Giyani mayor defends stance on employing divers

LIMPOPO – Greater Giyani Mayor Thandi Zitha has clarified issues raised by council members during the first council sitting of the year, held at Giyani Community Hall on Thursday. This followed concerns raised by Cllr Dimpho Hlungwane of the Ximoko Party, who blamed the lack of divers in Giyani for some of the deaths that occurred during the recent floods.

Hlungwani argued that the loss of lives during the floods was partly the municipality’s fault for failing to employ full-time divers to monitor water-related emergencies. She said relying on divers from outside the area was not practical, as by the time they arrived, the victims would have already drowned.

She added that she had personally experienced the loss of a loved one due to drowning, which she attributed to the absence of divers. Hlungwani further demanded answers from audit committee chairperson Kenneth Mhlongo, questioning why the committee had not recommended that the municipality employ divers, despite repeated flood-related fatalities.

In response, Zitha defended the audit committee chair, saying it was not feasible for the municipality to employ full-time divers. She explained that the municipality does not have a public swimming pool where divers or lifeguards could be stationed, and that flooding is not a frequent occurrence that justifies the permanent employment of divers.

“Flooding occurs only once every few years, which is why what happened caught all of us off guard,” the mayor said. “Even in terms of water-related resources, the municipality does not have a designated swimming pool that would warrant the employment of lifeguards. It is therefore not practical to hire divers and keep them on the municipal payroll while waiting for a disaster that may only occur again after ten years or more.”

Addressing concerns around the employment of people living with disabilities, Zitha said this was not a case of exclusion or discrimination. She explained that posts are advertised regularly, but if people living with disabilities do not apply or do not meet the job requirements, there is nothing the municipality can do.

“This has been a long-standing challenge,” she said. “People living with disabilities are needed, but in many cases, they do not qualify for the positions available.”

She added that even for general worker posts, applications are received from people living with disabilities. However, when the nature of certain disabilities is assessed against the job requirements, it sometimes becomes clear that applicants may not be able to perform the required duties. She insisted that this should not be viewed as people with disabilities being overlooked.