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Firstly, there is the long established community of Hangberg, which began from the original fisherfolk of Hout Bay. Most families in Hangberg have been in the area for generations and have been employed as fishermen, boat builders or in the numerous fish factories in the harbour. With the reduction in fishing quotas and the reduction in fish stocks in our waters, unemployment has been on the rise in this community. In the early days of Hout Bay, the people from this community would have provided employment not only in the fishing industry, but also across a wider range of needs in the valley. More recently, with the ending of apartheid and the movement of Black people from the Eastern to Western Cape, the informal settlement of Imizamo Yethu sprung up. People came into the valley in search of work in the building industry and as domestic workers in the ever expanding residential areas of both Hout Bay and Llandudno. Today, Imizamo Yethu is full to capacity, yet still people arrive, not only from other areas in South Africa, but also as refugees from Congo, Zimbabwe and Angola. Finally, Hout Bay valley is home to some of the most upmarket residential property in Cape Town. Long known as a "village", there are many smallholdings for horse lovers as well as large homes, security developments aplenty and apartments/townhouses. These are owned by both South Africans and overseas investors, all in the upper income brackets. Hence our microcosm of South Africa. An old established workforce, a newer emerging workforce, both with massive employment needs. And to link them, a pool of potential employers, with major purchasing capacity. How it all began and how it all works
Word was put out that an employment creation project underway – a recruitment drive was held in Hangberg and the message put out via word of mouth into Imizamo Yethu. People began registering and it was decided that the only way any credibility could be established, would be to interview each and every potential candidate and do reference checks where possible. Once the initial employee pool was established, the programme was rebranded as WORKNOW! and launched into the employer community via brochures, posters and press releases in September 2006. From the outset, the programme took off in Hout Bay and Llandudno. Being such a tight knit community meant far greater community involvement all round. Many people who live in this valley really care about making a difference in their community. Unlike other areas in Cape Town where the "haves" and "have nots" are separated by big distances, the 3 areas of Hangberg, Imizamo Yethu and Hout Bay central are all positioned closely together. Community issues, from shack fires, to polluted rivers or the building of a new high school, affect everyone. At WorkNow!, we understand that it's all about people. About matching the right employee to the right employer. About doing our very best to ensure both parties can work well together, if the job is long term. If it's short term, we understand we need to have instant availability of employees. To provide casual help in a crisis (sometimes within as little as half an hour!). We have set rates for certain categories of part time work, but full time salaries are negotiated between employer and employee. Employers pay their employees directly and every cent goes to the employee. We do not get paid any commission by either party. Funding is obtained via a grant from the Department of Social Development. Nonetheless, our funds are severely limited, and we have also relied on assistance from the community in terms of donation of office equipment, intellectual capital and services such as computer repair/installation. The programme has generated some mind boggling statistics. Before the rebranding and relaunching exercise, around 200 workdays were being generated per month. A workday means every day someone goes to work (casual or permanent) and is paid for that work. By December 2006 it had reached a staggering 1,435 in just a few short months. In May 2007 it reached an all time high of 1,761 workdays and continues to grow month by month. In Rand terms, for every Rand invested by the Department of Social Development over R11,000 employment income is created. The total amount of employee income created in the first five months of this year is a staggering R928,590!!! This has made a massive impact into the community of Hout Bay. Some examples of employment categories are labourers, painters, gardeners, carpenters, domestic workers and child minders. WorkNow! has also become the exclusive recruitment office for Woolworths in Hout Bay and to date 20 full time staff are employed there. Other business employers include Spar, Chapmans Peak Hotel, St Elmos, Kitimas Thai Restaurant, Riverside Estates, Matt Mercer and the Montessori School. Teams of workers have been used in conjunction with the Ladder Ladies to repaint the Sentinel Primary School, to work over Christmas and New Year cleaning up the beaches of Hout Bay, Camps Bay and Clifton, to act as marshals at the Argus Cycle Tour and the Two Oceans Marathon and to clear a large firebreak behind North Oaks development. Word has spread through the Hout Bay community and people are calling daily for help across a broad spectrum of activities. Help has also been offered twice from current employers in the form of cash and donations of household goods, crockery and clothing following two devastating shack fires in which several WorkNow! members lost their homes. The WorkNow! model is succeeding beyond everyone's wildest dreams. It indicates clearly that where there is a committed community spirit, anything can be achieved. Needs are being met from both sides – those who need help and those who need to be helped. The WorkNow! vision is to take this model out into other areas of South Africa. For now, there is not enough funding but, in time, the model can be copied by others with a similar "mini Republic" structure and a close knit community. For more information visit the WorkNow! website, call 021 790 1539 or e-mail info@worknow.org.za. June 2007 Click here to leave a comment on the Hout Bay pages & read what others say |
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