An African National Congress (ANC) member holds party flag in Johannesburg. Picture: Michel Bega
In yet another suspected electioneering job scheme, the ANC has hired 400 contract workers in the debt-ridden Matlosana local municipality in North West to do unexplained jobs, costing the municipality R40 million.
Each of the general workers, who started working on 1 July, would earn R8 500 a month, which would amount to R40.8 million expenditure.
The opposition wants the public protector and the auditor-general “to investigate this gross abuse of public resources towards advancing an ANC political agenda”.
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The issue was not brought before council for consideration and approval and because they were contract workers, no supply chain procedures were followed.
There was concern that this was bound to become an unauthorised expenditure because the matter was not budgeted for this financial year.
Opponents believe it is one of the ANC’s schemes to use public funds to win hearts and minds in the run up to the 2024 general election.
Gauteng recently hired a large number of youth as part of its Nasi iSpani programme, which was also seen as an electioneering ploy.
The Klerksdorp-based Matlosana municipality owes Eskom R1.7 billion and a further R1.3 billion to the Midvaal Water Board.
One of the repayment conditions for its Eskom debt arrangement was that Matlosana should implement cost-cutting measures to enable it to service its debt.
The bone of contention is that the recruits were allegedly brought forward by ward councillors from their constituencies, although the majority of them were already working in the municipality as ward committee members, earning R2 000 monthly stipends.
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The additional R8 500 would take their salaries to R10 500 for each general worker. Democratic Alliance councillor Johannes le Grange said they were concerned that the municipality was taking money from crucial service delivery programmes.
“The mass 12-month contract appointments of ANC-aligned individuals is another example of cadre deployment and state capture. The ANC-governed City of Matlosana is in effect acting as a labour broker for ANC cadres,” Le Grange said.
“No due diligence nor an affordability study was conducted to justify the appointments, the names of appointed individuals were submitted by ANC councillors.
“Just a month ago, the North West MEC of Finance, Motlalepula Rosho, promised to implement a Matlosana financial recovery plan that is supposed to be completed in September, but work on the plan has yet to begin.”
Le Grange said he would ask Matlosana mayor James Tsolela and municipal manager Lesego Seametso to reverse these appointments in line with Section 66 of Act 32 of the Municipal Systems Act.
Rosho would also be approached on the status of the implementation of Matlosana’s financial recovery plan she had promised.
The MEC would also be asked to explain whether the employment of 400 contract workers can be justified, considering the financial collapse the municipality is facing.
“We expect MEC Rosho to intervene to reverse this mass recruitment drive. We will also report these appointments to the auditor-general so that it may be recorded in the annual audit report as unauthorised expenditure,” Le Grange said.
Neither municipal spokesperson nor the mayor could be reached for comment at the time of publication.
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