45 former Ndalo employees to sue Khanyi Dhlomo

After months of non-payment by their former employer, Khanyi Dhlomo, the employees that previously worked for Ndalo Media have banded together to take legal action against the businesswoman in pursuit of the money that they are owed.

This is according to a statement issued by the collective on the eve of the return of two of the magazines they worked for.

I have been receiving messages to find out whether I am involved in relaunch of Destiny Man magazine. I am not. For my peace of mind, I have moved on. My former colleagues are still carrying the fight to get our former employer to pay settlements. A statement 👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/JTsbJYa8nw

— Kojo Baffoe (@kojobaffoe) October 28, 2019

Ndalo Media, which used to own Destiny, Destiny Man, and Elle magazine, among others, shut its doors in January 2019 after allegedly digging itself into a financial hole.

Among the company’s many debts was a R13-million debt owed to its printers.

As a result of the company’s financial struggles, staff were not paid their November salaries on the 25th of that month and were instead paid their November salaries on December 6.

The public seemed to have forgotten about the developments at Ndalo but soon found themselves questioning the outcome when Legend Manqele of The Bar Group announced this past weekend that his company had acquired two of the defunct Ndalo publications, Destiny and Destiny Man.

https://twitter.com/LegendManqele/status/1187677395584724992?s=20

Those Ndalo media ex employees need to tell us if they were ever compensated. The brand and its success was built off their labour, a new publisher (and owner?) does not sanitise that issue for me. Would love to support, but only if no one was done duurrty!

— Rebranding as a fitness influencer (@MahlapeThabiso) October 25, 2019

A large number of Ndalo’s former employees came forward to explain that they had not yet been paid the severance packages that Dhlomo has signed off on before blindsiding them by liquidating the company.

Additionally, a smaller contingent of employees claimed to have been re-employed for two months under a new entity called Ndalo TME in an effort to revive the flailing magazines. That attempt failed and they allege they were not compensated for the two months of work they put in during that period.

Sis, nothing. This year has been very traumatic for us.

— Lindelwa Busakwe (@HiLindee) October 26, 2019

Never received any of the money owed to us for both Ndalo Media and the new company Ndalo TME. Craziest year financially for everyone left in the dust.

— Busi Manunga (@busimanunga) October 26, 2019

Nope, still waiting. Not a single cent paid to us

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— thandi skade (@thandiskade) October 26, 2019

https://twitter.com/MissLution/status/1188067604495323136?s=20

No sadly we have not received anything as yet

— Shaun Mallett (@ShaunMallett) October 26, 2019

Walked out with not 1cent after 8years….

— Marinda Brink (@MBrink43) October 26, 2019

No we have never been compensated from Ndalo Media. Even worked under a new company Ndalo TME for 2 months and no salary.

— Andre Brink (@AndrePBrink) October 26, 2019

Due to these developments, 45 of the company’s former employees have banded together to sue Dhlomo for what they are owed and will be represented on a pro-bono basis by three lawyers.

“To set the record straight, the staff that were retrenched by Ndalo Media at the end of 2019 were not paid the agreed upon and signed retrenchment packages as the CEO, Khanyi Dhlomo, liquidated the company two months after closing it,” read part of the statement.

They allege to have had no contact with Dhlomo since this transpired and said that they found out about the offer to purchase the defunct magazines through an email from the liquidators.

Dhlomo took a leave of absence from social media around the time she liquidated her companies and has been virtually unreachable. She is rumoured to have moved abroad.

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