SECURITY GUARDS DISAPPOINTED WITH ACTIONSA

Security guards working at sites owned by the City of Tshwane have expressed their disappointment with ActionSA.

This after the party voted together with the DA in the City of Tshwane Municipal Council chambers last week Wednesday against their insourcing as permanent City of Tshwane workers.

At the moment the security guards are contracted to labour brokers who get paid every month by the municipality for having provided the municipality with security guards.

The labour brokers then take a large portion of the money for themselves before paying the security guards their salaries, which are very low according to the security guards.

Most of the security guards have told Tshwane Talks that they can’t afford to own houses of their own and instead live with their parents in crowded family houses as their salaries are very low.

Others among them have indicated that they are forced to live as tenants and pay high rents every month.

They also indicated that every month they are forced to go and ask for money from loan sharks as the salaries they get every month are not adequate and can’t sustain them until the end of the month.

“We as security officers are disappointed with ActionSA for voting against our insourcing,” said an agitated security guards’ spokesperson Hlengiwe Ngwenya.

“ActionSA always preached and promised insourcing but when the time came for them to practice what they preach they voted against our insourcing,” explained Ngwenya.

“ActionSA must never ever come to us again when campaigning and lie to us that they are trying to create a better life for us,” said Ngwenya dejectedly.

“Even the DA itself must not come near us when campaigning because they ate lying through their teeth,” she said.

“They have promised us better lives but the better lives they are talking about only apply to them as they eat nice food, cheese, butter and bread while we are suffering under labour brokers,” said Ngwenya.

“Mayor Cyril Brink is selfish and so is the DA and ActionSA, as they don’t think about us” she said.

“Under labour brokers we don’t get paid on time and at times we go for two to three months without getting paid, leading to us and our fsmilies going hungry,” explained Ngwenya.

Ngwenya expressed disappointment that they as workers voted for the DA and ActionSA but now the selfsame parties have betrayed them by voting against their insourcing.

ActionSA’s Gauteng Premier candidate Funzi Ngobeni released a media statement wherein he deplored the EFF’s motion as opportunistic.

“Claims by the EFF that ActionSA does not support insourcing should be seen as the political misinformation by a party that has never insourced anyone,” said Ngobeni.

“ActionSA has actually sponsored an insourcing motion in July last year which has resulted in a feasibility study which is at an advanced stage,” said Ngobeni.

Ngobeni explained that ActionSA voted against the EFF’s motion for insourcing security guards and cleaners on Wednesday in the City of Tshwane because it is a duplication of an existing motion brought about by ActionSA.

“We therefore assert as ActionSA that political gimmicks, opportunism and disrespectful stunts take advantage of desperate security guards for political point-scoring are not the answer,” said Ngobeni.

The EFF’s Tshwane Chairperson Obakeng Ramabodu responded as follows: ” The EFF in Tshwane is disappointed over the rejection by ActionSA and DA to support the insourcing of security guards in the second phase of our initiative.”.

Ramabodu pointed out that ActionSA has been vocal about insourcing in the City of Ekurhuleni and eThekwini yet he has blatantly rejected the insourcing of security guards in the City of Tshwane where the party has influence in the coalition government.

“The EFF acknowledges and appreciates the dedication of the workers who called outside the City of Tshwane Municipality chambers,” said Ramabodu.

“As the vanguard of the people the EFF will lead the way in determining the necessary steps forward,” he said.

“The DA and ActionSA are coalition partners that is why they voted together against the motion of insourcing security guards into the workforce of the City of Tshwane Municipality,” said Patriotic Alliance Tshwane leader Debyre Williams Moses.

“ActionSA is led by a person who is an unapologetic capitalist and what the party does will slowly unravel it’s true colors,” said Xiluva Party’s Gauteng co-ordinator Norman Mohale.

Regarding the DA, Mohale described the party as an entity that regards workers as tools for capital to make profit rather than partners.

“Security guards are right in fighting for their rights and the contract system must be abolished, this as one gets no benefits when the contract ends after five years or so,” said Oupa Mtshweni of Mamelodi Concerned Residents for Service Delivery.

ANC Tshwane Regional Secretary George Matjila told Tshwane Talks that it is not surprising that the DA and ActionSA voted against the motion as the two parties are one and the same.