Security guards working at the construction site for the Nepara-Nkurenkuru road in the Kavango West Region will now be paid the minimum wage of N$13.50 per hour. 

The development comes after the Minister of Works and Transport, Veikko Nekundi, visited the site earlier this week and demanded that the security guards be paid what they deserve by law. 

The security guards who work for Tulikumo Security Services were being paid N$8.75 per hour before the minister’s intervention. 

Nekundi had ordered China Henan International Cooperation Group (CHICO) to ensure that its security services subcontractor signs contracts with its employees and pays the required minimum wage for security guards by the end of April. 

Founder of Tulikumo Security Services, Joseph Ntsamba, told nbc News that he had initially asked CHICO to pay the minimum wage, but the Chinese company said they would first want to evaluate the performance of Tulikumo Security Services before agreeing to the minimum. 

As of May 1, on Workers’ Day, Ntsamba said the security guards will now be paid the minimum wage.