http://www.themercury.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=4845970

Project halted by protests

February 17, 2009 Edition 1

NOMPUMELELO MAGWAZA

Construction work on houses in the Siyanda informal settlement in Newlands East was stopped yesterday after angry residents demanded that they be given jobs by the construction company spearheading the project.

Last year, the Khulula housing project was stopped for two days after residents staged a similar protest.

A spokeman for the residents, Thembi Zungu, said they had protested outside the offices of Namandla Civic Construction.

“We, as locals, want to be employed by the construction company . . . we have people who can do some of the work the company requires,” she said. However, the construction agent on site said they only had a limited number of available jobs.

The head of housing at eThekwini Municipality, Cogie Pather, said the municipality was aware of the shutdown.

Pather said every construction company employed some of the people in the area in which they were working, but could not hire everyone.