Payment dispute rages after Tlatsa Ghetto
Koketso Kgoboge | Wednesday October 11, 2017 18:00
The festival, which turned out to be a big flop was held at the Francistown Sports Complex parking lot last month. The organisers claim that they have paid while the cleaners and security officers maintain that they are still owed. In fact officials from Demand Security have hinted that they have approached the courts in order to secure payment for the services they rendered at the show.
A crew of five was engaged to undertake cleaning duties at the festival. Neo Heins led the cleaners of ages ranging between 37 and 57 years. Heins said they were initially promised P2,000 (to share amongst each other) but they only received P1000 through e-wallet and they are now demanding the outstanding balance. She said their contact person from the organising crew, Massie Hule promised to pay off the rest of the amount before end of September but did not keep the promise.
“Two weeks ago he (Hule) said he has prepared a cheque for us and he would deliver it and up to now we are still waiting for him,” Heins said. “I keep calling him and he doesn’t take my calls these days. Others rely on me to speak to him. We want the remaining balance, it is long overdue.” The director of Demand Security Otsetswe Makhulumo said Kast and his crew have shown no intentions to pay him for the services he rendered to them at the event.
He said he still owes some of the people he hired to carry out security duties at the festival. “My life was in danger after the festival. The people I engaged were enraged and they wanted their money immediately after the show and they nearly beat me because I could not pay them. “Tlatsa Lebala organisers take me for granted. I tried sourcing my payment from them since last month and it appears as if they don’t want to settle the debt. I have decided to approach the court to seek help.”
When reached for comment Hule said they have negotiated with the cleaners through Heins to pay them P1500 instead of P2000 since the show flopped. “We had agreed with her that since the festival did not do well we will pay them P1500 and we have done that unless she did not tell others after that. As far as I am concerned we don’t owe them.” He still maintained that they paid Demand Security before the show.
He said upon realising that the security company had issues of payments with its employees they addressed them directly to ensure the company director did not use them as a scapegoat for not paying them. “We paid Demand Security before the show. After the show we stood before the security (personnel) together with the director and we made it clear to them that we have paid the company because we did not want our brand to be dragged on the mud.”