This information was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Lebogang Maile in an oral reply to the DA’s questions at a virtual sitting of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

According to MEC Maile, a team of three administrators were appointed to support the lead administrator in the Emfuleni Local Municipality.

The team started working in Emfuleni in August 2020 and they are paid an hourly rate of R2264,00 in line with the treasury regulations which constitute 52 hours per month.

The Gauteng Department of COGTA is only paying the salaries of two administrators who are part of the provincial government and the other two administrators are paid by Emfuleni. Each administrator earns about R111 748 a month which means that Emfuleni has spent R893 984,000 on the salaries of two administrators in four months.

It is unacceptable that the cash-strapped Emfuleni Municipality continues to pay ridiculous salaries to administrators while facing a serious cash flow problem.

This municipality has been battling to pay its debts owed to Rand Water and Eskom as well as to pay it service providers for the services rendered yet they continue to pay thousands of rands to administrators every month.

Service delivery has completely collapsed in Emfuleni under the watch of these administrators who are failing to rescue this municipality from its serious financial situation.

The DA calls on MEC Maile to review the work done by these administrators in Emfuleni so far so as to ascertain whether they are assisting in rescuing this municipality from its long-term financial and service delivery problems. We see no use in having a team of four administrators if this municipality continues to move from one challenge to another with no lasting solution.