The Emfuleni Local Municipality is again unable to pay salaries in January 2023.
This was revealed in a memorandum issued by the municipality on 24 January 2023 and follows the late payment of salaries in December of last year and the non-payment of medical aid, pension and tax contributions by the failed ANC-led municipality.
The reason behind the inability to meet this most basic of financial commitments is the seizure by Eskom of the bank account of the Emfuleni Municipality following a formal court process.
The blame for the impasse can however not be laid at the feet of Eskom who have patiently been making payment arrangements for the amounts owed to them in spite of repeated failures by Emfuleni to adhere to their promised repayment arrangements. It was just a matter of time before Eskom’s patience wore out.
The Emfuleni Municipality is bankrupt and has no financial means to fulfil their Constitutional obligations. This was demonstrated in the response of the Emfuleni Fire Department to a burning house in Unitaspark. When called for assistance, the Emfuleni Fire Department was unable to respond as their vehicle had no diesel. The neighbouring Midvaal Municipality’s Fire Department responded to the emergency, clearly showing the DA Difference.
The financial problems of Emfuleni Municipality are, however, nothing new with the municipality having been under Provincial administration since 2017.
This administrative intervention was later lifted by then MEC for Co-operative Governance in the Gauteng Province Lebogang Maile in 2022 in a political move aimed to bolster Maile’s failed personal bid for the position of Premier of Gauteng.
The result is that the residents and workers of Emfuleni sit without service delivery and without salaries due to the inability of the ANC government to manage their finances.
The Democratic Alliance has repeatedly called for the National government to intervene in terms of section 139(7) of the Constitution and dissolve the municipality, and we are repeating this call.
The municipality has failed entirely, and residents can no longer be subjected to the ebbs and flows of ANC internal politics.
The DA will continue to fight for all the residents of Emfuleni.