The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has ruled in favour of eight former Downtown Music Hub (DTMH) employees, ordering the institution to pay R191, 724.63 in outstanding salaries.
The amount must be settled on or before July 31.
The last time employees received their salaries was in March.
In May, Sunday World reported that workers had not been paid for two consecutive months. At the time, one employee shared their frustrations.
Owed salaries for three months
“We haven’t received our salaries for two months. The worst part is, we don’t know when we’ll get paid. We’re working from home, using our own resources,” said the employee.
Another added: “We spoke to management, and they told us to wait for the new financial year. Now that it’s here, there’s still no explanation. We’re frustrated, we have bills to pay.”
While employees awaited payments, the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, announced the closure of DTMH. This decision prompted workers to escalate the matter to the CCMA.
On June 13, McKenzie told parliament that his department was not responsible for employing staff or paying their salaries at DTMH.
“The [DSAC] is not responsible for appointments or the payment of salaries at the Downtown Music Hub,” he said.
He explained that the department’s involvement was limited to financial support. And this was provided under specific conditions.
Minister halted funding over graft
“Our role was limited to funding. And it is dependent on available resources and compliance with the relevant funding agreements. I have since halted that funding to investigate how tens of millions were spent by the hub.”
McKenzie further stated that the building housing DTMH is owned by the National Arts Council (NAC). He said the suspension of funding was intended to allow for a comprehensive review of the project’s effectiveness, sustainability, and governance.
On June 25, former DTMH employees approached the CCMA to demand their unpaid wages.
Speaking anonymously, one of the affected employees confirmed the matter.
“We turned to the CCMA because we hadn’t been paid for three months. With the hub now shut and no government funding, legal action was our only option,” said the employee.
On June 30, the CCMA issued an official award confirming DTMH had failed to pay salaries for April, May, and June 2025.
CCMA was last resort
“The applicants were employed in various positions with different salary scales. The respondent admitted that salaries were not paid and cited the delay in receiving a government grant,” read the CCMA’s findings.
“Given that the respondent confirmed the applicants’ claims, I find that they failed to pay the required salaries.”
Thabiso Putswe of the Hotellicca Trade Union, which represented the employees, welcomed the outcome.
“We were confident from the beginning. Our members were clearly not paid, and with the shutdown, they had no choice but to go to the CCMA. Now, we’re waiting for DTMH to pay. If they don’t, we’ll have to consider asset attachment.”
Questions were sent to both the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and DTMH. However, none of them had responded by the time of publication.
