LIMPOPO – The Vhembe District Municipality went into lockdown mode when angry personnel of information technology service provider, KK Sikaza Technologies, arrived early last Wednesday morning and started disconnecting the municipality’s computer system.
The disconnection was halted when Acting Municipal Manager, Sindisiwe Magwaza, told municipal employees to lock their offices and leave the building.
According to KK Sikaza Technologies Director, Winnie Sadiki, the company had decided to act as the municipality had failed for the past three months to pay the service provider, as per a lease agreement between them. She added that the municipality owed the company more than R1 million.
“We entered into a lease agreement with them four years ago to be responsible for their IT system and we provided them with laptops and desktop computers.
“When they experience any computer network problems they call us to solve it as their service provider,” she explained.
“The problem started when they stopped paying us for the past three months. They are always promising to pay but fail to and we are sick and tired of their empty promises. We took a majority decision to invade the premises and take back our computers. They called the police but nobody was arrested.
“Later, the Municipal Manager requested us to give her the day to resolve the matter,” Sadiki said.
“If she fails to make the transaction, we will mercilessly remove our computer system and go. The municipality has disrespected us for sometime now. A year ago they failed to pay for six months.
“It is a problem because as a company, we must pay our employees on time. If we don’t pay our employees how are they going to survive, especially those workers with children,” she further said.
Municipal Spokesperson, Matodzi Ralushai, confirmed the service provider was not happy with the current payment arrangements. He said the two parties had resolved their communication gap regarding the payment process. “The municipality remains stable and it is business as usual,” he revealed.
However, Sadiki, stressed no transaction had yet been made.
Earlier this year
Five months ago, the municipality was accused of maladministration and corruption after none of the municipalities in the Vhembe district received clean audits.
In the past few months, the municipality’s assets were attached after a service provider was not paid. The municipality also failed to pay employees on time on more than two occasions this year.
In March this year, Vhembe employees stood and watched as the Sheriff of the Court attached their office furniture and municipal vehicles.
This followed after the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court ruled in favour of NW Civils’ application by Managing Director, Robert Mphephu, who claimed that the municipality owed him nearly R15 million. This amount was owed for the building of a reservoir in Louis Trichardt that would have cost R5,8 million to build.
However, the municipality terminated the contract without following the correct channels.
