The City of Joburg has developed an Augmented Field Services (AFS) model of service delivery to supplement municipal work done by City Parks and Zoo, Pikitup, City Power, Joburg Water, and the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA).
The programme not only creates hundreds of jobs for poor unemployed people but simultaneously accelerates service delivery.
Administered by Group Citizen Relationship and Urban Management (CRUM), half of the AFS model is targeted at poorer residents without matric certification, while the other half goes to people with post-matric qualifications.
AFS was initiated in 2019 and has to date fulfilled 70% of its employment mandate, with the remaining 30% to be realised in the future.
Rabie Ridge Councillor, Angie Mphaho, says the AFS programme has benefited dozens of individuals and families in Region A.
“We are grateful for the implementation of the AFS programme because these employees contribute to the service delivery work we do as ward councillors,” Mphaho says.
She notes that each ward in Region A is required to permanently employ at least 10 general workers and one supervisor, who are entitled to medical aid, subsidised education, and a housing allowance.
As part of their employment contract, the general workers are required to complete at least three days of field work per week, from Tuesday to Thursday, with the other two days, Monday, and Friday, set aside for City Parks and Zoo projects as well as cleaning local stadiums.
AFS Supervisor, Nonceba Mlisa say the City’s initiative to employ general workers has had a positive effect on service delivery and the lives of beneficiaries.
“AFS is not only a job for one person but benefits the family of the people who are employed. This has the ability to alleviate the City’s high unemployment rate,” says Mlisa.
According to Pierre Nel, the Assistant Director for Stakeholder Management in Region A, the City is proud of the AFS service delivery model and the greater impact it has on poorer residents in Region A.
“Many of the beneficiaries of the programme have never had formal employment before or have lost their jobs in the past. The AFS model has therefore created a long-term solution for such people,” Nel says.
Written by Sascha-Lee Joseph and Dakalo Ramudidibi
12/01/2022