City clean-up project leaves workers unpaid for three months

For three months, waste-management workers assigned to clean the informal settlements of Overcome Heights, Village Heights, Military Heights, and China Town arrived for duty, expecting long-overdue wages - but each week has ended with the same outcome: no payment.

The workers, hired as part of a City-run cleanup project, say the initiative has brought them only debt and frustration since salaries stopped in September.

According to the workers, the manager responsible for waste operations told them two weeks ago that payments were “being processed” and that they should “just wait until Friday.”

Many had already gone without any income for months.

Among them is Roslyn Felix, from Overcome Heights. She has worked every day for three months but has not received a single payment.

Ms Felix explained that she approached Karen Mentoor, the community leader and supervisor for the cleaning contract, to ask about their wages, but was told the funds hadn’t arrived.

She said she had to borrow money every day and that they kept being told they would be paid on Friday, but nothing ever happened. She said another month had passed with no payment and that it was now the third month they had worked without receiving any wages.

Ms Mentoor said the workers signed what they were told was a one-year contract, but just three months later, the City terminated it.

The contractor overseeing the work, Manandi Services, had no tools, no salary budget, and no resources. Workers cleaned the camps with their bare hands and no equipment, according to Ms Mentoor.

“The workers who did not get paid are 30 people who worked in Overcome Heights, 7 in Military Heights, 4 in China Town, and 4 in Village Heights,” said Ms Mentoor.

After Manandi Services collapsed, the City appointed another contractor, Ithalomso, and “workers were told that this time their money would come. But nothing came.”

“A meeting with councillor Mandy Marr (was held) - no outcome,  a visit to the Fish Hoek offices with sub-council manager Desiree Mentor - no breakthrough, and yet again, last Friday - no money,” said Ms Mentoor.

Ayesha Davids, a community leader in Village Heights and one of the supervisors on the cleaning contract, said the workers, who are residents of Riemvasmaak and Jim se Bos, have had to borrow money to support themselves.

“This is so hectic. Why is the City holding up the payments? We’ve been running from pillar to post trying to get our money for three weeks, but all we’ve received are empty promises.

"The City assured Ithalomso that the payment would be made, but when I checked with them, Ithalomso said they had received nothing.”

Ms Davids added: “All the workers from Village Heights, ChinaTown, and Military Heights have not been paid for October.”

The City’s Urban Waste Management Directorate acknowledged the workers’ dedication and said it understands the difficulties caused by the payment delays.

It explained that the previous contractor, Manandi Services, had its contract terminated on October 20 for poor performance, and a new company, Ithalomso, took over on November 1. According to the City, Ithalomso was responsible for paying the workers for November’s work as of yesterday, which should offer them some immediate relief.

The City said that the unpaid wages for September and October fall under the former contractor, Manandi Services.

Although the workers were not employed directly by the City, officials are following a legally required process to pay them on the contractor’s behalf.

This involves confirming the work done and securing proper approvals to ensure compliance with financial regulations. The City admitted the verification has taken longer than expected, but said the process is now nearly complete.

Once approvals are finalised, the outstanding wages will be paid. The City thanked workers for their patience and said it remains committed to resolving the issue lawfully and as quickly as possible.