MBOMBELA – Members of the premier’s office scurried around on Tuesday when hundreds of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) gathered in front of the government building. The EFF demanded an appropriate politician, and not an HOD, to receive a memorandum on behalf of the premier, Mr David Mabuza.
This march was organised in support of more than 1 000 security guards who had lost their jobs in April. But when the memorandum had to be handed over, the MEC for safety, security and liaison, Mr Vusi Shongwe, was nowhere to be found.
Shongwe was appointed to receive the memo on behalf of Mabuza.
Instead, the HOD of Shongwe’s department, Mr William Mthombothi, arrived. “We were informed by the premier that Shongwe will receive it on behalf of him. Now we are told Shongwe is somewhere in Badplaas. This is not acceptable as an official cannot receive a memorandum,” Mr Collen Sedibe, EFF provincial chairman, said.
“We don’t need an autocrat, we need a politician,” Sedibe continued adding that it was a political issue that needed a political solution.
According to Sedibe the worst for his party was that they sent the very same HOD who signed the contracts for all the security tenders.
The EFF refused to hand over the memorandum, and a few minutes later, Shongwe, to everyone’s surprise, made his appearance, stating that he was in a “very important meeting”.
He, however, pointed out that the security guards had not been retrenched but that the contracts with the security companies employing them had come to and end.
The EFF has given the department 30 days to respond to the demands relating to the appointment of new security. They also vowed to make the province ungovernable should it fail to do so.
The EFF demanded the following
• The premier and the MEC for community, safety and security provide them with the Bid Adjudication, Bid Specification and Bid Evaluation report for the security tender awarded on April 1.
• The premier and the MEC provide them with all the appointment letters and profiles as well as all necessary documents of the security companies appointed.
• Provide them with security clearances and vetting reports of the appointed security companies as approved by the State Security Agency.
• Provide them with the detailed report and proof of all appointed companies that the premises were compliant and are in line with the Psira regulations.
• Provide them with the number of firearms and proof that they belong to the appointed companies.
• Provide them with a number of response vehicles per appointed company.
• They also demand the reinstatement of all retrenched security guards with effect from June 1.
• They demand that the working hours for guards be 12 hours a day.
• They demand that the security companies stop posting female guards alone for the whole night as this expose them to a risk of being raped and murdered.
• They demand that all security guards removed in the strategic government buildings like Elijah Mango College be reinstated.
• No traffic officer should act as a security guard in any government building as they don’t possess the qualification of being security guards.
• We are saying no to the learnership arrangement from the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison as we are old and have debts. “Please bring back our jobs”.
• They demand the abolishment of the tender system and the absorption of this security guards in government so that they can enjoy all the benefits the police and other government employees enjoy like leave days, medical aid and bonuses among others.
• The EFF demands that the security companies pay the retrenched security guards all the monies due to them for the more than seven days they have worked before they were dismissed without notice.
