Emfuleni staff return to work as municipality gains access to bank accounts
Municipal services in Emfuleni will return to normal as employees return to work following the payment of outstanding salaries.
Disgruntled workers blocked Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging streets with burning tyres and debris on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The municipality’s spokesperson, Makhosonke Sangweni, confirmed to Jacaranda FM News that Emfuleni has access to its Eskom bank accounts again.
This follows an earlier application by Eskom to attach four of Emfuleni’s banks in an effort to recoup more than R8 billion in unpaid electricity bills.
“Through a collaborative effort from the municipality, ministerial committee and the premier’s office, we managed to finalise a service-level agreement with Eskom,” Sangweni added.
Disgruntled municipal workers have directed their frustration at the ANC-led provincial government, asserting that its actions have only intensified the existing problems.
The DA’s Kingsol Chabalala said the dire municipal financial state has negatively impacted small businesses that work with the municipality.
“Small business owners will not be able to pay their creditors and employees because of this mess,” Chabalala said.
Workers are hopeful that measures will be taken to prevent a recurrence of the financial crisis that plagued the municipality two years ago.
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