Locals suspect foul play at CalgroM3 construction site in Jabulani
It was then agreed at this meeting that a meeting will be arranged between the concerned group and the SMME grouping.
A group of residents surrounding the Jabulani Prescient construction site has raised concerns about the developments in what they alleged to be non-compliance of contractors.
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The group, Put South Africans First said it was not thrilled that property developer CalgroM3, and its main contractor Tri-Star Construction have prioritised the hiring of foreign nationals leaving locals without jobs.
They allege the main contractor and its sub-contractors are cutting corners in order to exploit foreign nationals who are known to take job at a lower rate.
“The immediate people who should have been benefiting from the development project should have been 100% locals who should be employed on site but they have not abided to this and instead hired foreigners because they can exploit them financially, and over work them,” said community activist, Freeman Bhengu.
A recent meeting was held between the concern group and the management of both CalgroM3 and Tri-star on September 29 where they (Group) outlined their demands.
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According to residents, the meeting concluded that all stakeholders including independent local community based small medium & micro enterprises (SMMEs) responsible for hiring labourers would convene for a second meeting which they claim they are now being ignored.
“The first demand we gave them is that we wanted CalgroM3 to issue a directive as the main contractor informing its contractors to adhere to SA labour and immigration laws.
“The second demand that they employ Sowetans or South Africans first to which we gave them a deadline to respond and now they clearly have chosen to ignore us, as we have not heard anything from them since the last meeting,” he said.
The group has threatened to stage a picket outside the construction site in the coming weeks and told Urban News that they began with an official application to the Department of Labour and immigration to conduct oversights at all the construction sites underway around Jabulani to check if they are in accordance to the law.
Group Executive Director at CalgroM3, Wayne Williams said the grievances should not be directed to them as their company nor the main contractor as it was the sub-contractors which have a discretion on which local labour they appoint.
“It was explained during the meeting to the group that their grievances are being directed at the incorrect stakeholders and should instead be directed at the SMME’s who are doing the employment of the local labourers.
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It was then agreed at this meeting that a meeting will be arranged between the concerned group and the SMME grouping.
“Our community facilitators are in the process of setting up this meeting after also having to first deal with other issues on this project.
“We have been assured by them that the arranging of the meeting between the SMME’s and the concerned group will be expedited,” he added.
“We would like to clarify that it is the labour desk’s responsibility on the sites where we develop to ensure that any labourer that is appointed by an SMME has a RSA ID or a work permit or current asylum document, which entitles them to work in South Africa.
“Under no circumstances will illegal migrants be entitled to work on any of the developments,” he concluded.
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