Joburg mayor Dada Morero confirmed on Wednesday that the metro does not have a “concrete plan” for mass job creation of residents.
This came after scores of unemployed young people from Soweto delivered their CVs to his office in demand of available jobs just days after Morero said the city considered recruiting documented foreign nationals as Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officers.
Following backlash from South Africans, Morero swiftly withdrew his crime prevention proposal.
With more than 200 CVs handed over to his office, Morero told various media outlets that the city currently did not have vacant job posts.
“We have received about 200 CVs of young people who want help to find (job) opportunities. Unfortunately, at this stage, we are not advertising any positions. We are not recruiting as the city,” he said.
Despite declaring the city a construction site, there were no tangible strategic plans to create jobs for residents amid the heightened unemployment rate and tariff increases.
“We cannot make promises on something (jobs). We don’t have concrete plans at this stage to respond to it (unemployment). But we will find a concrete plan as the city to contribute to the levels of unemployment,” said Morero.
However, the mayor promised that the local government would devise alternative ways to tackle the unemployment rate by either capturing CVs through a database, or a skills programme.
“We will find ways of taking their CVs, either through a job path programme, which the province has. We will see if we have opportunities,” said Morero.
Noting the country has been plagued with a rapid unemployment rate, Morero asserted that the municipality was responsible for eliminating joblessness for local residents.
“Residents of Johannesburg have to raise their grievances to the city and the mayor on anything that affects them. Remember, the unemployment rate remains the biggest problem we have been faced with. We have a responsibility as a government to contribute towards addressing the unemployment challenge,” he said.
He further called on the private sector to aid in job creation.
“Unfortunately the challenges are bigger in terms of unemployment. We cannot do it alone, unless the private sector comes to the party and invests in the creation of jobs,” said Morero.
Barely a month in office, Morero’s proposal saw a petition launched on Monday calling for his removal from office.
The petition slammed Morero for poor leadership skills and not having formed strategic plans to revitalise the metro’s infrastructure, citing the crises of abandoned buildings.
“The mayor has a lack of accountability. He has stated that citizens should not expect too much from him, demonstrating a lack of commitment to serving the people. The mayor has shown no effective plan to address the crises of hijacked buildings in the city, leaving residents and business owners vulnerable,” read the petition.
More than 14 000 people signed the petition, with a goal reach of 15 000 signatures.
The petition said the people of Johannesburg deserved a mayor who leads with integrity, and is committed to his people.
“We call for the recall of the current mayor and election of a new mayor, who will prioritise the needs and wellbeing of our city,” read the petition.
The Star