Shock as maspala 'pays dead workers'

THE Progressive Civic Congress (PCC) has uncovered a shocking scandal in the City of Tshwane.

Allegedly, "ghost" workers are fraudulently receiving salaries without fulfilling any work duties, thereby diverting funds meant for deserving workers.

'Ghost workers' drain resources

These ghost workers allegedly include dead people whose identities are being used fraudulently.

This revelation emerges as the City of Tshwane grapples with a crisis of unpaid EPWP workers who have gone for months without salaries.

These workers are part of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), a government initiative to provide job opportunities and skills training to the unemployed.

The PCC's findings indicate that the city has allegedly mismanaged its workforce, permitting ghost workers to deplete resources intended for genuine employees.

More than 100 EPWP workers recently congregated at Sammy Marks Square in the Pretoria CBD, expressing frustration over not having been paid for three months, leaving them in financial distress over Christmas.

They alleged that their salaries were being redirected to ghost workers.

PCC Region 6 chairman Jack Simelane condemned the practice, describing it as a continuous issue since the time of former mayor Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.

Simelane stressed the need for the Public Protector's intervention, doubting the City of Tshwane's ability to resolve the matter.

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He highlighted that EPWP workers are consistently targeted for non-payment, facing three-month gaps without salaries before being abruptly paid, a cycle that persists throughout the year.

"We are going to open a case against the City of Tshwane at the Public Protector's office because it can't be that black people must always suffer when they have to receive their salaries," said Simelane.

He alleged that white workers in the city are not faced with the non-payment of salaries issue but that this problem affects only black people working for the municipality.

Workers' voices and concerns

EPWP workers who have been cheated out of their salaries for three months spoke to Tshwane Talks on the condition of anonymity due to fears of victimisation and job loss.

They reported being repeatedly sent to Sammy Marks weekly to verify their details in the city's electronic system, yet they remain unpaid by month-end.

A worker shared her despair over a dismal Christmas, unable to buy groceries or new clothes for her kids due to her unpaid salary since October 2024.

"We are told that our contracts are lost in the system and that they don't have them on the electronic system. That's why they can't pay us," she said.

Another worker suspected corruption, thinking someone was benefiting from their unpaid wages.

"I'm tired. I want my money. I've been given a job, but I don't get paid. So, I'm saying the new City of Tshwane administration must act fast, as I can't go on like this," she said.

Denial from the city

In response to these claims, City of Tshwane spokesman Lindela Mashigo denied the allegations, claiming that unpaid EPWP workers missed the mandatory "three times" verification process.

"Such workers were requested to report to Sammy Marks Square and provide their statements and evidence for having missed three times verification process, and thereafter an investigation will be conducted to determine if they are eligible to receive payments," he said.