Jwaneng Police warn of fraud ahead of CUT 9
Lebogang Baingapi | Friday February 10, 2017 11:49
Hundreds of unemployed youth flocked to Jwaneng last week to register at the labour office but some were unfortunate to have met fraudsters who claim to be agents from the mine’s recruitment department. Their trend was simply asking unsuspecting youth to pay a certain amount and submit their documents to secure employment at the mine. They later disappeared and switched of their cell phones when the job seekers tried to make a follow up of the deal.
One of the victims who preferred anonymity came to Jwaneng last week for registration but he was deceived to look for a sum of P3,000 to secure his employment at the mine. After giving cash to three unknown men who were on mine reflectors, they called him some minutes later to confirm that they submitted his application. He was shocked to learn that it was unprocedural for him to have paid and their phone numbers were not going through.
At the labour offices those in the queue also murmured in agreement as he narrated his ordeal. Meanwhile the mine’s communication manager Montlenyane Baaitse cautioned during a full council meeting recently that the mine has not engaged anybody to recruit for them.
She said they use the formal procedure of advertising a post, calling candidates for interviews and selecting the best candidate and the public should desist from paying for employment. Assistant superintendent Malatsi Baakile of Jwaneng police also warned the public especially job seekers to be vigilant and report such corrupt practices. He said they heard allegations of such cases but none of them has been reported at their office since the beginning of this year.
“Desperate job seekers should rather use the legal procedure of job hunting, least they fall prey to unscrupulous fraudsters who obtain by false pretences,” warned Baakile. It is not the first time the town is marred with controversy surrounding fraud and employment. Last year, the police went hunting for some recruitment staff of a local contractor who were alleged to be selling posts in exchange of gifts and money.
At that time, the mayor Tsietsi Oodira-Kwenje’s office received an alarming number of complaints from the community that the company was corruptly hiring and some were handing over their applications during the interview process, days after the closing date.
“The most painful issue is of battering employment with sex favours and some alleged that some people were called without applying for any jobs. We are becoming poorer in Jwaneng yet we are the host of the richest mine,” Kwenje said at that time.
He advised the complainants to petition the Minister of Employment, Labour Productivity and Skills Development, Tshenolo Mabeo, to rescue the situation, which seemed to be a norm in Jwaneng. He said a peaceful demonstration by the concerned group will be an awakening call to the perpetrators. He called for cooperation between the mine and the local authorities to curb such ills.