Online Reporter
Stephen Mpofu
Perspective
THE headline above is set to become the focal point of a parliamentary motion urging industrial companies and Government institutions to cease treating interns as a source of cheap, modern slave labour.
Citizen’s Coalition for Change (CCC) Member of Parliament for Marondera Central, Mr Caston Matewu, made the announcement regarding the forthcoming motion three days ago during a discussion on a local radio station. He asserted that trainees on attachment were being exploited and unfairly compensated.
In essence, company executives return to their comfortable offices from banks, their faces beaming with satisfaction after reaping bountiful rewards fuelled by the hard work of intern after intern.
Meanwhile, those very interns trudge back to their training institutions with little more than a pittance in their pockets — when they too should be celebrating fair monetary compensation for their efforts.
For example, one unnamed Government intern was reportedly paid a mere US$6, although the duration of the internship was not specified.
Following Mr Matewu’s remarks, the radio station was inundated with calls from listeners who applauded the initiative to bring the issue of internships and fair remuneration before Parliament. Many expressed support for ending the exploitation of interns as modern-day slave labour.
Mr Matewu also highlighted the importance of establishing community radio stations in regions where indigenous languages other than Ndebele or Shona are spoken, to ensure inclusive participation in national development programmes.
Additionally, the MP discussed the introduction of indoor sports in his constituency as a strategy to deter youths from engaging in drug and substance abuse — a measure that this communicologist, along with many other citizens, believes should be replicated in other areas to prevent unemployed youths from turning to crime in the absence of job opportunities.
Bongani Ndlovu