Westbury residents raise concerns over bill

The community of Westbury in Johannesburg embarked on a peaceful protest on Monday where they submitted a memorandum stating their concerns over the employment equity bill. 

The residents of the crime-ridden suburb allege that their coloured youth is shunned from employment opportunities by surrounding businesses. 

“This community has protested over various social ills that it has faced. If you look at drugs, teenage pregnancies and the abuse of alcohol, they are all exacerbated by unemployment, no opportunities and not being skilled. I want to categorically state today that it is this bill that has opened up everything and made it clear to us that the coloured people are clearly being marginalised,” chairman of Westbury’s task team, Bishop Dulton Adams said. 

Adams also told the media that the employment equity bill is marginalising coloured people.  

It is not the first time that the community of Westbury has raised their concerns with the government. In March, following the killing of two people and the injury of 11 in gang-related incidents, the community told police minister, Bheki Cele how they had lost faith in law enforcement.  

Here’s a look inside the protest.