DA wants Bojanala officials summoned over non-payment of salaries

The DA has called on the chairperson of the provincial public accounts committee Job Dliso to urgently summon the political leadership and senior managers of Bojanala District Municipality to account for the municipality’s dire financial state that has again led to the non-payment of salaries. The party spokesperson on cooperative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs Freddy Sonakile said the party would write to Dliso to call the municipality to account.

“We will further request Dliso to call on departments of finance and cooperative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs to account for the lack of consequence management within this municipality despite their repeated failure to fulfil their financial obligations as required of a district municipality by legislation.”

On Thursday, municipal manager Pogiso Shikwane issued a notice to all municipal employees and councillors that their September salaries would be delayed due to financial difficulties. Municipal employees have not received salaries for the month of July, due to the non-payment of the equitable share at that time. The municipality then took out a loan of R50 million to pay salaries while the payment of the equitable share was still being awaited.

“This recurring failure is a gross violation of the Basic Conditions of Employment and the Labour Relations Acts which stipulate that it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that, for every service rendered, remuneration is paid timeously,” Sonokile said.

“The municipality’s inadequacy to manage public funds is far reaching in that it prevents them from fulfilling their mandate of assisting and capacitating local municipalities to provide and sustain the provision of basic services in the district.”

The Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) in Bojanala Platinum district municipality, confirmed that workers were not paid on September 25. We did not get our salaries yesterday [Wednesday] but the municipality said it will be paid today [Thursday],” said secretary Gladwell Rangata.

In other news – Cape firefighters demand better wages, transformation

As the Western Cape gears up for fire season in December, a dispute between the City of Cape Town and firefighters is threatening to disrupt preparations.  Workers have been deadlocked in negotiations with their bosses for several years now.

Firefighters are claiming they’re being underpaid. The City has denied this, saying it’s open to resolving the matter. Read more

Source: IOL

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