Lentswe, Klerksdorp - “We are not construction mafia. You can’t label us like that. We represent the poorest of the poor and will continue doing that.’’ This is how an upset Mzukisi Jam reacted to the report in last week’s Lentswe in which he was identified as one of the trespassers against whom a court order was issued earlier barring him from the construction site in Buffelsdoorn Road. Jam is provincial spokesperson of the South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO).
According to Jam he was surprised upon learning that his name and that of Jonas Thamsanqa are on the “stupid interdict’’.
“We are going to challenge it. We don’t understand how they named us on the interdict when they (the contractor) called us to intervene.’’
He explains that the site was closed “by locals’’ because they want to be considered for employment of labourers, and those who were already employed “had issues with the rates they were being paid’’. “We were called in to speak to them and we asked them to not close the site as the project is important for the community in terms of development and employment. Then the main contractor voluntarily came up with promises to resolve the situation saying sub-contractors will consider locals for employment. But when the time came to implement these promises, nothing came of it. That is when the locals felt they were taken for a ride and again closed the site. They also had an issue with the subcontractors from Pretoria and again we were called in to intervene. Next thing we know, our names are on the stupid court interdict,’’ said Jam.
According to him there is a big difference in construction mafia and business forums that negotiate for construction companies to employ a percentage of their staff from a community they work from. Construction mafias, also known as extortion groups, are networks that use violence and other illegal means, demanding money or a stake in development projects. “We are not construction mafia,’’ he said.
