‘They think we as South Africans do not want to do certain jobs,’ says Mashaba.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba says the low number of South African drivers on Checkers’ Sixty60 delivery service is an insult to the country.
This comes after Shoprite confirmed on Monday that only 23% of the drivers on service provider Pingo were locals.
Pingo, a joint venture with RTT On-Demand, is responsible for deliveries of the popular Checkers Sixty60 orders. SA’s largest retailer acquired Pingo in October this year.
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According to the retail group, South African drivers have a drop-out rate of about 80% for their driving programmes.
Mashaba told The Citizen on Friday that the low number of South African Sixty-60 drivers is not acceptable.
“They are saying they would rather take people that come from other countries while we have an unemployment crisis,” Mashaba said.
Mashaba appeals to Shoprite to hire SA drivers
He said Shoprite should do more to ensure that the number of South African drivers go up.
“South Africans can do that job, I am sure of it.”
He alleged foreign nationals are the preferred candidates for low skilled work because they are being exploited in most instances.
“They think we as South Africans do not want to do certain jobs. This is not the case, South Africans are protected by the constitution and the laws of the country,” he said.
Mashaba called on the Department of Employment and Labour to “raid” big businesses to ensure that all labour laws are adhered to.
“We need senior managers of these businesses to get jail terms if they are found to have neglected South Africans in the employment process,” he said.
Checkers drivers have legal papers
The Citizen reached out to Shoprite for comment on Pingo drivers and related matters. No response had been received by the time of publishing. Any update will be included once received.
According to News24, Shoprite Group chairperson Wendy Lucas-Bull said all foreign drivers employed had all the necessary legal documentation to work in South Africa.
She added that all drivers had South African bank accounts and no criminal records.
Lucas-Bull did not give an estimation of how much drivers were being paid but said it was above the minimum wage.
“They earn significantly above the minimum wage, by a long way, and are well-remunerated. They have significant benefits attached in terms of funeral policies, insurance and other things like that,” she said.
Lucas-Bull said the company is doing its best to ensure that South African drivers are recruited.
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