Delayed pay by Oranjemund Town Council leaves 27 guards struggling to survive

Security guards contracted to the Oranjemund Town Council through EyeQ Security Services have raised concerns over recurring delays in the payment of their salaries, a situation they say has affected their livelihoods.

In a letter dated 3 February, marked “extremely urgent” and addressed to the town council, EyeQ Security formally demanded immediate payment of outstanding invoices, the implementation of the 2026 statutory wage adjustment and a fixed payment schedule to prevent further delays.

The letter, sent on behalf of 27 security officers deployed across municipal facilities, highlighted that payments for services rendered over the past three months, including the January 2026 invoice, had not been made on time.

According to the letter, previous delays in December 2025 were only resolved after repeated follow-ups.

The council reportedly cited internal administrative processes, including the absence of a formal resolution approving the agreed hourly rate, as reasons for withholding payments.

EyeQ Security said such explanations could not justify non-payment, especially since services continued uninterrupted and the council continued benefiting from security coverage.

The letter also addressed statutory wage requirements, noting that the minimum wage for the private security sector increased to N$16.00 per hour in January.

EyeQ requested a corresponding contractual adjustment to comply with the law, but the council allegedly instructed that payments be processed at the previous year’s rates until internal processes were completed.

The company warned that continuing to operate under these conditions places both the contractor and employees at financial risk and exposes the council to potential legal and operational issues.

Hardship despite showing up for work

In an interview with one of the guards, who spoke on condition of anonymity, they said the delays had created uncertainty and hardship.

“For the past month, we actually just waited… They didn’t tell us why,” the guard said.

“This has affected the livelihoods of our team in terms of paying rent, buying food, and so forth.” According to the guard, payments were meant to be processed on the second of each month, but in practice, they are often inconsistent, with some payments only made later in the month.

Attempts by Namibian Sun to obtain comment from the council’s acting CEO, Festus Nekayi, were unsuccessful. The paper reached out on Wednesday, but Nekayi said he was in a meeting and did not respond later.

A follow-up on Thursday was redirected to the council secretary, who did not reply to submitted questions.

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