19/07/2008 17:31 - (SA)
'Desperate job hunters taken for ride'
By Vivian Mooki
A GAUTENG Shared Service Centre initiative crumbled barely a month after receiving a Premier Service Excellence Award last year, says a government employee.
The Gauteng Shared Service Centre Mobile Application System, which lets job seekers apply for government jobs with an SMS, crumbled in October said the employee.
The government employee, who asked not to be named, said the Gauteng Shared Service Centre was a waste of people's money.
"This was supposed to help people who have no money from having to make copies of their certificates and paying postage fees, but they are the ones losing out because we never receive their details."
She said the applicants did not receive any feedback either.
"Applicants are supposed to be called back with reference numbers, but none of this is happening.
"We are not even receiving their details any more so they are just wasting their money by applying for the jobs," said the woman.
"It really beats me. This thing collapsed months back but whenever a position is advertised the number is on the advert," she said.
City Press Gauteng spoke to job seekers who said they were not aware the system had collapsed.
"I've been using this system since it was implemented last year and I used to get notices that they had received my SMS, but the last few ones went unanswered and I thought it was my phone," said Gadifele Modisadife.
She said the Gauteng Shared Service Centre should reimburse them.
"If this is true then they should give us our money back - R7.50 is a lot of airtime and they can't be doing this to unemployed people," she said.
Gauteng Shared Service Centre spokesperson Khusela Sangoni said the Mobile Application System was working.
"The system is still in use and we are confident it will continue to help us meet the set goals of creating greater access to government jobs," said Sangoni.
But he said there were some challenges.
"We receive wrong ID and job reference numbers and this makes it difficult for our contact centre agents to process the applications."
He said the centre had received 73 715 SMSes during May last year to March this year - an average of 6 701 a month - and 30 978 SMSes from April to June this year.
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