THE only employee of Makhamabavele-DSST joint venture that is left at Ntuthuko Primary School is a caretaker.

Khali Zwane started working for the company as a labourer before being made a caretaker when he got injured on the job.

"I was injured when a pole hit me. I went to the hospital and had to pay for the hospital myself. The company was not willing to give me forms for me to claim at the Department of Labour. They then moved me from being a labourer to being a watchman," Zwane says.

Zwane has not been paid since December and the company owes him more than R14000 in wages.

"My agreement with the school is that I will be based here and they will pay me R2000 monthly, and then I will pay it back when the company pays me.

"I have to depend on my children for money. The last time the people from the company came here, they promised that I would be paid at the end of March. I am still waiting."

Zwane says most workers abandoned work because they were not paid.

"It was such a pity seeing people far from their homes not being paid. They even had to resort to eating doves to survive. They eventually left because they realised that they were not going to be paid."

DSST's Obed Mabena says: "We spoke to the guy who funded the paving at the school, and he promised to pay Zwane.

"We asked him to do that and when we have money, we'll pay him back. That guy's money is not ready at the bank and we hope that by next week it will be sorted out."