90% of municipal employees not paying rates?

ABAQULUSI Municipality officials have currently started an internal process to rid the municipality of any workers that refuse to abide by the rules.

According to the mayor, Jerry Sibiya, this ‘sweeping up’ operation was initiated after it was discovered that a lot, if not most, municipal staff members do not pay their rates.

“I have taken the matter up with the unions, SAMWU and IMATU, to discuss retribution in the form of deducting money from the salaries of employees found to be guilty of stealing from the municipality,” said the mayor.

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Although a decision has not yet been made, the mayor hopes that the operation can be sped up in order to rid the municipality of workers who are stealing from them.

At the small business institute meeting the mayor revealed that in total, municipal staff currently owe the municipality R695 000 with one employee owing R53 000 alone.

The mayor went on to explain how 90% of the workers had down their box numbers instead of their physical addresses on their employment contracts as a means to not pay their rates and not be caught out.

Disciplinary action is currently being taken against the municipal employee that was caught bridging electricity and officials hope that this, too, will deter like-minded employees from continuing to install illegal connections for community members.