Controversial job advert for councillor-endorsed 'crime prevention wardens' pulled

An advert by the provincial department of community safety to recruit 6,000 “crime prevention wardens” in Gauteng has been withdrawn less than 24 hours after it was published.

One of the criteria for potential candidates was a motivation letter from their ward councillor, which sparked a controversy on social media.

MEC Faith Mazibuko, who shared the advert this week, said it had been temporarily withdrawn and would be republished in due course.

Mashupye Maserumule, professor of public affairs at Tshwane University of Technology, said the requirement might engender certain connotations in a society like South Africa's, including of patronage. 

“This is a very uncomfortable requirement. It raises eyebrows in the sense that ward councillors are representatives of a certain political party. The main issue, also, is that it doesn’t make any sense. They should have simply made a call for all South Africans who meet the requirements, without that particular aspect,” he said.

“There shouldn’t be any requirement which seeks to create some kind of a political requirement, particularly in the context where these people are recruited, because it is more of the safety and security environment and therefore you would want to see people who would be perceived as not having any political affiliation.”

Another political expert, Prof Theo Neethling from the University of the Free State, said it was a grave mistake to advertise in such a way.

“This is simply unheard of and is even more unacceptable now that cadre deployment has been cited as bad public administration by the Zondo Commission. Such an advertisement can potentially result in cadre deployment,” he said.

“The point is: politicians at all levels should be divorced from appointments in the public sector and it is good to know that the process has been stalled.”

While there are ward councillors from various parties in Gauteng, “to require applicants to ask politicians to act as references, where appointments in the public sector need to be made, boils down to utterly bad public administration. Also, such appointments would be mired in controversy from the start,” he said.

Neethling added that in most instances South Africans are not even known to their ward councillors and thus ward councillors cannot serve as references.

DA Gauteng shadow MEC for community safety Crezane Bosch also questioned the reference requirement. “That politicians were involved in the recruitment process points to an attempt to create political patronage networks,” she said.

Bosch said though there is a dire need for more human resources to assist with crime prevention, the DA believed these positions should be allocated on a fit-for-purpose and merit basis, and not according to political party lines.

“The DA has directly engaged with MEC Mazibuko concerning the advertisement and she responded that the councillor’s motivation letter was required as evidence that the candidate resides in the ward. She stated that the wardens would be working in their own wards and that the advert has been temporarily withdrawn because they are sorting certain requirements,” she said.

Mazibuko’s spokesperson Pinkie Numa referred the TimesLIVE enquiry to the department's spokesperson Ofentse Morwane, who is yet to provide answers.

The advert's T&Cs

The now-withdrawn advert stated that the Gauteng department of community safety wants to recruit 6,000 crime prevention wardens. They would be paid a stipend of R4,000 during the training period of three to six months.

The requirements and duties were listed as:

• Grade 12.
• Fit and agile.
• Motivation letter from the ward councillor.
• Driver’s licence and prior safety and security training will be an added advantage.
• Participation in the department’s volunteer programmes in safety of security in your area of residence will be an added advantage.
• No criminal record or any pending cases.
• Be prepared to undergo theoretical and physical (fitness) training.
• Be prepared to work 24/7 shift system.
• Knowledge and skills communication (verbal and written)
• Duties: Crime prevention, stop and search, arrest, attend to complaints, maintain law and order and traffic control. Under supervision during training.
• “The fully completed and signed new 283 form should be accompanied by a recently updated comprehensive CV which specifies the previous/current volunteer participation; matric certificate, identity document and motivation letter from the ward councillor.”

It added that shortlisted candidates would be subjected to a technical and physical assessment to test their level of fitness, as well as a personnel suitability check (criminal record, citizenship, credit record checks, qualification verification and employment verification).

A selection of the reactions on social media:

“A letter from a ward councillor! What kind of a requirement is this? No MEC.” — MoAfrika@Born_of_Afrika.

“Motivation letter from ANC ward councillor? They will demand ANC membership before they write motivation letter.” — Phedisho@Phedisho8

“I hope you'd remove that nonsense of motivation from a councillor.” — Just-ice🇿🇦🇿🇦@bethwellt

“At least you listened to the outcry of the people, mentioning the word councillors has already sidelined other community members who are not card-carrying members of the ruling party.” — Sga.@RicaSga85

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