Members of the Ekurhuleni Peace Corps demonstrated outside the Germiston Civic Centre, on Thursday morning.
The march took place moments before MMC for Finance Clr Moses Makwakwa was due to deliver his 2015/2016 budget speech in the council chambers.
The Peace Corps members demanded that the Ekurhuleni’s executive mayor, Clr Mondli Gungubele, address them and explain why members have two contracts, and what has been done with the money budgeted for the Ekurhuleni Peace Corps project in the 2014/2015 budget.
According to a member who spoke to journalists, members were meant to each be paid R3 200 per month and have been paid only R2 000 per month for the past two years.
Other issues the members wanted addressed were:
- Transport: members are expected to patrol on foot as there is no transport available for them.
- Uniforms: members are given only one uniform and are expected to reuse this throughout the week.
- Overtime: members have voiced their outrage that they are asked to work on Saturdays but are not paid for these hours.
The mayor has reportedly said that the Peace Corps members are employed permanently, but, according to members, this has not happened .
The members claim that they never knew their contracts would expire and they find this situation very unsettling.
The Ekurhuleni Peace Corps assists the EMPD in carrying out their duties and are deployed to different wards throughout the metro.
The mayor addressed the protestors, asking that a memorandum be sent to his office.
He said his team would respond to the members as soon as possible.
