Security guard Phumza Popoyi was forced to dig from her meagre savings to pay for medical treatment after injuring her leg on duty.
Popoyi has had money for medical insurance deducted from her salary every month for the past five years. But like thousands of her colleagues in the industry, she does not receive medical cover despite her payslip reflecting a monthly deduction for Affinity Health.
“All the companies I have worked for have been deducting money for medical aid but I have never had such cover. I have never even had a medical aid card, R150 is deducted every month under Affinity but the company says it has never received the money.
“I must use my own money for medical care but I’m paying every month. This has been happening since 2020,” said Popoyi.
Last week unions AWU, Kawu, Numsa, SANSAWF and Satawu marched to parliament to demand that the portfolio committee on policing and standing committee on finance cancel all contracts of non-compliant companies doing business with the state.
“These companies have failed to register their security officers with the designated healthcare insurance provider to ensure that security officers receive quality primary healthcare and hospital cover when necessary,” the unions noted in the memo.
“All security companies must contribute R172 per month for each security officer they employ, with the security officer contributing the balance. Alas, many security companies employed by the state do not pay over these premiums to the designated service provider.
“This fraud exposes the security officers to catastrophic spending. Poorly paid workers are always at the risk of sinking even further into poverty because of the adverse effects of illness and injuries on duty on their earnings and family savings.”
In March 2021, the National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector approved a health insurance benefits scheme for the sector following the signing of a main collective bargaining agreement with employers and unions.
According to the agreement, the scheme was to be administered by Affinity Health and workers were to pay a compulsory R250 monthly insurance, half of which was deducted from salaries. The benefits include chronic disease management and medication, doctor consultations, hospital and casualty benefits, including an HIV and TB management programme.
However, according to unions organising in the sector, scores of companies, including those that do business with the government, are deducting the money from employees’ salaries but do not pay this towards workers’ medical insurance.
Unions estimate the funds deducted from workers and pocketed by rogue companies could be well over R50-million.
“There are as many as 10 372 non-compliant security companies operating with gay abandon in South Africa. Many of these non-compliant companies are contracted to the government, including protecting our national key points,” the unions noted in the memo.
Popoyi said her employer has been deducting R150 from her salary for the past five years saying it’s for medical aid.
“But I have never benefited from anything. When I’m sick, I’m forced to go to the clinic because we are paid so little. I can hardly afford to pay a doctor,” said Popoyi.
She earns R22,13c per hour, which has not increased since 2022.
In February, the Department of Labour and Employment increased the national minimum wage by 8,5% from R25,42 per hour to R27,58 per hour. The increase became effective from March 1 this year.
Security guards face further challenges, including late payment of salaries, working without valid employment contracts and arbitrary dismissals.
Zukile Mamponi, who has been working as a security guard in Western Cape since 2008, said he also does not receive medical cover despite deductions from his salary.
“Being a security guard is hard work but we are not -valued. Our pay is very low and we are subjected to unexplained deductions,” he said.
Zandile Pitso, who has worked as a security officer for the past eight years, said although her employer makes deductions for tax and Unemployment Insurance Fund, she was shocked to discover that her name doesn’t appear on the database of both authorities. Pitso has never had medical cover.
Last year the Financial Sector Conduct Authority reported that 2 224 security companies had failed to pay over their employees’ retirement fund contributions to the Private Security Sector Provident Fund.
The Pension Funds Adjudicator also reported that there were 2 477 matters related to errant employers between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.
Also non payment of last salaries when contract end especially mabotwane security services our contract expired end of February 2023 till to date we never received our salary