By Kaya 959 Reporter
Tis the season to be jolly, but not if you are a Joburg resident being forced to give Christmas presents to Pikitup’s waste management staff.
The company says it has received complaints from residents about employees demanding festive season gifts.
“Pikitup employees are not allowed to demand or request gifts from residents. Residents are also discouraged from offering gifts to Pikitup employees,” spokesperson Muzi Mkhwanazi said.
Mkhwanazi explained why the company has taken a tough stance.
“These exercises have opened an avenue for imposters who pretend to be Pikitup employees and demand gifts from ratepayers.”
Pikitup says if an employee asks for a gift residents must report them. Officials have urged residents to take a picture of the employee and the registration number of the compactor trucks.
“Report the incident using Pikitup’s call centre number: 010055990,” Mkhwanazi added.
“Although Pikitup has no control over people who pretend to be its employees and demand Christmas gifts from residents, the company urges residents who are confronted by such individuals to report them to law enforcement agencies.”
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Bogus Pikitup recruiters nabbed
Last month, the City of Johannesburg and Pikitup distance themselves from a recruitment scam.
Pikitup revealed that it learned of an “unfortunate prevalence of scams” aimed at defrauding “desperate unemployed people”.
“The management of Pikitup places on record that it is not hiring at this stage. In the event that Pikitup does hire, it advertises the positions in national newspapers and on its website. It does not expect unemployed people to pay to apply for positions,” the company said in a statement.
The bogus Pikitup recruiters asked people to pay between R1,000 and R8,000 for job opportunities at the company.
The scammers mostly operated in Randburg and Orange Farm.
Pikitup says the company does not no require money from people who apply for vacancies.
The Hawks arrested three people in connection with the recruitment scam in May. Phumzile Hlungwani, Linky Khumotso Machete, and Esther Chuma allegedly scammed people out of R400,000.
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