City Press reports that City of Mbombela politicians and officials are under fire for allegedly handpicking 47 individuals to be trained as traffic officers.  

The 47 people were hurriedly interviewed on Monday in order to ensure that the municipality met a deadline to send them to the Mpumalanga Traffic College in Bushbuckridge.  The municipality advertised the posts in October last year, but apparently did not shortlist and interview applicants at that time.  The politicians and officials allegedly supplied a list of individuals to be considered – shutting out the unemployed members of the public.  Meantime, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has written to the municipality complaining about irregularities.  “It [should] be noted that the recruitment policy of the City of Mbombela requires that all people within the city, the province and the country be given equal opportunity regardless of their political affiliation,” the party’s chief whip, Cosas Maseko wrote in a letter to the council speaker.  Maseko demanded that the interviews be stopped and the recruitment process be started afresh, but the interviews went ahead regardless.  EFF provincial leader, Collen Sedibe, said the party was preparing to apply for a court interdict against the municipality.

• Read this report by Sizwe Sama Yende in full at City Press

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