Disgruntled former employees of Venus Security International, who worked at Eskom Kusile Power Station in Mpumalanga, are demanding payment allegedly owed to them by their former employer.
A group of male and female security guards left their homes early on Thursday to visit the company at Standford Office Park, Centurion, hoping to meet with owner Hendrick Peter Kekana or HR personnel. However, they left empty-handed and disappointed.
They staged a peaceful protest outside the office park, blocking several employees from entering for hours until representatives from the National Enterprises Workers Union Ya Afrika (NEWUYA) and the EFF Witbank branch negotiated access.
The former employees waited for Kekana or HR to address their concerns or receive their memorandum of demand, but no one came out to assist them.
According to NEWUYA National Organiser, Josephine Mtshweni, Kekana owes 300 security officers approximately R6 million, meaning each officer is owed around R20 000. This amount includes benefits such as leave days, annual bonuses, severance pay, project bonuses, and provident fund contributions.
There are also claims that Venus Security International has been deducting tax from employees’ salaries but failing to remit it to the South African Revenue Service.
On October 15, some security officers visited Venus’s offices in Centurion to demand their work documents after their contract with Eskom Kusile ended on June 30, 2024, but they remain unpaid.
On October 25, security officers on-site received only R3,000 for outstanding leave, based on Eskom’s alleged failure to settle the full amount. However, Eskom Kusile confirmed that all payments had been settled before the contract ended.
Sibusiso Khumalo, a security guard, expressed frustration over their working conditions, stating, “We demand that Kekana pay back our money. Kekana is very arrogant.”
On October 30, the security company issued a statement indicating that payments from Eskom would be cleared, but only for workers not absorbed by the new contractor.
Eskom acknowledged receiving media inquiries but had not responded by the time of publication.
Attempts to contact Venus Security International were unsuccessful, as a junior staff member hung up upon realising it was media.
Public Order Police eventually requested the protesting officers to leave, after which they returned to Mpumalanga.
The Star
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