At least 200 unemployed residents from Soweto have refuted accusations of xenophobia after their march to Mayor Dada Morero’s office. The residents took to the streets of Johannesburg CBD on Wednesday, armed with their CVs, to demand employment.
The protest was in response to Mayor Morero’s earlier proposition to recruit foreign nationals as police officers to mitigate language barriers and enhance crime prevention. Although Mayor Morero has since retracted his statement and apologized, the residents voiced that it was too little, too late.
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The march saw dozens of residents singing, chanting, and even crying as they expressed their frustrations and disappointment. They felt overlooked for job opportunities in their community, with vacancies, allegedly, being withheld from them.
The residents’ demonstration aimed to show their readiness and willingness to serve their city as law enforcement officers.
With hope in their hearts, the unemployed South Africans placed their CVs into large boxes outside the mayor’s office. Despite Mayor Morero’s absence during the march, his chief of staff, Tsumbo Nephawe, was present to act on his behalf.
This act symbolized the residents’ demand for transparency and fairness in job allocations within the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department.
Despite the mayor retracting his statement and offering an apology, the community’s sentiment suggested that the damage had already been done. The residents’ outcry emphasized their desire for recognition and fair employment practices. This event sheds light on the broader issues of unemployment and the perceived inequities in job distribution within the city.
