Residents of Dangwana village in Port St Johns, Eastern Cape, have expressed their dissatisfaction with being excluded from employment opportunities in the R61 road repair project.
The road was severely damaged by heavy rains and floods earlier this year, prompting the government to initiate a repair project.
Residents’ frustration reached a boiling point last week when they dug a trench in the middle of the R61, effectively blocking the road. This action forced a meeting between community members, construction company Rumdel, and municipal officials to address their grievances.
The residents’ primary concern is the lack of employment opportunities for Dangwana villagers in the project’s first phase. They claim that no one from their village was hired during this initial stage, despite the significant impact of the road closure on their community.
“Residents of Dangwana were sidelined from the very onset. They were not part of the agreement. They were only given a report after the meeting was held, that is why this is difficult,” a disgruntled resident stated.
The lack of employment opportunities has exacerbated the issue of unemployment in Dangwana, particularly among the youth. “As you can see this youth here, this is a result of unemployment. None of those young ones are working. We are complaining about unemployment,” another resident remarked.
A Ward 7 councillor at Port St Johns local municipality, Bongile Ndudu, has pledged to increase the number of Dangwana residents employed on the construction site.
“I came here after they protested on the road. They complain that there are few of them that are employed there. I concede that their grievances are valid. So I came up with a solution that will increase the number of Dangwana residents that work on the construction site. Yes, there are residents that are already employed there but we will increase the number since they say they are few,” Ndudu stated.
VIDEO | Residents of Dangwana complain about being sidelined in the R61 project:
