Tshwane defends overtime cuts after scrutiny from east residents
Ward councillors have voiced frustration over the new limitations, suggesting that restricting overtime could leave the city short-staffed after hours, during holidays and weekends.
Tshwane has moved to defend the recent changes to its overtime policy, specifying that these are not intended to compromise service delivery.
This follows a wave of concerns from local councillors and community members in the east of Pretoria that the decision would hinder service delivery.
Ward councillors have voiced frustration over the new limitations, suggesting that restricting overtime could leave the city short-staffed after hours, during holidays and weekends and critical periods for addressing emergency service issues such as power outages, water leaks, and road damage.
Metro spokesperson Selby Bokaba said the overtime curb, which came into effect on April 1, was a necessary response to repeated findings by the Auditor-General.
These revealed that the city had been breaching labour laws by paying employees for more than 40 hours of overtime per month, a direct violation of the Labour Relations Act.
Bokaba said the city has taken note of misleading messages circulating on social media platforms by some community leaders, purporting that there will be prolonged power and water outages due to overtime management.
“These messages, which are devoid of any truth, further suggest that the city has taken a decision to compromise service delivery through its changes to the management of overtime.”
About posts circulating on social media, Bokaba said: “It should be put on record that the adjustments were necessary to ensure compliance and to better manage the city’s strained financial resources.”
Bokaba said the city’s resources are also under strain, “and this prompted us to make hard choices in the management of overtime, without compromising the delivery of services to the consumers.
“Through the Regional Operations and Coordination (ROC) Department, the need for changes to the management of overtime was extensively canvassed with the regional directors for electricity,” he said.
“The teams agreed that limitation of overtime to 40 hours per month excludes overtime that could not be avoided due to an emergency, as defined in Section 3.6.2(ii) of the overtime collective agreement regarding categories of overtime work provided.”
He added that exceptions remain in place for emergencies, meaning that overtime beyond the 40-hour cap will still be granted in critical situations such as power outages, sewer leaks, water pipe bursts, and roads and stormwater-related issues.
However, Ward 101 councillor Malcolm de Klerk remains unconvinced. In a social media post, he accused the city’s administration of allowing service delivery to deteriorate under the new system.
“I was proven right,” De Klerk said.
“These limitations have dramatically increased outages and delayed repairs to infrastructure, whether it be water, electricity or sanitation.”
De Klerk said residents are now being forced to take matters into their own hands.
“Service delivery under this new administration has severely dropped. We, as public representatives, along with our generous community, are having to step in more and more to fix up our own areas. These overburdened ratepayers pay a lot, and in return get nothing.”
De Klerk also criticised the proposed city budget, claiming that his ward, which contributes significantly to municipal revenue, continues to receive minimal service delivery.
Recently, Ward 41 councillor Ben Chapman said Tshwane is trying to impress the Auditor-General at the expense of residents.
“Cutting budgets, restricting overtime, is causing a service delivery deterioration and overburdens the residents on the ground.”
“Residents in Silverton had experienced massive power outages, while the municipality is slashing budgets, and they are more focused on making their books look good for the Auditor-General than actually providing basic services. It’s the residents who are paying the price.”
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