A company owned by media personality and Idols SA judge Somizi Mhlongo has been ordered to auction its assets to settle R165,402 in unpaid wages owed to former employees. The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) issued a writ on 23 June, instructing the sheriff to seize and sell movable goods from Search Light (Pty) Ltd to recover the funds.

The cleaning company, directed by Mhlongo and business partner Lindo Maleho, employed workers at Transnet’s Carlton Centre premises in Johannesburg. According to a former employee, the workers were abruptly dismissed in April without notice or a hearing. “We just lost our jobs suddenly,” the employee told Sunday World. Following the dismissals, the CCMA ruled that the workers were entitled to wages for April, May, and June, but the company failed to comply with the order.

The CCMA’s directive authorises the sheriff to sell the company’s assets to recover R165,402.62, plus interest, to be paid to the affected workers. Thabiso Putswe of the Hetelicca Trade Union welcomed the decision, stating, “Somizi and his partners broke the contract they had with the workers. We are happy that justice is being done.”

The CCMA is also continuing its investigation into the unfair dismissal claims. Neither Mhlongo, Maleho, nor their legal representatives have responded to requests for comment.