Jakaranda Mall situated in Rietfotein, Pretoria on Tuesday.

This in demand for jobs at the mall to be given to local Tshwane residents and not people who live far away from the mall as is presently the case.

“Tshwane people need employment at the mall and Tshwane businesses also need to be given opportunities at the mall,” said Spokesperson of the picketers Mandla Mnisi.

“It seems like the management of Jakaranda Mall doesn’t have ears and we are picketing today to force the management of Jakaranda Mall to employ people who are residents of Tshwane,” he said.

The picketers carried placards which read “Tshwane First” and Don’t Employ Illegal Foreigners,” as well as the ones reading “Tshwane Business First.”

Spokesperson Mnisi told Tshwane Talks that they have engaged many times with the management of Jakaranda Mall to seriously consider employing the people of Tshwane and also give preference to Tshwane-based companies because at the moment companies providing cleaning, maintenance and security services are not from Tshwane.

“This is unfair as the people buying at this mall are from Tshwane, and they must therefore benefit from jobs and business opportunities that are available at the Mall,” he said.

“As Tshwane Bahlali Dudula we stand for the people; we are the voice of the voiceless; we make sure that people hear us and we speak for the people, and since many people are not vocal we as an organisation are vocal so that we can be heard when we speak to the companies to make sure local people get employed,” he said.

“We will march until the Management of Jakaranda hears us because in our country if you don’t march or picket then no one will hear you,” said Mnisi.

“To the Management of Jakaranda Mall I’m saying come to us so that we can discuss this matter and find a solution,” said Mnisi as he implored local residents of Tshwane not to call their relatives from far-flung areas like Limpopo whenever they hear of job opportunities but must instead let their fellow Tshwane residents be the ones who get the said job opportunities.

“We are in a way investing in Jakaranda Mall because we buy at Jakaranda Mall; we support Jakaranda Mall and the Mall must in turn look out for us as local Tshwane residents whenever there is construction work, security work or any other jobs available at the Mall,” said Fanuel Mdungwazi, who is also a member of Tshwane Bahlali Dudula.

“No people from Joburg will come and do their shopping here but when it comes to jobs the Management gives jobs to people from Joburg or even Mpumalanga, and that is totally unfair” he said.

He said they found out through word of mouth that people living from far away have been employed at the Mall and that a simple research like listening to those employees speak reveals that they are from places like Venda in Limpopo in some cases.

“We have already engaged the Management of the Mall many times since last year on this issue and it has also come to our attention that big tenders are given to people from far away and early last month we put our demands on the table but our demands have fallen on deaf ears,” lamented Makhondo.

He threatened that they as Tshwane Bahlali Dudula will picket at the Mall tirelessly and if that doesn’t make the Management of Jakaranda Mall to adhere to their demands, then the Mall shall be shut down.

Tshwane Talks tried to get comment from Management of Jacaranda mall and were denied.