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The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] notes the announcement by African Global Operations Group of Companies (Bosasa Youth and Child Care Centres as part of group of companies) to apply for voluntary liquidation. This voluntary liquidation by companies proves that Public Private Partnership are never a suitable concept for service delivery.
 
The announcement comes at a time when the company has been faced with shocking accusations of fraud, corruption and money laundering through the testimony of former officials of Bosasa in the Zondo Commission of Enquiry into State Capture. This has created a lot of uncertainty within our members who are currently giving services to clients in Youth and Child Care centres across the country.
 
The application by African Global Operations means that job security of our 600 members in Bosasa is might be compromised as Board of Directors are no more in charge but rather the company will be run by the administrator to be appointed by the Masters of High Court on Wednesday 20th February 2019.
 
As NEHAWU, we reiterate our call for the Minister of Social Development to immediately and without fail, insource all services currently outsourced to Bosasa Youth Development Centres so as to ensure smooth running of the 10 Youth and Child Care Centres across 6 provinces in the country.
 
The department irrationally outsourced services to Bosasa and ignored the crisis in that company for way too long. Our demand for the insourcing of services at Bosasa Youth Development Centres has never been more pertinent to our members in the facilities than ever before. If this is not done urgently, the country will be sitting with a crisis where the clients in these centres will be vulnerable as workers are more concerned and worried about their jobs.
 
The Children’s Act, 38 of 2005 (as amended) and Child Justice Act, 75 of 2008 places the responsibility of the primary child and youth care and protection with the Department of Social Development as the custodian of basic social development needs. The revelation that is now in the public domain places a risk to the children and youth who are currently kept in the outsourced child and youth care facilities, who might remain without care after the imminent closure of operations in Bosasa and this poses a direct threat to what is envisaged by both legislation.
 
In our letter to the Minister we gave her 7 days to act accordingly and ensure that we commence a process towards the insourcing of all services outsourced to Bosasa as the 28th February deadline given to Bosasa by its financial institutions is upon us. Failure to accede to our reasonable demand on insourcing, will result in the mobilization of workers in both Bosasa and Social Development for a campaign that will ensure that all our demands are met.
 
NEHAWU will continue to demonstrate an unwavering fight for conditions of employment of members and workers at Bosasa Youth Development Centres and Social Development at large. As such, the union will be meeting with members to explain the situation but also to get mandate going forward. We hope that all departments in the public service will learn a lesson from Bosasa and stop the outsourcing of the services.

 
Issued by NEHAWU