Mpumalanga Community Protests Oversight Visit of Newly-Built Mkhondo Boarding School Over Jobs

• Members of the Mkhondo community in Mpumalanga protested against the Department of Education's recruitment processes
• They prevented the oversight visit of the Mkhondo Boarding School on 24 March 2025 and accused the department of excluding them from the recruiting process
• ActionSA's Mpumalanga Chairperson Thoko Mashiane spoke to Briefly News and pointed out that government projects should employ locals first

Tebogo Mokwena, a dedicated Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed coverage of international and local social issues like health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests and immigration in South Africa during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

MKHONDO, MPUMALANGA — ActionSA in Mpumalanga slammed the Department of Education's failure to engage with the members of the Mkhondo community, who protested a parliamentary oversight visit at the Mkhondo Boarding School on 24 March 2025 because of the recruitment process.

What happened in Mkhondo?

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Members of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works, Roads and Transport were scheduled to conduct an oversight visit at the Mkhondo Boarding School. Construction began in 2018 and it cost the government more than R500 million. The province's transport MEC Thulasizwe Nkomo led the delegation. When they got there, community members were protesting and disrupted the oversight visit.

The community was frustrated that the recruitment process was laborious. Community members complained that job applications were to be submitted in Ermelo, 120 kilometres away from Mkhondo. They complained that this excluded them from the recruitment and did not prioritise local employment.

What did ActionSA say?

ActionSA's Mpumalanga chairperson Thoko Mashiane told Briefly News that public infrastructure projects must create opportunities for the communities they are meant to serve. The Mkhondo Boarding School was meant to benefit local learners.

"It is only fair that qualified local residents are given a fair chance at employment. It is unacceptable that job seekers must travel 120 kilometres to Ermelo just to submit applications, effectively shutting out many from the process. Prioritising local employment not only empowers communities but also ensures sustainable development," she said.

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Mashiane added that the residents were justified in their frustration because of the lack of engagement from the authorities. She pointed out that Mkhondo suffers from chronic unemployment and a lack of accessible education facilities.

"Many schools in the area are under-resourced and job opportunities remain scarce, further deepening poverty and inequality. ActionSA has consistently highlighted the failures of government departments ensuring fair recruitment as well as their lack of investment in skills development programmes that would prepare locals for employment in such projects."

Mashiane said ActionSA, which recently merged with the Forum for Service Delivery, will engage the provincial Department of Education and relevant government bodies to demand an urgent review of the recruitment process. The party will push for a decentralised and transparent hiring system that ensures locals are not sidelined.

"The Department must take responsibility for this failure and engage directly with the affected community to resolve the issue," she said.

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Recently, the community of Bothaville in the Free State embarked on a service delivery protest. They demanded the resignation of the municipality's mayor, municipal manager, and chief financial officer, accusing them of failing to provide the community with basic services.

Westville residents clash with police during protest

In a related article, Briefly News reported that members of the Westbury community embarked on a service delivery protest over the lack of water in November last year. The community clashed with the police when the protest turned violent.

Fed-up community members had been without water for weeks and they took to the streets. They burned tyres and blocked roads, and the police were called to the scene.

Source: Briefly News