The number one promise that politicians make when campaigning for votes is job creation.
Politicians love telling people how they will create employment opportunities and help turn around the economy.
The people, desperate for change, believe the promise and cast their vote for the said politician.
And then, once the politician comes into power, they fail to live up to their word… what a shock!
The Endumeni Mayor is no different. He was recently arrested for conspiracy to commit murder and is currently behind bars awaiting a bail hearing.
While his arrest can be seen as a way to build political credit and expand on his charge sheet so that he can one day be president, the manner in which he did it upset many residents.
The Mayor was arrested in Estcourt, where he was plotting the murder with a fellow councillor and a hitman from Pietermaritzburg. This has angered local residents who questioned why a local hitman wasn’t good enough.
The Mayor, who also preached job creation, could not create a job for a local here to do the dirty deed.
Head of the Hitman’s Association, ‘Shoot To Kill’ Naidoo said they were deeply disappointed that the Mayor didn’t think their members good enough to kill someone.
He said that his staff were always up for a job and had numerous high profile clientele including the Royal family and Shrien Dewani.
They have threatened to burn tyres outside the municipality in an act of protest.
Speaking of tyres and job creation, that’s one industry that continues to grow.
Dunflop Gumede, the owner of Bridgerock Tyre Store said business had been thriving of late. “Every day we get new orders for tyres that burn easily but not too quickly. We are really on a roll with this one.’ Mr Gumede added that they had already opened a few new stores in previously disadvantaged areas, where service delivery was non-existent, but the need for tyres to burn down basic service departments wasn’t.
Despite the fact that the tyre trade has boomed, which in turn has created many more jobs, there is a Catch 22 to the whole situation.
With protesters using the tyres to burn down schools, municipal buildings and shops, many others have lost their jobs in the process. Others can’t even get to their jobs because they will be assaulted by protesters if they do.
But we guess that’s how the world works; it’s ok to inconvenience others, as long as you get your point across.
