Moerane concerned by ‘deliberate sabotage’
Municipal employees were apparently granted an order for the municipality to pay them a total of R28 million in back pay.
SEDIBENG. – The Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) has said that the recent repossession of its assets due to a labour dispute with its employees is tantamount to sabotage.
Speaking to Sedibeng Ster, ELM’s Mayoral Spokesperson Lebo Mofokeng said that ELM Executive Mayor, Gift Moerane, recently had to recuse himself from a ministerial programme on water and sanitation challenges in order to attend to the not so long settlement against the repossession of the municipal assets. Mofokeng said that the municipality has for a while been faced with service delivery challenges, amongst them, the water shortages particularly in the predominantly destitute areas.
“These challenges are not new to both the Municipality and the community of Emfuleni. The attempt to repossess municipal assets on the attachment on a labour matter under the ELM//STRYDOM & OTHERS which is a Labour Court judgement executed against the municipality should be equalled to the ethos of prioritizing selflessness and selfishness.”
It is said that the dispute comes after employees who were moved to a higher salary scale never received their increased salaries and allowances.
Municipal employees were apparently granted an order for the municipality to pay them a total of R28 million in back pay.
The attachment of the municipal vehicles comes a month after Eskom attached the municipal bank accounts due to non-payment by Emfuleni Local Municipality.
In reality, the attachment of these municipal vehicles means that the municipality will not be able to provide critical service delivery such as dispatching officials to attend to maintenance and other essential upgrades that may be needed.
However, Mofokeng said that Moerane would like to give assurance to the people of Emfuleni and its (ELM) employees that the issue is receiving attention and will be resolved amicably between involved parties.
“The municipality will follow up on the circumstances which led to this impasse and take action against poor performance by the administration in resolving this matter.”
