“Cuban engineers are not here for employment, no jobs will be taken”

Estimated reading time: 5 minute(s)

Photo: twitter.com\LindiweSisulu

Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has scored an own goal in trying to defend the government’s decision to seek assistance from Cuban engineers to allegedly help repair “aging water infrastructure” in the country because they have experience with such cases.

This is after a backlash the department received from various citizens and organizations including Solidarity saying this displays disrespect to skilled engineers in the country.

The Minister said through a statement on Tuesday that South Africans have nothing to worry about as Cuban engineers are not here for employment or to take anyone’s job.

“They are here for skills-transfer” said the Minister.

Minister also called out for citizens not to forget the relationship Cuba has long had with South Africa during the times of struggle and the close relationship our former President Nelson Mandela had with former Cuban President Fidel Castro.

“All of us live in a free country because they selflessly made it possible and this is the bitter pill that they have not swallowed yet. But a few other truths need to be stated.”

The Minister also stated the irony of a many local companies who are calling her department out saying they called out on local companies to help the government in dealing with the water crisis infrastructure issue but only five companies came through, she alleged.

“I repeat Cubans are not in our country for employment. They are here to mentor our municipal workers so that we can create jobs for South Africans both skilled and unskilled. Today we have qualified black women engineers whom they mentored during their last stint in our country” said Minister Sisulu.