DURBAN - SECURITY guards employed by the Department of Education have demanded to meet MEC Kwazi Mshengu over what they have described as a “slave” salary of R2 300 a month.
One guard who contacted the Daily News on Monday, but asked not to be named, said they had been suffering in silence and now felt it was time the public knew about their exploitation by the government.
The guard who is stationed at a public school in eMpangeni, northern KwaZulu-Natal, said they were hired in 2020 and were promised they would be paid R3 500. However, they only got R2 300 with no explanation given.
“We are suffering and urgently need help. We want to meet MEC Mshengu to speak to him directly but we don’t know how to get hold of him. We do not believe the MEC is aware of this exploitation,” said the guard.
What angered the guards even more, he said, was that there was a law which prescribed a minimum wage of R3 500 for all employees in the country. He found it strange that it was the government flouting this law.
Another guard said they were also angered that the department was able to hire educators’ assistants and paid them R3 500 for what he claimed was just for carrying teachers’ bags and books but could not pay the same to people who were protecting the schools’ valuable assets.
“This is exploitation of the highest order and reminds us of the slavery days by colonial masters. I never expected this, after 27 years of democracy, let alone it being done by a democratically elected government which always says it’s concerned about economic inequalities,” said another guard.
Another said they wanted to join the unions, but realised that they could not afford to pay the membership fee as they needed every cent. She said they were promised uniforms but until today still used their own clothing.
Even school principals involved during the interviews for these security posts were now saying they could not help them, she said. Their payslips, seen by the Daily News, reflected a gross salary of R2 398 with an unemployment insurance fund deduction of R23.
National Teachers’ Union secretary Cynthia Barnes said she was shocked to hear there were employees in the department who were paid such a meagre salary and promised to investigate and take up the matter with the MEC.
Barnes said even if these employees were not her union members she would not allow such exploitation.
Public Servants Association president Dr Lufuno Mulaudzi also expressed shock and said it was unbelievable that the department was paying salaries that were below the national minimum wage threshold of R3 500. He too said his union would take up the matter with the authorities.
Education spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said the department would investigate the matter.
Daily News