Hundreds of young employees hired by the Department of Home Affairs to digitise files are demanding permanent appointments, rejecting plans to outsource their work to a private company.
The protest took place at the department’s offices in Pretoria, organised by pressure group Soil of Africa, led by founder Bongani Ramontja.
“We are demanding that these employees be appointed permanently instead of outsourcing their work. These young people have been doing excellent work since 2022 and currently have no UIF, pension, or medical aid. They deserve to be hired,” said Ramontja.
The affected staff, employed part-time since 2022, have been responsible for digitizing files. They claim the department now intends to contract an external company to continue the same work.
“Currently, the government wants to outsource us to a private entity to perform digitization—the very same work these young people have done successfully for years,” said employee Neo Tladi.
Approximately 3,500 young professionals are affected. Many hold advanced degrees in IT and records management and argue their contributions have been instrumental to the department’s recent digital successes.
“It has been going on for the past four years, with extended contracts that do not comply with the Labour Relations Act. These are highly qualified graduates who deserve recognition and permanent employment,” Tladi added.
At the time of publishing, the Department of Home Affairs had not commented on the protests or outsourcing plans.