The Johannesburg branch of the African National Congress is angry that the Jozi@work programme has been cancelled by Democratic Alliance Mayor Herman Mashaba.
Mashaba announced on Friday morning: "I am pleased to announce the end of an era of patronage with Jozi@Work. I maintain that we have to turn the economy of our City around and ensure that real work opportunities are created for our residents."
"These opportunities will benefit the poorest of our City‚ not the overnight millionaires that the City seems to have prioritised in the past."
The ANC quickly hit out‚ saying: "Today is a sad day for over 8‚000 workers and 112 cooperatives/local companies in Johannesburg." The ANC claims that their programme "created thousands of jobs for the unemployed residents of Johannesburg".
"Through Jozi@Work‚ the ANC government put over R3 billion aside for the benefit of cooperatives and local companies. The move by Mr Mashaba will inevitably take away this money from the poor and unemployed residents of Johannesburg who had found work in the programme."
It has denied claims by Mashaba that the programme favoured members of ANC branches above any unemployed resident of Johannesburg.
Mashaba said middle men‚ called Capacity Support Agent (CSA)‚ made money from the Jozi@work programme at the expense of the unemployed. "These CSA’s would become rich overnight while many in our communities remained without work opportunities‚” Mashaba said.
The businessman turned mayor said he would launch a new programme.
"The work to implement this new programme is projected to take six months‚ awaiting the establishment of a credible indigents list.
"...It will be modelled on fairness and equal opportunity."
