IOL reports that more than 100 employees of the City of Johannesburg are facing the chop after new council bosses said their contracts were unlawfully changed to permanent positions.

Just three months after the African National Congress (ANC) lost control of Johannesburg in last year’s local government elections, some workers are complaining of a witch-hunt. The outcry came after the City, which is under a Democratic Alliance (DA)-led coalition, on Monday sent out letters nullifying permanent jobs of staff accused of being unlawfully employed when the ANC was in charge. The letters also warn that the affected employees who accepted the conversion of their fixed-term contract to permanent employment could be guilty of an offence and urged them to return “financial benefit which you have solicited and or are soliciting and or likely to solicit for your permanent employment which seemingly may constitute an unlawful gratification in law.” According to Karabo Ramahuma of the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu), as many as 120 council employees have already been told their jobs were on the line. “We can also confirm that affected members are not from any specific political party. The City has sent our members notices inviting them to do representation on how to regularise the alleged irregular appointments. We are engaging in the process,” Ramahuma said. Asked if Samwu was aware that ANC members were apparently being targeted, he replied: “We are not sure of which political party members are coming from or their political beliefs and/or preferences. We represent them purely based on their employment contracts with the City of Johannesburg.”

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Brenda Masilela at IOL

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