Players’ union calls for strike to end ‘slave wages’
The South African Football Player's Union (Safpu) have called for a players' strike after a report that Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Bruce Bvuma is only earning R5000 a month.
Bruce Bvuma of Kaizer Chiefs (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
The Sunday World newspaper reported that Bvuma lives with his parents in Soweto and does not have a car or cellphone, taking a taxi to training sessions at Naturena.
According to the same paper, Kaizer Chiefs’ team manager Bobby Motaung has declined to comment on the matter.
READ: Agent apologises to Chiefs for Bvuma wage saga
“Whether you are telling the truth or not I cannot comment because I don’t talk about players contracts in the media,” said Motaung.
“The problem lies in the fact that we don’t have a minimum wage in the PSL,” a clearly furious Safpu General Secretary Thulaganyo Gaoshubelwe told Phakaaathi.
“It makes it very difficult …. But we can’t have a situation in this day and age where a player is being paid R5000-a-month. That is why we have called for a minimum wage. If we can agree on a minimum wage of R35 000 per month for a player with a contract in the PSL (Absa Premiership), and a minimum of R15 000-18 000 for a player with an NFD contract, then we will be good to go.”
Gaoshubelwe believes there are many players in the PSL who are poorly-paid, and says player action may be the only solution.
“Just a few weeks ago we head of Siphesihle Ndlovu from Maritzburg United, who is being paid peanuts, the salary of a developmental player, it is rubbish. Once a player starts playing professional football he needs to be respected.
“We must wait for the most opportune time to call a strike. The sponsors don’t care, they keep pumping money into the game, but where does that money go? Just the other day SuperSport and the PSL were celebrating their ten-year partnership, but how many players are being exploited?
“Players must say ‘here are our demands, and if you do not meet our demands, the league will not start.'”
Bvuma, 21, played two league games for Kaizer Chiefs at the end of April, a 2-2 draw with SuperSport United and a 3-2 loss to Cape Town City, after a goalkeeping crisis left Steve Komphela without first choice Itumeleng Khune and second choice Brilliant Khuzwayo.
READ: READ: Kaizer Chiefs respond to Bvuma’s ‘slave wages’ report
