More than 600 workers to be laid off after council decision to insource security guards

More than 600 security workers are set to lose their jobs following the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality’s decision to cancel its contract with security firm M Secure.

Several M Secure – formerly Metro Security – security guards gathered outside the Daku Hall, in Kwazakhele, and blamed the municipality for their predicament, accusing mayor Mongameli Bobani of lying.

They claim he said on radio that the municipality would insource 1,000 security guards.

The security workers, who were protecting municipal assets such as the Wolfson Stadium in Kwazakhele, the New Brighton Oval and several councillors’ offices, said they felt abused and used by both the company and the municipality.

The municipality cancelled its contract with the firm in December and insourced 212 of its security guards.

Bongani Gulwa, who was stationed at the Oval, accused M Secure of putting them on forced leave and alleged those getting paid this month were those with leave days.

“I want the municipality to come and explain things to us because they are the reason we’re suddenly unemployed,” Gulwa said.

Andiswa Sithole, who was stationed at the Adcock Old Age Home, said she had taken her children from their grandparents’ house to live with her not knowing that she was going to be unemployed.

Zandile Bonga, who was stationed at the ward 18 councillor’s office, said they had put themselves in the line of fire, especially when it came to protests, protecting both the councillor and the office.

“The municipality says it doesn’t have money to insource all of us but it has money to pay private companies. I feel abused, like someone who doesn’t have rights.”

The security guards have all threatened not to vote in the next municipal elections because the coalition had left them unemployed when they were promised jobs.

Workers say they received letters stating they were being laid off due to the firm losing the municipal contract.

M Secure CEO Clive Humphrey said that on December 14 the security company was informed by the municipality’s legal department that its contract with the city was cancelled and its services would no longer be required after December 31 2018.

Humphrey said the municipality stated that any work conducted after December 31 would not be paid for.

“As such, M Secure had no option but to give instructions to withdraw all security officers from municipal sites,” he said.

Humphrey said his company was forced to retrench workers because of the high volume of personnel deployed on the municipal contract.

“It [was] simply impossible to absorb all of them.

“M Secure recognises that the process was initiated promptly with the security officers, however this is a direct result of the short notice given by the municipality.”

The EFF was specifically behind the push for the city to cut ties with contract security and to absorb the guards.

EFF councillor Lukhanyo Mrara said the fact that there were now security workers being retrenched meant that the municipality did not follow its plan on insourcing staff.

Mrara said the money to pay the security guards was meant to come from the cancelled contracts.

“We did our calculations and every M Secure guard at municipal sites was meant to be insourced,” Mrara said.

Ratepayers are expected to carry the costs of the insourced guards, with the city’s budget and treasury department previously warning that it could be forced to increase property rates by at least 2.8% to be able to afford the extra guards.