Community work programme (CWP) workers unhappy at not being paid blocked the department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs head office in Pretoria on Tuesday evening, preventing many officials from going home.
Speaking to TimesLIVE, department spokesperson Legadima Leso confirmed that workers were initially unable to go home due to protests at the department’s head office in Arcadia. Leso said that after consultation with the protesters, the department reached an agreement over late payments, and people were able to leave the office by 5pm.
Minister Thembi Nkadimeng was not in the office at the time of the protest.
“The protesters are raising issue of late payments of stipends. The engagements went well, the department committed to pay the outstanding stipends on May 3.”
Leso said late payments emanated from a change in payment system for the CWP workers.
“The protesters came to speak to the director-general and deputy who are supposed to ensure they are paid, [but they were not here].”
WATCH | Frustrated unpaid workers block Cogta offices, stop staff from going home
Image: Velaphi Ndaba
Community work programme (CWP) workers unhappy at not being paid blocked the department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs head office in Pretoria on Tuesday evening, preventing many officials from going home.
Speaking to TimesLIVE, department spokesperson Legadima Leso confirmed that workers were initially unable to go home due to protests at the department’s head office in Arcadia. Leso said that after consultation with the protesters, the department reached an agreement over late payments, and people were able to leave the office by 5pm.
Minister Thembi Nkadimeng was not in the office at the time of the protest.
“The protesters are raising issue of late payments of stipends. The engagements went well, the department committed to pay the outstanding stipends on May 3.”
Leso said late payments emanated from a change in payment system for the CWP workers.
“The protesters came to speak to the director-general and deputy who are supposed to ensure they are paid, [but they were not here].”
The protest started on Tuesday morning. No injuries were reported and police were on the scene.
In 2020, amaBhungane reported the government’s R4bn-a-year CWP programme, which was supposed to give a leg up to South Africa’s most marginalised communities, was clouded in allegations of corruption.
Who's eating Cogta's R13bn community work programme?
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