Pretoria - Interns and in-service training personnel at the City of Tshwane braved the cold and rainy weather yesterday and delivered a memorandum to the municipality demanding permanent jobs.
Esther Mamabolo said she along with the other interns were part of Students in Training Forum and on a internships for 12 or 18 months at the City.
She said they were now requesting the municipality to consider them when advertising jobs. The interns also want permanent employment.
“They are advertising job positions, but no one is getting hired. From 2015 till now, there is not even one intern that we can point out that has been hired after completing their internship at the municipality.
“It is unfair that we are are told to go to school, then after graduating we have no jobs.”
Mamabolo said they were giving the municipality seven days to respond to the memorandum.
The group first submitted a memorandum last October, which they say was not responded to.
Other interns said the municipality needed to stop exploiting them and create posts for the interns before advertising external posts.
“They should consider us and contractors first; they should not give us skills then get us to sit home with that skill.”
Another intern who wanted to be known only as “Obed” said the experience that they acquired at the municipality did not count in the private sector.
“They give us the experience then dump us, as if nothing happened. I have honours in marketing and now I have nowhere to go. They hire their friends and family instead of us.”
He said the system which the municipality used to hire people amounted to corruption and claimed that some of the people hired did not even have matric. “Most of the people I was working with at the office have no qualifications. The City of Tshwane needs to do a skills audit.”
Precious Gama said despite applying as an intern for various positions advertised by the municipality, she never got a call back.
“When I ask my manager, I am told that the posts have been frozen and no further explanation is given.”
Gama said other departments did absorb their interns and wondered what was stopping the municipality from doing the same.
“One can see that some of the interns are hardworking and do put effort in doing their duties. Why does the municipality not see that?”
Gama’s main concern is the issue of age requirement. She said if they are not absorbed they will struggle to apply elsewhere as they won’t meet the age requirement criteria of age group of 18-35 for other job opportunities.
The group met the City’s Sello Mphaga and agreed to meet again on April 26 to discuss the matters raised.
Pretoria News