Disgruntled guards from Cleaner Security Alliance Workers march to Tshwane House
The members protested against a resolution from the metro about plans to dismiss over 3 000 security guards.
Members of the South African Cleaners Security Alliance Workers (SACSAW) marched to Tshwane House on Tuesday over various grievances.
They were mainly protesting against the metro’s plans of axing 66% of security staff and replacing them with members of the TMPD in the coming months.
The move would see over 3 000 security guards lose their jobs, a reduction allegedly linked to the municipality’s failure to pay security companies after the metro security service budget of more than R240-million was depleted.
The small crowd of SACSAW members draped in red gathered outside Tshwane House in the CBD demanding the mayor, deputy mayor or city manager accept their memorandum.
Their other grievances included late or in some cases no payment at all for months on end.
“In the last three months, members were not paid. Before they can get their salary, it’s always a fight. They are not paid on time, if they feel like paying they will, if they don’t, then they won’t,” said SACSAW secretary general, Andries Potsane.
“We want them not to implement this reduction. The majority of these workers and families will suffer due to unemployment. We don’t want to see what happened with Prasa here, remember [Former Minister Fikile] Mbalula decided to remove security officers on site and look at what happened, there was vandalism and all those things. We don’t want that to happen in Tshwane because we have substations, halls, libraries and in other words, the community is going to suffer,” Potsane added.
He said they had written to the council on several occasions before the march and planned to embody the spirit of 1994 freedom fighters to not give up until their demands were met.
Another marcher, Jane Msiza said the metro’s claims of not having the funds to pay workers are a fabrication of the truth.
“How can it be? You work as a security guard of the municipality and guard the property of the municipality on an empty stomach? That must end today,” Msiza said.
“We don’t want Tshwane to reduce security officers, we want to keep our jobs and be kept permanently, Tshwane must insource all of us. They get their salaries, full-package salaries every month without fail, the workers deserve the same. Why must security guards suffer while we’re guarding their properties?” Msiza added.
SACSAW has given the metro seven days to respond to their memorandum and threaten further protest action should their demands go unanswered.
*Please note this article has been amended
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