Six Combined Corporations (SCC) is a security company which won a tender of the Breede Valley Municipality (BVM) to provide security services 48 BVM sites.
These sites are among others, substations which often fall victim to vandalism and could also be prey to sabotage.
Just after SCC started with their services to the BVM last year in August, complaints poured in from disgruntled employees who complained about payment irregularities by the company.
This has even led to public marches due to their frustration.
A group of these disgruntled employees, who asked to stay anonymous due to possible victimisation, visited the Worcester Standard, and aired their grievances:. Getting paid different amounts each month.. Getting paid on different days of each month and not on the 15th as originally arranged, and in some instances skipping a month and getting paid twice during the next month.. Night shift employees being paid less than day shift employees.. Being paid less for a higher amount of shifts than those working a smaller amount of shifts who in turn, are paid more. . No set hourly rate, as it keeps on changing.. The employees also explained that should they report these payment irregularities they would be removed from the company’s WhatsApp group, or in some cases, dismissed from their job without any reason.
On 21 Jaunuary, employees of SCC gathered in front of the company’s offices in Van Huyssteen Street to enquire about their salaries which was again paid in late.
Subsequently, the company’s supervisor (Ibrahim Samboe) allegedly incited violence by members of the Oue van Dae (OVD) neighbourhood to intimidate the protesters.
A police spokesperson, WO Vathiswa Jacobs, confirmed this and said that the supervisor [Samboe] injured a protestor when he threw a stone at him.
The protester received medical treatment and opened a case of assault against the supervisor.
Samboe has been arrested and charged, and appeared in the Worcester Magistrates’ Court on 26 January where the case was remanded until 3 March.
According to Hannelie Botha, a spokesperson at BVM, the municipality is aware of the payment discrepancies at SCC after employees had reported it to the BVM.
Botha also added that a number of security guards complained at the BVM offices during last year.
Chad Malgas, another spokesperson of the BVM, said that the municipality bears no knowledge of the protest on 21 January, but is aware of the payment disputes.
Furthermore, BVM stated that they are “in the process of evaluating the current performance standard of the [SCC] service provider and if it is found that the service provider’s performance is not up to standard, action will be taken in accordance with the instructions in the general conditions of contract”.
According to Malgas, the municipality cannot expand on the evaluation as it is still being processed.
However, the municipality does not become directly involved in the performance of a service provider, which includes staff management and employer-employee disputes, as BVM only monitor’s the performance of tenders or service providers, and in this particular case it is SCC.
Rodger Daniels, the senior director of SCC, has refuted all grievances made by the guards and said that the “protesting workers were 98% ex-workers of SCC”.
Daniels further explained that these workers did not hand in company equipment, such as uniforms, when they completed their last day at SCC and as a result their salaries were not paid out.
According to Daniels, during the enquiry on 21 January a disgruntled security guard attacked one of the SCC’s inspectors with the assistance of members of the community.
Other security guards also forced open the office gates.
This statement appears to be in conflict with Jacob’s version who explained that SCC’s supervisor assaulted a security guard.
Daniels also said that SCC and BVM have resolved the payment discrepancies, however, according to (BVM spokesperson) Malgas, the matter is still under evaluation.
“All [security] officers have been paid in full, and no outstanding payments are due,” Daniels explained.
