Workers, contractor say Sodi left them in misery

A subcontractor and a group of employees have told of how businessman Edwin Sodi failed to pay them – some as little as R220 a day, leaving them in distress and debt, in the R282m tender to extend a prison in Parys, Free State.

Local contractor John Lethoba told Sowetan that Sodi’s company NJR Projects failed to pay him for at least five months last year.

“It knocked me out. I have been struggling, I don’t want to lie. I ended up having to use whatever money I had to pay my employees.”

Lethoba said he had 69 employees and had to lay them off . He said he sold his pigs and cattle to come up with money .

Sowetan on Friday reported that that Sodi’s company company was paid about R130m at the time its contract was terminated in February.

The department of public works confirmed that the contract was terminated.

Several workers have told Sowetan of their struggles to make ends meet after the company failed to pay their salaries since September 2022. 

They downed tools in October due to nonpayment .

They were employed by Sodi’s company NJR Projects, which was awarded a R282m contract to upgrade and extend the 65-bed Parys Correctional Services to a 240-bed facility.

Meshack Booi, who was hired as a foreman in August 2019, said the company only told them in February that their services were no longer needed. 

“They promised to pay us on March 30 but to date they haven’t . Some of us tried to claim from UIF but it turned out that while it reflected on our payslips that we made contributions, , , we were not registered ,” he said.

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“I have so many problems. ... they left me with so many debts because they didn’t pay us for months. My car was repossessed in November as a result.

" Though the car was repossessed, I still have to pay for the interest that was accumulated during the time I couldn’t pay."

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The workers also say that in late 2020, they started encountering problems with late payments.

The department also confirmed the deal was terminated in February with only 40% of the work done.

Sodi's lawyer Ian Levitt said he was “unable to comment on your queries at this time”.

Another employee, who used to be a supervisor, said since last year, they had written to management regarding nonpayment but had not received any response. 

In one of the letters, which Sowetan has seen, written on January 10, the employees asked management if the project would continue and if there were any “payment issues or glitches to avoid labourers striking on site”.

However, the only communication they received was in February when “the company indicated they were dropping us and they would give us our retrenchment packages. We haven’t received anything yet”.

Another employee, Lethebe Maine, 50, said the company left him hungry and in distress. He earned R220 a day.

“Not getting paid for months and now being unemployed affected me. I have a child who is in matric and now everything of mine is just stuck. I have been trying to get a job, but I am struggling to find it,” Maine said.

“My body is not the same any more, my health has deteriorated, and my body doesn’t look like before because of stress. I have no cent to my name. I am renting and I am just struggling to make ends meet.”

Lethebe’s colleague Edward Mafika, 32, who was a storeman, said: “We know he [Sodi] was paid millions, but we are left hungry. When we asked HR or our supervisors, they said they don’t know anything.”

His 13-year-old child now lives with his sister because he was unable to provide. 

“I have not paid my insurances for months. So, this means when I get a job, I would be starting from scratch.

“There has never been communication from NJR, now rebranded G-5 group, to say they don't have any financial muscle to continue with the project,” he said.

According to records seen by Sowetan on the upgrade of Parys Correctional Services, the construction at the prison started in February 2019 with the planned completion initially set for May last year. However, this date was revised to May 3, 2023, after delays allegedly caused by Sodi’s company’s cash flow issues and wage disputes.

Logan Maistry, spokesperson for the department of correctional service, said the proposed new date for completion is March 2025. The Development Bank of Southern Africa said it was in the process of finding another contractor to complete the project.

chabalalaj@sowetan.co.za