The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have called on the Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi, to intervene in the crisis of private security firms failing to pay provident funds to their workers.
In a letter to the minister, EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu said that 83% of private security entities were not complying with the Pension Fund Act. He said that this amounted to a systematic heist against the security guards, who put their lives at risk every day.
Shivambu said that the non-compliance involved 2,224 companies owing R6 billion to the Private Security Sector Provident Fund. He said that this was a blatant violation of the rights and well-being of workers.
Read also: Zuma wants to be president again.
He also criticised the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) for neglecting its duty to enforce the law and oversee the companies. He said that the regulatory body should be held accountable for allowing the infractions to continue.
Shivambu urged Nxesi to conduct a thorough investigation into the private security firms and bring them to justice. He also suggested that the EFF’s proposal to link compliance with the renewal of operating licences was a good solution.
He implored the minister to take swift and decisive action to protect the rights of workers in the private security sector. He said that this would also send a clear message to the security companies that fraud would not be tolerated in South Africa.
Driven by a relentless curiosity and a sharp eye for the newsworthy, his work navigates the labyrinth of headlines, unearthing narratives that spark conversation and challenge perspectives.
