BY REGINALD KANYANE

STAFF at Mmabana Foundation embarked on a strike at all the parastatals offices across the province on Friday.

The employees alleged that the Mmabana Foundation exploited them and downgraded their salaries.

Provincial coordinator for the strike, Portia Phadi said they embarked on a protest because the management ignored their call.

She said they urged Mmabana Foundation to engage with their union (NEHAWU) before they could downgrade their salaries.

“We were guaranteed the certificate to embark on a strike by CCMA hence we shut down all entries leading to Mmabana Foundation Head Offices. As employees, we are paid meagre salaries. Employees were also not part of the decisions taken by the institution.

“They alleged that there institution does not have enough money in their account. We want to know where the money went to because we are aware that the culture, art and traditional affairs department (CATA) is injecting money into the institution,” Phadi said.

She added that the institution receive budget from the department of CATA however they could not even get salary increment as employees.

One employee said: “I have 26 years as an employee at Mmabana Foundation. However I am ready to go on pension, but I do not have enough money. I am living in abject poverty, yet I am working.”

Another worker said the CEO and management get exorbitant salaries while they living in poverty.

NEHAWU provincial spokesperson, Cassper Nanto urged provincial government to investigate discrepancies at Mmabana Foundation.

“How relevant it is for the CEO to get R1.4m salary while workers are starving? It is the time now for the provincial government to enter into the fray and investigate exactly what is happening at Mmabana Foundation,” Nanto said.

However CEO for Mmabana Foundation, Sipho Nkese disputes the allegations levelled against him. He said the employees embarked on illegal strike.

“It is not true that the management is paying themselves exorbitant salaries. The union has salaries of everybody in the organisation. Our salaries are in line with what the government is paying its employees. So there is no one earning R1.4m at Mmabana Foundation,” Nkese said.

-TDN

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