The City of Ekurhuleni has failed to keep its promise to pay almost 1,000 security employees working for companies contracted to the city, the Private Sector Workers Trade Union (PSWTU) has said.

About 70 workers have been protesting since last week. They are from two companies: Ngodvongodvo Security and Zabalaza Security. The protesters represent nearly 1,000 workers who have not been paid for November and December 2022. Non-payments are becoming more common, resulting in workers failing to make ends meet, they said.

Despite receiving a letter from the city on 31 January promising that they would receive payments by 3 February, the workers were back protesting at the offices during the early hours of Monday morning, accusing the municipality of not keeping its word.

In November, workers from more than five security companies and from sites across Ekurhuleni, including Germiston, Benoni, Daveyton, Alberton, Heidelberg and Boksburg, protested.

While most of them were paid after the November protest, they claim to have experienced more problems in December and January. According to Raymond Tshamano from the PSWTU, the municipality claims not to owe the security companies any money, while the companies claim they have not been paid.

The late payments started after the coalition government took over the municipality, and Tshamano said: “The coalition should get their house in order.” 

The EFF blames the DA, which leads the coalition, for the non-payment.

But the mayor’s spokesperson, Warren Gwilt, told GroundUp that the city did not owe the employees money because they are not employed directly by the city, but by the security companies.

“These security companies were paid and were asked to address the issue with their employees. There was no non-payment to these security companies.

“Municipal employees always receive their salaries on time and this will continue. The EFF are politicising an administrative matter to which they do not have the full facts,” Gwilt said.

GroundUp tried to contact both security companies, but could only get hold of one. A representative of the company said he was concerned about how politicised the issue had become. He said the municipality often blamed the companies when it paid late.

The workers have vowed to keep protesting until their wages have been paid. DM

First published by GroundUp.