SECURITY OFFICERS HOLD NIGHT VIGIL OUTSIDE TSHWANE HOUSE TO DEMAND INSOURCING

Security officers working at various City of Tshwane sites held a night vigil outside the Metro’s headquarters Tshwane House on Tuesday evening.

This in demand to be insourced by the City of Tshwane Metro because at the moment they are contracted to labour brokers who are treating them shabbily.

The security guards told Tshwane Talks that they have been begging the City of Tshwane Metro to insource them for many years now, but their pleas have always fallen on deaf ears of the Metro so far.

On February 15 this year the aggrieved security officers protested outside the Metro’s headquarters Tshwane House and warned that all hell will break loose one day if their demands to be insourced were not heeded.

Last night the security officers carried out their threat and staged an unprecedented night vigil outside Tshwane House, vowing to disrupt the Council meeting which is scheduled to take place this morning (Wednesday) at 10 am.

The protesting security officers toyi-toyied, sang, clapped their hands, whistled and ululated outside Tshwane House determinedly in preparation for a showdown with City of Tshwane officials including Mayor Cilliers Brink in the morning.

Spokesperson of the toyi-toying security guards of the City of Tshwane regions 1 to 7 Hlengiwe Ngwenya told Tshwane Talks that the Metro has been ignoring their demands for too long now and that it was now time for a showdown.

“We are gathered here outside Tshwane House to hold a night vigil in protest against the City of Tshwane and Mayor Cilliers Brink,” she said.

“This follows after the City of Tshwane ignored our memorandum which was submitted on 15 February 2024,” explained Ngwenya.

“After submitting that memorandum, the Metro promised us that we shall be given a chance to speak to MMC of Community Safety but that never happened,” fumed Ngwenya.

“Thereafter we were told that we would speak to the office of the City of Tshwane Speaker but that never happened either as no one from the Speaker’s office showed up for the meeting at the designated venue,” she said.

Ngwenya told Tshwane Talks that after the aborted meeting with the office of the Speaker, they made it clear to all and sundry that they would come back to Tshwane House within seven days to enforce their demands, hence the protest and night vigil.

“Wednesday is the day of the Council meeting and we want the whole world to know about our plight as security guards who are working under unfavourable conditions,” enthused Ngwenya.

“We want to deliver our memorandum to Cilliers Brink himself because we want a better life for ourselves and our families, or else we as security officers will shut down Tshwane House on Wednesday morning,” said Ngwenya.

“And to all the labour brokers who are threatening us with dismissal for fighting for our rights, we say bring it on and we shall see who will work at the sites that have been previously occupied by our members,” said Ngwenya determinedly.

She said as security officers they deserved better than what the City of Tshwane and the labour brokers were dishing out to them.

“We deserve to have benefits like provident funds and a consistent salary which is paid timeously,” said the aggrieved Ngwenya.

“At the moment we don’t know as to which date we are actually getting paid on as sometimes it is the 7th or 15th or 17th of the month,” she explained.

“These labour brokers pay us whenever it suits them, enough is enough now,” said Ngwenya.

“The labour brokers have been taking us security guards for granted for a long time now, forgetting that we are human as well,” she said.

“We have been securing many areas belonging to the City of Tshwane for many years now and we have not been rewarded for our duties,” she explained.

Ngwenya said Councilors coming to the Council sitting on Wednesday morning will find them demonstrating outside Tshwane House.

“We are going to sleep here outside Tshwane House whether it rains cats and dogs or not, we can’t care less,” vowed Ngwenya.