Cogta Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa is urged to reconsider pending job cuts.
THOUSANDS of 55-year-olds and older will be without jobs next month.
The Save South Africa Movement has called on the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) to reconsider its decision to terminate the contracts of Community Work Programme (CWP) employees.
The Cogta has decided to terminate CWP contracts of individuals aged 55 years and older, citing budgetary constraints, among other issues.
CWP is a government initiative that provides temporary employment to people of working age while they search for permanent jobs. These contracts are set to end by 31 January.
The Save South Africa Movement expressed raised concerns about this announcement, especially given the high unemployment rate that already affects South Africa.
The organisation’s national spokesman, Tebogo Mashilompane, described the move as poorly timed and indicative of inadequate planning.
“January is a crucial time for many South Africans, particularly for those who are underpaid and underemployed, like community workers. A major challenge with this termination of contracts for individuals of this specified age is the difficulty of finding employment. We all know that a person aged 55 is highly likely to be unemployable. Moreover, the stipend they received was minimal, not allowing them to save for the future,” he said.
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He condemned the announcement and called on the department’s minister, Velenkosini Hlabisa, to be empathetic and consider the perspective of those he plans to retrench.
Mashilompane highlighted the irony that the minister, who is 59 years old, still believes he has more to contribute, yet considers a 55-year-old person too old and a candidate for retrenchment.
“We live in times when the cries of the poor fall on deaf ears. If Cabinet has ministers over the age of 70, why do we view a 55-year-old person as suitable for job loss?” Mashilompane asked.
“Save South Africa stands in solidarity with those who are poor and unfairly targeted by the very system that claims to champion the plight of the poor and underprivileged.”
Furthermore, Mashilompane criticised government’s bloated Cabinet, noting that the same ministers remain silent because they benefit from the very system they fail to challenge.
“Save South Africa calls on the minister of Cogta to reverse this decision to restore dignity to those men and women,” he said.
Cogta spokesman Legadima Leso clarified that the decision to end the contracts of CWP participants wasn’t taken lightly. It followed extensive discussions and assessments, which included a thorough examination of potential interventions that could have been implemented to avert this situation.
“Given this context, the department regrettably has no choice but to reduce the number of participants in the programme,” he said.
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