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Cape Town - It is not true that poorer communities are only good for cleaning work and other low-paid jobs in engineering projects, Transnet CEO Brian Molefe said in Cape Town on Thursday.
"A criticism that has been levelled at Transnet... is that people are saying the role of black people in these programmes is to be cleaners, is to supply catering contracts," he told a packed hall in Khayelitsha.
"I am here to say there is a lot of business to be done with Transnet beyond the cleaning services and catering services."
He said he wanted residents to be equipped with the skills that would enable them to supply engineering consulting and other core functions.
He invited them to apply at maritime and engineering schools.
Molefe was joined by Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba and Eskom CEO Brian Dames.
They were speaking to people in the area on job opportunities and learnerships at state-owned companies, and on improvements and projects in their area.
The OR Tambo Hall in Khayelitsha was packed with mostly young people, a large proportion in yellow African National Congress shirts.
Molefe said Transnet had ensured big projects benefited local communities, such as the announcement on Monday to buy 1 064 locomotives.
"The condition of the programme is that the locomotives must be built in South Africa. Only 70 will be built out of South Africa."
