No salaries for Ditsobotla employees as municipality’s downward spiral continues

Workers at the coalition-led Ditsobotla Local Municipality are at their wit’s end after they were told this week that they will not receive their May salaries. They were due to be paid on Thursday.

Ditsobotla also owes millions to medical aid schemes and pension funds after it defaulted on paying the third parties.

This is despite a team of experts sent by the provincial government weeks ago to work on getting the failing North West council back on track.

Corruption, maladministration and payment of ghost workers have emptied the coffers over the years, while communities go for months without water and other basic services.

Salary issues ‘started in 2022’

The Ditsobotla municipality was dissolved by the national government last year after ANC infighting split the council into two, with each side having its own executive and rendering the municipality dysfunctional.

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Before the dissolution, the municipality was placed under administration several times.

Phemelo Lebotse, a traffic officer in Ditsobotla for the past 18 years, said things have worsened for municipal employees since then the dissolution.

“They never write memos about salaries, it has been a word of mouth. In February, I realised there was no payment on the 25th after seeing my bank account still without funds that morning.”

She said Monday’s internal memo from acting municipal manager Mamorena Lehoko was the first written alert to employees.

In the memo, seen by The Citizen, Lehoko does not give reasons for the non-payment.

“Workers are also notified that claims on overtime will be paid once salaries are addressed.

“Workers are advised to make timeous arrangements with creditors. Commitment is hereby made that management is addressing this matter and putting systems in place to correct the financial situation,” read Lehoko’s letter.

‘Nothing works’

Lebotse is angry that the notification was sent only three days before payday.

“How do you expect a bank to help you when you come with problems 72 hours before a salary is supposed to be paid?

“We have so-called financial gurus from the province but the situation is getting worse. Nothing works in Ditsobotla.”

Another staffer, who didn’t want to be named for fear of reprisal, says political parties are not prioritising residents.

“I blame the ANC for this decades-old mess, but other parties that are in coalition are behaving the same as the ANC.

“People have no water, rubbish is piling up in townships because there is no political will to take proper decisions and rebuild Ditsobotla.”

The administrative staffer says the failure to pay medical aid schemes and pension funds is a “painful blow” to workers.

Unstable council

Political instability continues to throttle the municipality that held by-elections last year – which saw the ANC ousted as a majority party.

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Last week, a motion of no confidence against Patriotic Alliance (PA) Mayor Elizabeth Lethoko and ANC speaker Fikile Jakeni was postponed.

The Save Ditsobotla Movement, which has one seat, planned the motion as far back as January.

A new date is yet to be set.

Low rate payments

Municipal spokesperson Pius Batsile on Wednesday laid the blame on the outstanding financial recovery plan.

“Ditsobotla is still trying to recover and has no money as things stand. Our collection rate is below 50, meaning residents are not paying for services.

“We expect the financial recovery plan to be finalised by the end of this month, after which, I believe, things will improve.”

Democratic Alliance (DA) head of caucus Ronald Matlholoa said the ANC-PA coalition brings “nothing but disaster”.

“Ditsobotla is in dire straits. The recovery plan is supposed to have already boosted projects and municipal services, it is needed urgently.

“The ANC and PA coalition is the worst thing for this municipality, hence a motion to remove the speaker and the mayor to improve things around here,” he said.

Managers ‘in it with ANC-PA coalition’

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) accused municipal managers of aiding and abetting corruption and maladministration.

“Far from being a new phenomenon, the collapse of Ditsobotla is happening right under the nose and watch of the ANC-led North West government.

“This is so because the senior municipal employees are staunch allies of the ANC councillors and they teamed up in the ongoing rampant corruption, maladministration and nepotism in the municipality in question,” says spokesperson Fanon Moema.

He adds that the municipality failed to investigate ghost workers after promising to do a skills audit and employee headcount.

“Ditsobotla recorded an unprecedented number of ghost employees, and the current administration has not initiated any meaningful investigation to that effect.

“Under these circumstances, the community bears the brunt of poverty and continues to live in absolute squalor with no basic services. Municipal employees will go months without income, whilst those who teamed up to misappropriate funds are living lavishly.”

The EFF is the official opposition in the 39-seat council after winning 10 seats and dethroning the DA in last year’s by-elections.

The PA has two seats and formed a governing coalition with the support of the ANC and Forum for Service Delivery (F4SD). ANC holds 16 seats while the latter has two.

The DA has six seats, and other smaller parties have one each.

Ditsobotla includes the towns of Lichtenburg, Coligny and surrounding villages and townships.

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