Beach cleaners suffer under new contractor

COMMUNITIES between Southbroom and Port Edward are asking Hibiscus Coast Municipality to investigate the poor service and, more alarmingly, the mistreatment of employees, by a new contractor in charge of maintaining their beaches.

According to former Southbroom Ratepayers’ Association chairman Bruce Mackenzie, residents of the area had, for the last ten years, been more than satisfied with the way that contractor Kevdon CC had maintained and cleaned the beach ablution facilities in this area.

However, this came to an end last year when Hibiscus Coast Municipality decided to expand the scope of a new contract. In future the contractor in charge of the ablution facilities would be expected to take on more staff and to take on beach cleaning as well. Kevdon was retained on a month to month basis until the bid process was finalised.

The successful bidder, Zimenhle Contractors, took over in September last year, although there was some concern that this new contractor would not be in a position to sustain the level of wages and that service delivery could be compromised.

Residents in the affected communities were pleased when Zimenhle Contractors took over the hard-working and conscientious Kevdon staff members. However, they were concerned to hear that remuneration for staff members would be cut to just R1 300 per month. Eventually, the salary was increased to R1 800 per month, an improvement on the original figure but still less than they had been earning before the change of contractor.

According to Mr Mackenzie, the residents became more concerned when the situation began to deteriorate. Soon the residents had to supply the toilet paper and cleaning materials for the beach toilets. Then, to their horror, they found themselves having to assist Zimenhle employees with loans for food and transport. The employees had not been paid their September wages.

At the beginning of October residents contacted municipal manager Maxwell Mbili, who promised to intervene. The community continued to support certain employees until the contractor paid them on October 11.

However, the situation has not improved. According to Mr Mackenzie, employees are still being paid late – or not at all. One employee is allegedly waiting for his November pay. Wages are paid in cash and not through employees’ banking accounts. No pay slips, rosters or sign-on sheets have been provided, as is required by industry regulations. Employees have no way of understanding how their pay is calculated.

Two employees are now taking their case to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). However, Mr Mackenzie said most of the employees were demoralised and very scared of protesting in case they lost their jobs.

“It is so very sad to see the poorest of the poor so misused and intimidated,” he said.

As for service delivery, residents are still having to provide cleaning materials and toilet paper in the toilet blocks. Southbroom residents have also complained that beaches are not being cleaned and that certain areas towards the Umkobi end are littered with used condoms and bottles.

Three weeks ago the South Coast Herald asked the municipality for comment. Municipal spokesman Nomusa Zulu said the maintenance team would inspect Southbroom ablution facilities to ascertain what work needed to be done and that a holding tank that had been causing problems had been repaired. However, there was no mention at all of issues involving the new beach maintenance contractor.