‘Stop arresting us’ plead informal job-seekers
"Being here does not guarantee that we are even going to get the piece jobs, so the police chasing us away makes it worse."
The informal job seekers who operate in the Danville park have called on the Tshwane metro police to stop harassing and chasing them away from the park as they were only trying to make ends meet.
The painters, plumbers and electricians operate near the Daspoort tunnel and said they were being targeted and in some instances even being arrested for allegedly breaking Covid-19 regulations.
“Officers have been telling us we are not allowed to stand at the park with our boards as we are breaking Covid-19 regulations,” said one of the men.
An electrician, who asked not to be named, said the actions by the officers had come with great consequences to the well-being of their families.
“This is the only way we get money to pay rent, buy food and buy clothes for our children. Being here does not guarantee that we are even going to get the piece jobs, so the police chasing us away makes it worse.
“They say we are too many in the park and we should leave as we can spread Covid-19. This is despite us being apart from each other and it is not like we gathered in groups because the park is big.”
READ MORE: Fourth alcohol ban ‘unnecessary’ – eateries association
The electrician said the lockdown regulation has made situations worse for people who are not employed or for informal job seekers.
“We do not get money from anywhere. What are we supposed to do at home with hungry stomachs? Looking for a job is just a waste of time and we only ask them to let us continue being here and finding piece jobs ourselves.”
A plumber also shared the same sentiments saying: “People come here because something has been broken in their homes and they are looking for someone to quickly fix it. So them preventing us from being here is killing us.”
He said the government should also be held responsible for not getting enough vaccines for the nation.
“We cannot keep on with lockdown, the situation is bad. Lockdown is only benefiting rich people because we as the poor ones cannot survive by just sitting at home. They should have used the first lockdown to procure vaccines then we would not be stuck here. People cannot stay home with hungry stomachs.”
TMPD media liaison officer Nonhlanhla Tapala said officers often arrested people in that area who did not comply with Covid-19 regulations.
Tapala said there were no regulations against people sitting in the park provided they complied with Covid-19 regulations.
“Our officers monitor these areas especially if there are complaints from the residents regarding criminal activities taking place in these areas. We urge people who have complaints in that area to call 012 358 7095/6.”
* Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments.
As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online.
Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed.
Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
