Update

PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - The future of Plettenberg Bay fire heroes hang in the balance due to financial constraints – which recently led to the temporary, and possibly permanent, termination of contracts of 60 public safety workers.

Most of these employees, who are part of the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP), had played an instrumental role in the Plettenberg Bay and Knysna fire disaster in June last year and some, just last week, were key role players in arresting the alleged killer and rapist of a local hospice nurse and tracking down the men who allegedly brutally attacked an elderly Keurbooms Heights resident.

The 40 law enforcement officers and 20 firefighters claim they had received a message at 07:00 on 7 February to attend a meeting at the Bitou council chambers an hour later, where they were informed by the human resources department that their contracts – some which only expire at the end of June 2018 – had been terminated due to financial issues.

Community outcry
This led to large-scale outcry from not only the workers but also the community. 

Following several meetings, the municipality temporarily placed the termination of contracts on hold and ordered the men and women to go back to work.

Acting municipal manager Johnny Douglas said on Monday 12 February that the terminations have been placed on hold following “urgent interventions” at political and administrative levels. 

This, he said, is to provide municipal administration time to prepare a substantive report to be presented at a council meeting at the end of February, to consider the continued employment or termination of the workers’ contracts.

He explained that the EPWP is an initiative of national government under the auspices of the Department of Public Works, which pays an incentive grant to the Bitou municipality for, among others, the training and stipends of EPWP workers. 

The municipality adds to the grant from its operational budget.

The incentive received in the current financial year was R2.23-million and the Bitou contribution was R5.3-million.

Douglas said the incentive grant had already been fully spent by November last year. 

“Early indications are that the Bitou budget will not be sufficient until the end of the current financial year,” he added.

Ordinarily the incentive grant would cover the entire financial year, Douglas said, but last year an additional 180 EPWP employees had been recruited to assist with the mop-up after the June fires.

The contracts of about 60 Bitou public safety workers hang in the balance after they were told last week that their contracts with the municipality had been terminated. The termination has subsequently been placed on hold pending a council meeting at the end of the month.

Star workers
One of the affected employees is TK Gqabi. He was one of the officers who managed to track down the man who allegedly raped and murdered 63-year-old hospice nurse Penny Cumming, whose body was discovered in her Plett home on 29 January.

An off-duty Gqabi also managed to track down suspects involved in a Keurbooms house robbery last week, after they had overpowered a 87-year-old man and attacked him with a crowbar.

Gqabi said that without the boost of the EPWP workers there are not “nearly enough” of a workforce to deal with public safety effectively. 

“The town is vulnerable without us and we are worried about that.”

He added that there are only about 10 permanently employed law enforcement officers at the municipality, including learner officers and management.

Firefighter Mandla Speelman said the hot windy weather this time of year is also a concern. 

“If we are not around, who will step in to save us from disaster again?” he asked.

“We have saved lives, made sacrifices – especially with regards to our own safety – and this is how we are treated.”

Like Speelman, who supports his mother and two sons on the stipend he receives, many workers are the only breadwinners in their families. Three of the women whose contracts are now in the balance are pregnant.

Bitou law enforcement and fire department who were temporarily 'fired'.

Passionate to serve
Gqabi said all of the workers are dedicated individuals. “We go out there in dangerous situations with only pepper spray and handcuffs. 

"We do it because we love the people of Bitou and are passionate about our role.”

One of these dedicated workers is Pringle Lucas, who literally risked life and limb to serve his community. 

While standing and waiting for answers from the municipality last week, the wounds on his arms sustained during a recent apprehension of an alleged criminal, were still visible. 

Lucas had to run into the ocean after a knife-wielding suspect and in the process also lost his cellphone in the waves.

“We love our community and therefore do it,” Lucas said.

He added that some of the employees work as pointsmen at schools and that, should their contracts be terminated, this would really concern him.

“Bitou is greatly indebted to the EPWP employees for their commitment, hard work, discipline and valuable contributions towards improving service delivery in the respective sections where they are located, with particular reference to the emergency services section, where fire department and law enforcement EPWP employees have done sterling work during the devastating fires of June 2017 and recently with the swift actions against criminals, along with police and the security companies operating in Bitou,” Douglas said.

Read previous articles here:

• 60 Bitou employee's jobs threatened
• Termination of 60 Bitou workers on hold
• Public safety workers claim they were sacked

ARTICLE & PHOTOS: YOLANDÉ STANDER, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD CORRESPONDENT

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