Security guards vow to protest until they get paid
“We are the ones being assaulted, raped and abused. We are not going to settle for peanuts while the contracts awarded go into the millions.”
A group of disgruntled security guards have promised to continue protesting in central Pretoria due to non-payment from the metro for over three months.
The security guards have expressed frustration over the metro’s practice of outsourcing security services despite the council’s resolution to insource 4 000 guards in phases made in 2018.
“We are the ones fighting on the ground protecting their properties while the City sleeps, not the police. The police only arrive once the criminal has been caught.
“We are the ones being assaulted, raped and abused and we are not going to settle for peanuts while the contracts awarded go into the millions,” said the group’s spokesperson, Hlengiwe Ngwenya.
The security guards have been protesting since Monday, closing down Tshwane House and Bloom Street at a nearby fuel station on Wednesday.
They claim that at least 22 private companies have not paid them for services rendered and that these same companies are not compliant or registered with the UIF and Labour Department. The protestors are calling for an end to contracts with private companies and for complete absorption.
“We want to be absorbed by the City of Tshwane. No more middlemen because these companies are not paying us on time. It’s been three months without pay; so enough is enough,” Ngwenya continued.
The guards said that they received emails from the metro promising payments will be made soon whilst calling on them to desist from protesting.
The guards, however, remain unmoved.
“We won’t stop until the funds are released. Only when we see the money in our accounts, not when we receive emails and SMSes.”
The security guards are also calling for a sit down with the metro’s newly elected mayor, Cilliers Brink, who was voted in on Tuesday.
In the memorandum, they planned to hand to the city council, they stated, “We as security officers are recognising that the practice of outsourcing is exploitative and dehumanising”.
The City of Tshwane, however, said that they are under no obligation to pay the protesting guards.
“The contract workers who are alleging that they have not been paid by the City of Tshwane are not the City’s employees but, rather employed by a service provider contracted to the City. Therefore, there are no grounds for them to be permanently employed by the City,” said metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo.
“With regards to the meter readers and asset protection employees, these are permanently appointed personnel and have been receiving their salaries like all the other City of Tshwane permanently appointed employees,” Mashigo concluded.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
