DELMAS – On what began as a normal workday, employees of Klinkerstine, a Delmas based brick-manufacturing company, were shocked to find out during their lunch break at 11:30 am that they were being sent home for good. On June 5, 2024, Klinkerstine owner Gehardous Combrink informed workers during a brief meeting that the company could no longer afford to keep them and would close down. A letter distributed to all employees, which the publication has seen, stated that the company had received legal advice indicating that it would probably be liquidated. The letter further explained that the business had exhausted all attempts over a period of two years to keep the company afloat, including incurring debt, and mentioned how the building industry’s challenges in South Africa had severely affected the company’s cash flow. The letter concluded by stating that workers would be notified once a liquidator was appointed to process unpaid salaries. In that moment, workers were left with no choice but to leave.
On June 10, the workers regrouped and protested outside Klinkerstine, demanding further explanation and an address from a contracted agency responsible for handling labour-related matters, including employee contracts. The workers met with the owner, in the presence of the police, and the owner reportedly committed to pay them but requested they return on June 13. Moses Masuku, representing the Professional Transport and Allied Workers Union of South Africa (PTAWU), which now represents the dismissed employees, stated, “On Monday, we agreed that the company should pay employees for the days worked in June, given the owner’s claim of bankruptcy and inability to pay anything.” Masuku also revealed that the union began representing the workers in December after several cases of Injury on Duty (IOD) were mishandled. Masuku, explaining how they came to represent the workers who were previously under the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), stated that the union had met with the agency in February and been informed that the company is to undergo liquidation. “We were shown a letter indicating that the company would be liquidated, and we asked why the employees hadn’t been informed. We were told that the matter was still being discussed between Klinkerstine management and the agency.” Masuku further added that what was confusing was Klinkerstine’s response to the liquidation revelation. “We were assured by management that there was no such issue and workers must continue working,” Masuku said.
Masuku emphasized that the union would not rest until justice was served for every employee and criticized the company for its failure to follow labour laws. “We will file a case with the CCMA, and if necessary, we will take the matter to the labour court,” he added. The union met with management that day and informed the workers that the company had committed to addressing all outstanding issues through its lawyers, who would also push for the immediate release of the UIF claim forms (UI19) and the resolution of pending IOD cases. The union also vowed to ensure no operations resume at the company until their concerns are fully addressed.
“We will be back with the workers to ensure that even the company owned by Combrink’s son does not operate, as we believe it is one entity.”
Irene Ngoepe, a Klinkerstine employee, shared, “The painful part is that most of us are breadwinners and we already have debts. We don’t know how we will manage to pay them. People have been injured here too.” Constance Kubheka described her experience of injury at the workplace: “I was on top of a wooden pallet and my ankle twisted. They had to call a bakkie from Benoni to take me to hospital. The company paid my hospital bills, but after that, I received only R2,000, less than I normally get.” Employees also complained that the stipend received on the day was less than expected. “It was supposed to be R1,765, but I received less,” one employee claimed.
The publication attempted to get a comment from Gehardous Combrink, the owner, as he left under escort from a private security company, but he declined to comment.
