Emfuleni explains why 3 522 posts are vacant

VANDERBIJLPARK. – The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) expressed concern at South Africa’s alarmingly high municipal job vacancy rate. In a media release received from Samwu last week, the union quotes figures from the non-financial municipal census conducted by Statistics SA, which indicate that there are currently more than 41 000 vacancies in the country’s 278 municipalities.

Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM), Mangaung Metro and the City of Cape Town lead the charge with the highest number of vacancies.
Samwu says the union “isn’t surprised but concerned” that municipal vacancies remain at such alarming and unacceptable levels. The union is further worried that these high levels will increasingly affect the quality and quantity of services that municipalities are rendering.
“It is not that there are no skills to fill these vacancies.
Suitable and qualified people are available to render their services to South Africans yet municipalities plead poverty as one of the reasons for their failure to fill these vacancies. Our position is that these are funded vacancies and as such, there is a budget to fill them, however, municipalities are instead redirecting these funds for other things,” is Samwu’s accusation.
It seems ELM is not at all blasé about the many vacancies in the Emfuleni area, but contends that rectifying the situation isn’t as easy as Samwu would like it to be.
“Emfuleni Local Municipality shares the views of Samwu that high levels of vacancies can negatively impact service delivery,” says Mr Stanley Gaba, ELM’s acting manager: Communications, Marketing and Branding.
He explains that the approved staff structure depicts that ELM has 6 292 approved posts. Of these, only 2 770 positions are currently filled. This represents a 56% vacancy rate amounting to a salary bill that is 17% of the municipality’s total budget. The national norm is 25% to 35%, as set out by National Treasury. However, the latest conducted review of the structure, has established that it should be closer to 4 617 posts to achieve full functionality and full delivery of services.
“If Council were to adopt this latest report, the figures would change significantly. The vacancy rate would drop to 40% and the salary bill would be well within the 25% to 35% norms and standards of National Treasury,” Mr Gaba says.
In his opinion the statistics also do not tell the full story. ELM’s highest vacancy levels are in technical positions and the municipality has been struggling to attract skilled personnel in the technical positions of water management, electrical engineering, civil engineering and financial management. More importantly, it is also struggling to retain skilled technical personnel due to better remuneration in the private sector and in other larger municipalities and agencies.
“An example is the departure of several water technicians to Rand Water after they were trained and employed by ELM,” he says.
“The municipality is mindful of the high levels of unemployment in the area and will not unnecessarily and without good cause withhold the filling of vacancies. ELM also has an obligation to ensure that the workforce is adequately skilled, resourced and managed to improve and sustain service delivery.” He stressed that ELM will continue to work with Samwu and all other recognized unions through the Local Labour Forum (LLF) to work towards a viable and effective civil service.