Diepsloot school patrollers demand answers over three months of unpaid salaries
They help keep learners safe every day, but 52 Diepsloot school patrollers say they have gone unpaid since April, leaving families struggling to put food on the table.
More than 50 school patrollers in Diepsloot say they have been working for months without receiving their salaries, leaving many struggling to provide for their families.
The patrollers, who are part of a Diepsloot community patrollers programme, under the school safety department, claim they have not been paid since April, despite continuing to report for duty every day.
They gathered at Sarafina Park in Diepsloot Ext 8 on June 12, dressed in their colour blocking uniforms and demanded answers over unpaid wages.
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According to the patrollers, each school has three patrollers responsible for helping keep learners safe and maintaining order around school premises, all under the same co-ordinator.
According to Herminah Mafora, one of the patrollers, their frustrations grew more when they couldn’t get hold of their only hope, which is their co-ordinator.
“Our co-ordinator is the person who is able to update us, since she can communicate with the lady that works at the district, but now there’s no communication. There’s nothing. It’s like we are fools.
“We are not saying that we want our money from her, because it’s not her job, all we want is answers.”
The group said they were initially told they would receive payment on the seventh day of every month, according to their contracts. However, despite signing contracts and continuing to work, no payments have been made for three consecutive months.
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Many said the situation has placed immense strain on their households, with some relying on their children’s social grants to cover transport costs to get to work.
One affected mother, Violet Motlhabane, said the lack of income had made it difficult to provide basic necessities for her family. “We are parents, we have kids to feed, families to provide for. How will we do that if we are working for free.”
Another patroller, Ontekane Badise, described the emotional and financial toll of working without knowing when payment would be received.
“Three months of waking up and going to work without any money coming in is draining. I use a taxi when I go to the school I’m placed. I end up borrowing money. I don’t even know how I will pay it back, since I’m not even sure myself if I’ll be paid.”
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The workers said their frustration has grown as they continue to receive new contracts while outstanding payments remain unresolved. They claim attempts to get clarity on the matter have yielded little information.
At the time of publication, the patrollers were still awaiting feedback on when the outstanding salaries would be paid.
Fourways Review attempted to obtain a comment from Mynah Mdawe, their co-ordinator, regarding the allegations, but she refused to comment, giving us numbers for Mapodile Baloyi who works at the district. Unfortunately, Baloyi also declined to comment, instead giving us numbers for the head of the safety office. However, the contact numbers provided for that office were unreachable.
Further attempts to contact Baloyi were unsuccessful as her cellphone rang to voicemail.
Fourways Review will update the story should a response be received.
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