ActionSA in eThekwini Municipality has accused the DA of collaborating with the ANC in furtherance of the exploitation of vulnerable workers.
This after the parties voted in favour of the report tabled before the council on Tuesday that rejected calls for the municipality to in-source cleaning and security staff on account that it will be very expensive.
In-sourcing security staff, the report said, would cost the municipality close to R4 billion.
ActionSA councillor Zwakele Mncwango said, “ActionSA vehemently rejected the report tabled before us regarding the feasibility study of the insourcing of security guards and cleaners.
“Currently, the Municipality spends over R1.3 billion annually for the outsourcing of security guards, however, they failed to indicate how much the municipality spends on the outsourcing of cleaning staff.
Mncwango said of particular concern is the municipality’s decision to justify this outcome by claiming that absorbing these workers would incur higher costs for the city.
He said the municipality deems the R4 billion cost of absorption too high, “while simultaneously writing off an astounding R3.6 billion in irregular expenditure without any accountability.
“It is now evident that the DA has finally reached its ultimate goal, where they can work hand-in-hand with the ANC to abuse the vulnerable and suppress the voiceless,” he said,
DA councillor Mzamo Billy said the motion to in-source was always an impossible task. “When this motion came to us we warned that the motion submitted by ActionSA was just for political point scoring and was simply impractical to implement.
“The municipality currently employs over 27 000 employees and simply insourcing is not the solution. The staff component is bloated. It is the DA’s view that increasing the city’s staff complement is not only risky to the city but carries added operational costs and labour-related implications.
“Our view is that the ANC, EFF and other smaller parties in the coalition government must fire fly-by-night companies which exploit poor people. Reputable companies with a clear track record in the security industry and cleaning must be employed as they are more likely to ensure fair and decent working conditions for the workers,” he said.
The Mercury