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Victory for ActionSA as Ekurhuleni’s Council adopted a progressive insourcing report which will see thousands of outsourced security personnel being insourced directly into the City’s personnel over a multi-year transitional period.

This process will achieve nearly 4000 security guards being insourced into the City, increasing their remuneration and benefits while costing the City no more than the R2 billion being spent on over 100 security contracts the city currently has to honour.

The EFF, although the initial sponsors of the Motion on insourcing, has since turned its back on workers in favour of lucrative security contracts, initiated by the EFF MMC for Finance, Cllr Dunga, who has overseen the facilitation of 11 security tenders costing the City R2 billion for the 2023/24 financial year.

It was imperative for ActionSA that the City offers contracted workers the dignity of fair pay, stable employment and benefits available to employees of the City.

Currently, the City outsources its security and cleaning services through over 100 contracts with service providers, costing the City billions per annum. The City has paid, on average, R16 500 per security guard, whilst the guards themselves received as little as R4500 as a salary per month.

The report approved by Council today, will see the City undergoing an extensive process of ensuring the smooth integration of these security personnel into the City’s direct employment whilst guaranteeing the financial sustainability of the City. Due to the complexities of local government regulations and outstanding security contracts that were brought in by the ANC/EFF coalition, this process will be undertaken over a multi-year period.

Part of the recommendations brought forward by ActionSA will see the City tabling a funding model which must be tabled before the March 2024 adjustment budget.

Once completed, this process will be regarded to be amongst the largest scale insourcing projects ever undertaken in the public sector. We will, without doubt, face challenges in this process but we will continue to be driven by what is fair and just, rather than what produces lucrative profits for the few fortunate enough to win these tenders.

Issued by ActionSA COE Caucus Leader,  Siyanda Makhubo