PEOPLE who demand tlof tlof and tjotjo for jobs must be jailed!
This is the message that Rise Mzansi president, Songezo Zibi delivered outside the Joburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in Sandton, north of Joburg on Tuesday, 30 April.
He said unemployment was high in the country and some people take advantage of job seekers, especially young women.
“Two things happen. They're asked to pay a bribe in order to get a job and there are men out there who prey on young women who are looking for work. They're asked for money and that they sleep with them after which they don’t even give them the job that they promised. Instead, they continue to threaten people to sleep with them, otherwise they will get fired,” he said.
He said Rise Mzansi went to JSE to highlight these criminal practices so that JSE-listed companies and the public sector can act to root out the cash and sex for jobs pandemic.
“These practices are there. It's possible that many companies and employers don’t know about them. It's the job of Rise Mzansi to highlight these issues because they affect the people,” said Zibi.
He said many victims were scared to talk about these issues because they have little to no legal recourse.
He called on JSE, South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, South African Local Government Association and various government departments and legislators to work with his party to ensure a zero tolerance approach to these criminal offences.
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“Rise Mzansi demands that this practice is identified for what it is – pure criminality. Already, many South Africans experience the indignity of not having a job to provide for their families, but to be forced to pay with their wallets and their bodies when looking for said job, it's illegal and immoral,” he said.
Zibi said these “trades-off” were rape and sexual assault as well as bribery and corruption. “There's currently no law that directly regulates the cash and sex for jobs crisis,” said Zibi.
Zibi said government and private sector must investigate how common these practices are.
“We demand that job advertisements include a visible disclaimer that the applicant does not need to pay any form of compensation to apply for the position,” he said.
JSE representative, Vuyo Lee accepted the memorandum and thanked Rise Mzansi for shinning the spotlight on the matter.
“We, as the JSE, believe that companies should always behave with integrity and adopt fair practices when they're recruiting or placing people in jobs,” she said.
She promised that they'll discuss the memorandum internally to decide the best possible action.
