According to Clr Bruce Reid, Shadow MMC Finance in the metro, the 3 178 vacant positions are a serious threat to service delivery, with chronic underspending on services to the people being the result.
“Most notably, the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) has almost 600 vacancies. This undermines efforts to ensure that the people of Ekurhuleni are kept safe,” said Reid.
“In contrast the, the Johannesburg metro has recently graduated 1 500 Johannesburg Metro Police (JMPD) recruits, who will actively work to keep communities safe.
“The coalition government in Tshwane has implemented measures to ensure faster response rates by officers and has introduced units to ensure that Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) officers on visible and on the ground.”
According to Reid, the 3 178 vacancies in the City of Ekurhuleni are as follows:
• 581 vacancies in the EMPD,
• 424 vacancies in the Department of Real Estate,
• 268 vacancies in the Department of Finance,
• 244 vacancies in the Department of Sports, Recreation Arts and Culture,
• 227 vacancies in the Department of Health and Social Development,
• 180 vacancies in the Department of Transport,
• 173 vacancies in the Department of Energy,
• 169 vacancies in the Department of Water and Sanitation,
• 165 vacancies in the Department of Waste Management,
• 144 vacancies in the Department of Roads and Storm Water, and
• 78 vacancies in the Human Resources Department.
Aside from the blatantly crippling impact that these vacancies have on service delivery, 3 178 local families could benefit from these vacant job opportunities. This while the people of Ekurhuleni are suffering under a 32.2 per cent unemployment rate in the metro.
“This unfortunate state of affairs raises serious questions around the planning on the part of the ANC-run Ekurhuleni administration,” said Reid.
“Under-staffing and subsequent underspending on service delivery are early indicators of slowed growth and ultimately of slow job creation.”
