Families without food as contract terminated

THE sudden termination of a R36million contract to Electrical Moulded Components (EMC) by Buffalo City Metro last month has left 38 families with no food on the table.

The group of 38 men and women had been working for EMC, a service provider contracted to control operations at the metro’s call centre from a central point to ensure safety.

The contract was expected to end later this year, but much to the employees’ surprise, it was terminated last month.

The company’s employees, who spoke to the Daily Dispatch on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, said they were still fighting to get their June wages.

“For days we have been enquiring with our supervisors and management trying to make sense of what’s going on and when we will be paid, but nobody seemed to have the answers.

“Management was also getting annoyed with our questions, citing that we were all in the same boat,” said one.

Another said several phone calls to EMC executive director Greg Duanex remained unanswered for days.

“Some of us are bread winners and our families rely on what we get and to come home with no salary is devastating.”

A mother of two said with the children on holiday they had a responsibility to buy lots of food.

“It’s the holidays and nieces and nephews are visiting and the pressure is on for us to entertain. We can’t even provide for their basic needs now,” she said.

The Daily Dispatch learnt yesterday the employees received half their salaries from electrical company, Designer Lightning.

Design Lightning owner Dean Fanoe confirmed he had paid the EMC employees yesterday afternoon.

“I was merely paying them on behalf of EMC as a loan to one of the executive managers, who is a very good friend of mine, but I have nothing to do with the project or the contracts,” he said.

However, the employees said they were told Design Lightning would take over the contract and absorb the employees on a monthto-month basis for three months until his contract was made official.

But this.

BCM communication officer Bathandwa Diamond said the metro was aware of the unpaid wages.

“The matter was brought to our attention and as the city we empathise with the unpaid staff and we are in discussions with the service provider to carry out their obligations to their staff as they are not BCM employees.

“The service provider was contracted to control operations at the centre from a central point to ensure safety, not electrification of houses.

“However, the contract has run its lifecycle and a new service provider will be appointed to carry out the work at the call centre.” — Fanoe could not confirm