Security and Cleaners Protest Unpaid Salaries at CHDM

Security and cleaners working in Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) stormed into the the municipality offices in Komani on Tuesday (24/02) demanding answers on when are their salaries are going to be paid.

The workers with the assistance of concerned residents of Komani called for the municipality to act on security companies which are failing to pay their workers.

Concerned residents Xola Njokweni said on December 11,2025, they marched to the municipality to hand over their grievances to the municipality giving them until December 17 to respond to the grievances.

“We received a letter that the municipality will not he able to respond by 17 December as it wanted to gather the information. In December the workers had five months without receiving their salaries,” he said.

Njokwenibsaid they decided to do a picketing to the municipal offices demanding their responces.

“Wanted to know that between government and the companies that render services who is on the wrong. After we left here in December, workers were paid some of the months, but after that they were not paid for December, January and February,” he said.

According to Njokweni, they want to know who is responsible for the nonpayment of workers salaries.

“We want to check who is on the wrong side. Is it the municipality or the companies.

“We want a permanent solution on this, we know that municipal staff gets paind on 25 th of each month, but securities are not paid for three months,” he said.

He said if the companies are failing to pay their workers, “is there no law that the municipality can use to absorb these workers so that they are permanently employed by the municipality.”

Njokweni said they also wrote to the department of labour and they have resolved some of the issues that were raised.

“Most of these workers work for more than five years and can’t even claim for provident fund, UIF or even pension fund. We can’t experience a situation were workers don’t get paid for months,” he said.

Chris Hani District Municipality councillor Nosipho Papiyana said this is a serious situation as it involves families.

“I apologise to you for not receiving feedback on the petition. This is the first time as the political leadership we hear of the petition. This is a serious matter,” she said.

Papiyana said the municipality has a contract with the company and iit is that company that hires people.

“I would like to urge you as this shows that we did not show any care in dealing with the matter. We ask to give us time to process these matters,” Papiyana said.

She said they will ask the company why it does not pay its workers.

“The tendering system has been infiltrated by criminals who use the money for their own benefit and pay workers with the change.”

“I will give the petition to the mayor Lusanda Sizani and the municipal manager Gcobani Mashiyi today so that the matter is addressed. We don’t take these issues light, security companies playing with our people and not paying them their salaries is a serious issue,” he said.

Papiyana asked for the workers to give them until Tuesday (03/03) next week to address the issues and call another meeting on Tuesday at 11am.

Njokweni called on the municipality to monitor a situation where workers will be victimised by the company for taking part in the pocketing.