Another month of late salaries at the West Rand District Municipality
Updated | By Thabo Tshabalala
Employees of the West Rand District Municipality in Gauteng only started receiving their salaries late Monday morning, with some saying they are still uncertain exactly when their salaries will be cleared in their accounts.
The district municipality compromises of two municipalities - the Rand West and West Rand municipalities.
The municipalities requested funds from the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) earlier on this month.
The municipality invested over R80 million in the now-bankrupt VBS Mutual Bank.
The Gauteng government also had to intervene in November 2018 to ensure salaries are paid after disgruntled municipal workers locked up councilors while a sitting was underway.
On Monday, the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) confirmed that some employees haven't been paid their salaries for March, while other employees did receive their salaries.
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SAMWU spokesperson from the West Rand region, Siseko Siyothula says angry employees have downed tools and picketed outside the municipality's office.
Siyothula adds the municipalities have also been hoping to get funding from National Treasury.
"As I am talking to you, the employees have partially downed tools, they are in the halls discussing the way forward. They are suffering as a result of all these failures by the municipal to pay salaries on time, " says Siyothula.
He adds that salaries are usually supposed to come from municipal collections, including interest rates and electricity and water bills.
"We enquired from the municipal manager, he said we have used the collection to pay for other services. They were banking on National Treasury in a story we don't buy as SAMWU."
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling on Gauteng Premier David Makhura to intervene as a matter of urgency to ensure that both National Treasury and Cogta transfer the funds to the cash strapped municipality.
The DA's Gauteng Premier candidate, Solly Msimanga, says the blame should be placed at the door of the municipality for investing in the VBS bank.
"The West Rand District Municipality has invested R81 million into VBS and this money cannot now be recovered, and it should have been money used to pay salaries, " says Msimanga.
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