Cape Town – A documentary called #Justice4UWCWorkers, which tells the story of 143 former Securitas SA employees who were dismissed while working at UWC, was launched recently.
The brainchild of 2016 #FeesMustFall activist and former UWC student Songezo Mazizi, the documentary aims to create a platform for the security guards to voice what led to their dismissal during the protests and campus shutdowns. It also showcases the aftermath of the dismissals.
Civil society organisation Right2Know facilitated a discussion about the documentary at its launch yesterday at the Tshisimani Centre for Activist Education in Mowbray.
"This is the first #FeesMustFall documentary which focused on the workers. Their struggles are as significant as (those of) students, untold stories of police brutality and every challenge they faced during that period.
"It is a story of a group of working-class breadwinners who were unfairly dismissed, silenced and defeated by processes that are aimed at defeating the constitutional rights of workers.
"It's about over 600 dependants who were left destitute as a result of the actions of the employer," said Mazizi.
Securitas's corporate governance director, Mark Sangster, said the staff were dismissed after being absent from the university without company permission.
"The company has no comment regarding the documentary as the matter was dealt with and finalised by the CCMA," said Sangster.
The documentary will next be screened in Johannesburg on Tuesday.