Residents in Erasmia started their morning, this past Wednesday, (March 17) in panic, after learning about protest action taking place on their door step, with their streets being closed and tyres being burnt, a scene certainly never expected to be seen outside their homes, in the quiet suburb of Erasmia, but scenes which often take place in the Pretoria CBD and neighbouring townships.
The protest action, outside a new private housing development, Hava Gardens, on the corner of Van Leenhof and Bart Joubert Streets in Erasmia, started at about sunrise. This follows a trend, whereby many local building developers have fallen victim to such protests, carried out by local labourers from nearby informal settlements, who complain that building contractors are not giving preference to locals in need of work, but are instead hiring foreigners from other areas, at a cheap or exploitative rate. Chairperson of the Itireleng Business Forum, Lekau Meso, claimed to the Laudium Sun, “As the Business Forum in Itireleng, which is concerned with the livelihood of our people, we have decided to engage with the project management of J.C Van der Linde & Venter Projects (VV), led by Jako Sandenbergh, who are building a three story, 105 unit complex on the site. We have been asking to meet Jako for more than a month now. We want to meet him and explain our grievances, but seemingly he and his team have a big ego and look down on poor people. We have been given the attitude of those old racist Boers and the AWB. They have even threatened us and told us that they have powerful people in the Metro Police and that they will call them for us. Over the past four weeks, we even engaged with the Laudium SAPS and Councillor Essop, hoping the contractors will then listen, but they did not want to hear anything from us. We are only asking for fair and equal opportunities for us, the local community, for jobs. You cannot have a development in our area, but you refuse to give the youth from our area a job. The people who are unemployed in Itireleng are too many and they have been waiting there for months, after learning about the building development project, hoping that they would be hired. Suddenly, those arrogant managers, got a protection order against us, telling our people to stay away from the site. What kind of cruel and rude people are these? We all know that unemployment is very high and jobs are scarce, but these people chose to call the police on those who are looking for a job to feed their family, instead of going out and stealing. We once more appeal to the contractors and even the owners of the property, to hire our local people. We would like to resolve this matter in an amicable way. Let us sit down and see the best way forward for both parties. The time of being arrogant with the community is over.”
Jako Sandenbergh, the project manager said, “Is that what they want, let me have a meeting with our stakeholders, then we will come back to you.”
The agent for the property, Beprop said that they are still waiting for a statement from the owner. Attempts to get hold of Solly Joosub (J&E Wholesalers), believed to be a stakeholder, for comment, and were unsuccessful.
Councillor Mahomed Essop, of Ward 61, said, “I was called by the group from Itireleng to intervene, but as it is a private business, I told them I have no say over it.”

A security guard extinguishes a burning tyre that was set alight in the middle of the street, in Erasmia, this past Wednesday morning.

Given Teffo, Charles Leboya and Lekau Meso of the Itireleng Busines Forum, said locals must be given priority for jobs.

The site of the construction of a new block of flats (Hava Gardens) on the corner of Van Leenhof and Bart Joubert Streets in Erasmia, which has sparked a protest.

Jako Sandenbergh, the manager at J.C Van der Linde, said he would have to consult with the stakeholders before commenting

Solly Joosub (J&E), believed to be a stakeholder in Hava Gardens, was unreachable for comment.