ON Monday morning, 29 May, angry Emfuleni municipal workers took to the streets to protest over unpaid salaries.
This is despite promises made by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi after his visit to the Vaal area. Panyaza had said that the Gauteng government had taken over Emfuleni's debt to Eskom so that the municipality would be able to pay its employees.
But that did not happen as the municipal employees still fought and protested for their pay. The workers have not been paid their May salaries because Eskom and Rand Water have seized the municipality's bank account, leading some councillors to call for the mayor's resignation.
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Some employees told Daily Sun that Mayor Sipho Radebe and his administration should resign before things get worse.
They said they are worried about their children's education because they're unable to attend school.
DA member of parliament and political head for Emfuleni North, Mokhaugelo Chabalala, said mismanagement and corruption have brought the municipality to its knees and it has failed to keep its accounts up to date.
"Instead of spending money wisely to ensure it can pay salaries and deliver services to its residents, Emfuleni continues to outsource services that can be done in-house, such as digging graves, mowing grass, picking up trash, fixing water leaks and filling potholes," he said.
Chabalala said that the failure to pay salaries on time is affecting not only employees and their families, but the whole of Emfuleni, adding that the situation may cause employees stop working at all and this may affect service delivery.
He said that DA calls on the Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Mzi Khumalo, to intervene urgently to ensure that salaries are paid to prevent service delivery from being interrupted and to resolve the financial crisis of Emfuleni.
Emfuleni municipal spokesman Makhosonke Sangweni said they're yet to comment on the matter.
