Outrage as unpaid municipal workers in Free State face black Christmas

Employees at six municipalities in the Free State, some of whom have gone unpaid for months, face a bleak Christmas.

Masilonyane, Kopanong, Mohokare, Mantsopa, Mafube, and Tokologo municipalities have informed employees that there’s no money to pay them.

The six are some of the most dysfunctional and worst-run councils that are nearing total collapse after years of corruption and mismanagement.

Mafube municipal manager Mothusi Lepheana sent two letters addressed separately to workers and councillors.

Lepheana said there would be no salaries for December, January and February 2024, a blow to the struggling workers.

He cited a high court order obtained by the Municipal Workers Retirement Fund to attach Mafube’s bank accounts as the reason for the lack of funds.

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Mafube also owes millions in unpaid deductions to third parties such as medical aid schemes and pension funds.

To date, Mafube’s retired workers are struggling because their employer left pension funds in the red.

Cosatu demands answers

After launching a campaign to bring the workers’ plight to the provincial government, union federation Cosatu this week accused Premier Mxolisi Dukwana of disrespecting labour.

Cosatu said no response has been forthcoming from Dukwana after a march to his Bloemfontein office two months ago.

“More disturbing is his disrespect for the tripartite alliance partners.

“It is completely unacceptable that a government leader and employer fails to respond to a memorandum handed over by workers.

“We acknowledge one phone call to Cosatu’s provincial secretary from the Premier indicating that the response is still in progress.

“However, there is still no movement on the matter,” Cosatu said.

MEC promises payments

During a press briefing on Monday, Cogta MEC Ketso Makume said the Frankfort-headquartered Mafube needs new senior managers.

Dukwana and his team held the briefing in Bloemfontein after an ANC PEC meeting.

“Mafube has been under administration for far too long,

“We are ensuring that they go the same process as Mangaung – appoint senior managers and/or withdraw Cogta employees deployed there.

“Most of the revenue is collected by third parties and doesn’t reach the municipality’s coffers – that needs correction,” he said.

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He added that an official named Tryphina Tau was appointed and had started negotiations across the affected councils.

“It is not in anyone’s interest for employees to be unpaid, we hope that they will get paid by the end of the month”.

Worst municipalities in Free State and North West

While Gauteng and Western Cape have the two best-run municipalities, the ANC-led North West and Free State provinces are leading when it comes to dysfunctional ones.

The councils in the two provinces fail to deliver services, honour third-party payments or pay workers’ salaries.

Wasteful expenditure, poor governance and instability are the order of the day at most municipalities across the country, as detailed in Auditor-General reports.

The ailing municipalities often appoint unqualified individuals, leading to unnecessary costs as they hire expensive consultants to prepare annual financial statements.

ActionSA said the collapse of Free State municipalities has been long coming.

“The failure of these municipalities to pay salaries and third-party benefits symbolises the financial strain faced by the country’s municipalities

“ActionSA believes this is an ANC crisis facilitated by their corrosive cadre deployment policy,” said provincial leader Patricia Kopane.

Leader of the DA Roy Jankielsohn remarked that employees cannot work without salaries.

“Mafube residents need to know what services they can expect over the three months without staff.

“Furthermore, residents will be left to their own devices to seek other sources for basic services, as many communities are already doing in the Free State.”

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