Guards keep a close watch over their jobs

MSHADZA – While others enjoyed the last day of the long Easter weekend on Monday, security guards took to the streets to demonstrate their concern about the new site specifications which they said would cost them their jobs.

According to them, the department of safety allegedly instructed security companies to reduce the number of guards watching over departments per shift.

“In the past, there used to be six of us per shift, but now the number has been reduced to three hence some of us are going to lose our jobs,” said Mr Willies Lubisi during the peaceful protest in front of Phola Ntsikazi Clinic.

Some of them said their contracts had not been renewed, but they continued to go to work because they wanted to fight for their jobs.

The frustrated security personnel told Mpumalanga News that they were pleading with premier Mr David Mabuza and the MEC for community safety, Mr Vusi Shongwe to do something.

“We know that they might be unaware of these changes and we ask them to intervene.

If they are reducing the number due to the lack of money, they should stop paying private companies the hundreds of thousands and just employ us as individuals because we do not want lots of money, we just want to be able to make a living,” said another guard, Ms Phindile Khumalo.

Another concern that frustrated the guards was that if there were a few of them guarding a large department, it will put them at risk as they would be vulnerable to criminals targeting their place of work.