Fleecing of security staff continues

Firm outed for owing R2.5m in provident fund

Many employers in the security service industry are defiant and have no regard for the law as they continue to debit monies from employees for pension and provident funds with no intention to pay it to administrators.

Although some companies have been in the industry for more than a decade, they are not registered with the Private Security Sector Provident Fund (PSSPF), making it impossible to enforce compliance. This also makes it difficult for exiting employees to withdraw fund contributions.

El Gondor Trading 137 is registered with the PSSPF and owes R2.5-million it allegedly deducted from salaries for the past six years.

Ntombizanele Mtshikana and 45 security guards who have resigned are battling to get their contributions despite having proof of deductions.

Mtshikana, 37, from Standerton in Mpumalanga, said her employer dismissed her after she approached the PSSPF to inquire about the status of their fund. She said they were alerted to the situation by security guards who had left the company.

“This is exploitation which the PSSPF must uproot to ensure that security guards are protected,” Mtshikana said.

She said the employees tried to get clarity from management on the fund.

“As a shop steward, the employees mandated me to approach the provident fund, which confirmed that El Gondor was in arrears with their contributions as it paid intermittently.”

Sindiswa Changuion, the communications consultant of the PSSPF, confirmed that El Gondor was registered with the fund and that it owed about R2.5-million in arrears. She said the fund was taking legal action against El Gondor, which is based in Secunda, to recover the money.

Vusumuzi Kgomu, the owner of El Gondor, denied owing the fund R2.5-million, saying he only owed R800 000.

Muvhango Lukhaimane, the Pension Funds Adjudicator, found that El Gondor has been breaching the Pension Funds Act for the past 13 years. Lukhaimane said the PSSPF was equally liable for delaying the registeration of El Gondor as a participating employer and had ordered the fund to register El Gondor and to update the employees contributions.

‘‘ This abuse must be uprooted to protect the security guards

/ SUPPLIED Ntombizanele Mtshikana lost her job as a security officer after discovering that her employer was not forwarding the workers’ provident fund contributions to fund administrators.