Car guards have to pay high fees to watch over your vehicle while you shop

Concern continues to mount as residents question the daily fee car guards are expected to pay at the Norwood and Balfour malls.

This follows a previous article, Car guards pay hefty daily price, week ending 13 November, highlighting the exorbitant amount the car guards at Balfour Mall were alleged required to pay to the mall management.

Since the issue was brought to light, the daily fee at Balfour mall was allegedly reduced from R70 to R35.

Click here to read: Balfour Mall car guards pay too much

A Glenhazel resident, Olga-May Musnitzky, has been vocal on the issue and commended the publicity the issue has received. “It is thanks to this exposure that the Balfour Park car guards no longer have to pay a daily fee of R70 to the management and it has now been reduced to a daily fee of R35, which is certainly a big help to them,” she said.

Musnitzky further questioned why Norwood Mall continued to charge their guards a daily fee of R45, adding that they were struggling to make ends meet and were being exploited by those in power.

Adding his side of the story was a guard working at Norwood Mall who wished to remain anonymous. He agreed that the daily fee he had to pay was too much because he struggled to provide for his family. “I stay with my family and have to pay R2 000 for rent, so to be required to pay R40 daily is a strain and we are always expected to pay it, even on rainy days when no money comes in,” he said.

“We often depend on the goodwill of motorists to get by and working as a guard has only inspired me to get a better job.”

The Cavaleros Group, which manages Norwood Mall, distanced themselves from the matter, stressing that the guards were not contracted to the mall but to a company called Nogada to which fees were paid. Nogada is a security service provider which specialises in guarding and parking management solutions

Leila Daya, retail portfolio manager of the group, explained that no fees were paid to the mall by the car guards and the only part the mall played was in allowing the guards to operate on the premises.

Also read: Car guard solution a no-brainer

“This is done as a gesture of goodwill and to ensure that these individuals are given the opportunity of earning an income due to the high unemployment levels the country is faced with,” she said.

When approached for comment, Nogada refused to discuss the matter and stated that ‘in lieu of the above, you would realise that the questions so asked by yourself are irrelevant and privileged and we are not obliged to comply to [sic] your request’.

At the time of publication, Balfour mall management had not responded to questions about the issue.

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