Staff at Nelson Mandela’s home in Qunu home have claimed they are being intimidated and treated unfairly.
Some former workers at the home of the late international icon have alleged they were fired for no proper reason. They claimed they were paid their salaries late and, when they complained, were threatened with dismissal.
Meme Kgagara, who manages the residence, said she had no knowledge of wage payment delays, but said some workers were told to go home because there was no work.
She said that following Mandela’s death, there was nothing for them to do. Workers claimed that at least four housekeepers and a gardener were dismissed two months after Mandela’s death because there was no work for them.
Both current and former workers said there were no documents confirming their employment status, and they could not produce pay slips as their salaries were paid in cash.
The employees said that before Mandela became critically ill, they worked under a different manager, who had since left.
They accused Kgagara of not paying them on time and threatening to fire them. Kgagara works for the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
The Daily Dispatch spoke to two former employees who lost their jobs in February and received payouts of R2300. One of them had started as a gardener and later became a cleaner.
Magubu villager Nophumzile Krexe, 51, thought it was a joke when a fellow cleaner told her she had been dismissed by Kgagara. When she reported for duty two weeks later, her colleagues asked how she expected to be paid when she was no longer employed.
Later that day, she called Kragara to find out why she had lost her job. “(Kgagara) told me there is no money because Tata is no longer alive. I asked her to take me back to the garden but she said no.”
Krexe said she earned a monthly salary of about R1000. “I thought I would qualify for some sort of a huge payout for the long time I worked there,” she said.
Her widowed neighbour and former colleague, Nosapho Pesi, 40, said she earned R60 a day working at the estate, but this was nothing compared to having a global icon as boss.
“We were happy to see him arrive and leave with Mama (Graca Machel), his visitors and grandchildren.
“He loved his workers and used to ask if everything was alright when he was still active. We were afraid to tell him about our problems – we kept our pain inside our hearts,” she said. — loyisom@dispatch.co.za
Madiba’s ex-staff claim intimidation
Some former workers at the home of the late international icon have alleged they were fired for no proper reason. They claimed they were paid their salaries late and, when they complained, were threatened with dismissal.
Meme Kgagara, who manages the residence, said she had no knowledge of wage payment delays, but said some workers were told to go home because there was no work.
She said that following Mandela’s death, there was nothing for them to do. Workers claimed that at least four housekeepers and a gardener were dismissed two months after Mandela’s death because there was no work for them.
Both current and former workers said there were no documents confirming their employment status, and they could not produce pay slips as their salaries were paid in cash.
The employees said that before Mandela became critically ill, they worked under a different manager, who had since left.
They accused Kgagara of not paying them on time and threatening to fire them. Kgagara works for the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
The Daily Dispatch spoke to two former employees who lost their jobs in February and received payouts of R2300. One of them had started as a gardener and later became a cleaner.
Magubu villager Nophumzile Krexe, 51, thought it was a joke when a fellow cleaner told her she had been dismissed by Kgagara. When she reported for duty two weeks later, her colleagues asked how she expected to be paid when she was no longer employed.
Later that day, she called Kragara to find out why she had lost her job. “(Kgagara) told me there is no money because Tata is no longer alive. I asked her to take me back to the garden but she said no.”
Krexe said she earned a monthly salary of about R1000. “I thought I would qualify for some sort of a huge payout for the long time I worked there,” she said.
Her widowed neighbour and former colleague, Nosapho Pesi, 40, said she earned R60 a day working at the estate, but this was nothing compared to having a global icon as boss.
“We were happy to see him arrive and leave with Mama (Graca Machel), his visitors and grandchildren.
“He loved his workers and used to ask if everything was alright when he was still active. We were afraid to tell him about our problems – we kept our pain inside our hearts,” she said. — loyisom@dispatch.co.za
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos