Tender issue soars to new heights
A security tender awarded by the Gateway Airport Authority Limited (GAAL) will be investigated following allegations of flouted procurement processes.
POLOKWANE – This was confirmed to Review by the Head of the Transport Department, Hanli du Plessis.
The allegations made by a source, whose name is known to Review, implicate senior officials at GAAL as well as some closely linked to the department.
The information pertaining to these allegations was conveyed to Du Plessis and might be subjected to scrutiny by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks).
The tender, of which Review has the documents, amounted to R12 million over a three-year period.The allegations came to light following an incident of aviation security workers at the airport, who threatened to strike last week.
Thirty security officers started duty on 1 May after the company obtained the tender to ensure safety and security at the airport.
Security staff were, however, not paid at the end of May.
Allegations were made that the company, which apparently has numerous security contracts throughout the province by government and by municipalities, also do not pay other security officers minimum wages and does not provide officers with pay slips as required by law.
Workers told Review that they called off last week’s strike after promises by their employer that they would be paid.
The amounts paid, however, were not in accordance with the minimum wage as per sectoral determination.
Security personnel are to work 208 hours or 17 days, from 06:00 to 18:00 per shift and are paid according to their grading.
One worker in this case, worked for 22 days and received R2 700 instead of R3 100 per month.
Officers were allegedly told that the company owner had not received payment from GAAL yet, which had led to the shortfall.
Security officers have furthermore not yet received uniforms as promised in their contracts and are transported to work at the back of an bakkie which does not have a canopy.
According to a worker the owner met with the South African Trade and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) on Monday, and allegedly promised to pay the outstanding parts of the salaries by yesterday (Wednesday).
Workers are dissatisfied with the situation, saying the shortfall or non-payment was not communicated to them by their employer.
Review also learned that some officers had been headhunted from reputable security companies, for specific positions and were lured with promises of bigger salaries, but received less than at their previous place of work.
The Acting CEO of GAAL, Willie Mathonsi, said he was not permitted to speak to the media and did not wish to answer questions with regard to the allegations.
The owner of the security company did not respond to Review’s queries on the matter after extensive efforts were made to contact him.
