Two Durban siblings and their business partner found themselves at the centre of a hostage situation, apparently sparked by a wage dispute, at a business in Morningside, Durban last Friday morning.
A mob of 40 mainly female workers allegedly threatened to push the owner of the business off the roof of the two-storey building if payment was not made.
After five hours, calm was restored when the shocked siblings, who were thinking of buying the business, decided to settle the outstanding wage bill, totalling R30 000, themselves.
Businessman Daryl Govender, 33, from Westville, his sister Keshnie Khan, 36, from Sydenham and their business partner, Keagan Foster, were in a meeting with the the owner when chaos erupted.
The owner, who runs a design and merchandising company which outsources work to cut, make and trim (CMT) factories, alleged that a woman contracted to do some of the work – at the owner’s Morningside premises – failed to pay the workers their wages.
“The workers held me accountable for the outstanding wage. Since the incident we have closed the factory and are going through a legal process,” she said, requesting anonymity.
Said Govender: “We were interested in purchasing the (business) and were meeting to look at the floor plan and machinery. The workers began hurling insults at her (the owner) about their wage. They became rowdy so we decided to leave the building and continue the meeting elsewhere. As we walked towards the door the workers became aggressive and started screaming, banging the tables and machinery, demanding their money.
“The angry mob of about 40 workers, most of them women, grabbed (the owner) by the arm and started pulling her away from us. I latched on to her and tried to pull her towards me. Keshnie and Keagan were trying to calm the workers by explaining she was not responsible for the payment, but this only made them more angry.”
The trio were overpowered by the mob, pushed out of the factory and locked out, Govender said.
“There was nothing we could do. It was like a tug of war between us and them for (the owner), and they won.
“From the outside I could hear her screaming for help and the mob threatening to push her off the roof if she did not pay them their money.”
However, the owner said she could not remember what had happened.
“All I remember is screaming, shouting and then breaking down in tears. I was so afraid.”
A concerned Govender said he contacted the police, relatives and KZN VIP Security for assistance. For him, the .only way to save the distraught businesswoman was for him to make payment from his personal account.
“The workers were so aggressive and the situation was tense. I was afraid they might kill her. I had my tablet with me and using internet banking I made the transfer.
“The woman who does the accounts spoke to someone inside the building and told them she was on her way to pay the workers. She withdrew the cash and only after each person was paid they released (the hostage),” he explained.
Govender said the money did not mean anything.
“We could not bear to see anything happen to (her). It was a small price to pay. We are all still shocked by the incident but we are coping.”
SAPS spokesman Major Thulani Zwane said police had monitored the situation until the matter was resolved.
“No injuries were sustained during the incident.”