The majority of security guards protecting Endumeni Municipality’s facilities say they have not been paid for two months, with the municipality’s financial crisis now affecting their livelihoods.

Speaking to the Courier on condition of anonymity, the guards said employees of only one of the four security companies contracted to the municipality had received their salaries.

“The owner paid from his own pocket. The other companies said because the municipality does not have a budget and is in a financial crisis, they cannot pay the companies,” one guard said.

The guards said they had received no indication of when they could expect to be paid.

“Many of us just come to work, still hoping the situation will improve. We are scared that if we don’t report for duty, we will be replaced by the time the situation is back to normal,” another guard said.

The latest concerns come as Endumeni continues to grapple with severe financial problems. The municipality’s 2026/27 budget remains unfunded and has not been passed since the start of the new financial year on July 1.

The financial difficulties have already affected other municipal services. Internet services were disconnected for several weeks before the service provider was eventually paid, while the Talana Museum complex remains without electricity after the municipality fell behind on its Eskom account.

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