Coghsta coughs up more than R1m to traditional leaders
The court action, according to a source, seems to be only the tip of the iceberg, as the four are believed to be among 100 headmen in the province who have started litigation against the department, all relating to unpaid salaries.
POLOKWANE – Assets of more than R1 million from the Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta) offices were attached to a judgement issued in response to an application brought to court by four headmen who claimed they had not been paid since 2008.
The judgement was issued on Monday and the attached properties include more than 10 vehicles, as well as office furniture and other valuable goods.
The assets were attached to recover the salaries of the four headmen who have not been paid for the past eight years as well as legal costs incurred by the applicants.
According to a source, with almost 100 headmen in litigation against Coghsta, this case is just the tip of the iceberg.
Court documents state traditional leaders earn R7 000 per month. However, Chief Kgabo Caiphus Lekgoto of Segole 2, under the Mogalakwena Municipality, says he has not earned a salary for the past seven years since succeeding his mother who passed in 2009.
“We decided to take the legal route since our previous efforts were in vain. The Lekgoto Royal Family tried its best before going to court but Coghsta did not respond. I’m leading the Segole community without receiving a salary,” said Lekgoto.
His case will be heard in February 2017.
According to last year’s Auditor-General (AG) report, Coghsta is one of 10 departments that underspent their capital budget. “Poor planning and a lack of project implementation are the main causes. Coghsta’s fruitless and wasteful expenditure amounted to R4 million,” Lekgoto continued.
DA Provincial Leader, Jacques Smalle said Coghsta allocated a budget of R396 million to traditional affairs, excluding the money they receive from the premier’s office.
“The MEC’s failure to pay traditional leaders is unacceptable and she must be held accountable. This clearly shows that traditional leaders are not treated equally. If Coghsta was not paying because of pending chieftancy court battles, it would have been understandable,” Smalle said.
Contacted for comment, Spokesperson for Coghsta, Khathu Razwiedani confirmed that judgment was issued against the department.
The department’s legal team is studying the document after which a decision will be made on due course, Razwiedani said.
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