District under scrutiny after failing to pay salaries
Zululand District Municipality Mayor confirms that all employees' salaries have now been paid
Tighter monitoring of payment processes, improved internal coordination and earlier identification of potential delays are some of the measures Zululand District Municipality (ZDM) says it has put in place.
This after the municipality failed to pay its staff members their September salaries on Friday, for which ‘consequence management will follow’.
ZDM Mayor Michael Khumalo on Monday said the matter had been resolved and confirmed that all employees’ salaries have now been paid.
“We acknowledge that the delay caused concern and inconvenience to our employees, who depend on their salaries to meet their financial responsibilities. We sincerely regret the disruption caused,” said Khumalo.
“We have acted to ensure the immediate issue was resolved and that all outstanding salaries were paid. We have also put measures in place to strengthen the salary payment process and prevent a recurrence.
“Our management will continue to closely monitor the process to ensure employees receive their salaries on time. We understand the responsibility we have towards our employees.
“We remain committed to ensuring administrative processes support the timely and reliable payment of salaries. We confirm that consequence management will definitely follow due processes,” he said.
Calls for intervention
On Sunday, the ANC in the Mzala Nxumalo Region expressed serious concern regarding the situation.
The ANC’s regional coordinator, Ntokozo Nxumalo, said the delay was unacceptable, and that municipal workers depend on their salaries to feed their families, pay rent and electricity, transport their children to school and meet their everyday obligations.
“They cannot be expected to carry the burden of financial management failures or administrative dysfunction within the municipality. What makes the situation even more disturbing is the contradictory explanation issued by the municipality on Friday, apparently seeking to link the delay to the public holiday of 24 September,” said Nxumalo.
“We reject this explanation as inadequate. A public holiday does not suddenly absolve a municipality of its responsibility to plan properly, manage its finances responsibly and ensure employees are paid when they are due. The people of Zululand deserve better than excuses. Municipal workers deserve better than excuses,” he said.
Nxumalo called for the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to urgently investigate the governance and administrative circumstances surrounding this matter.
“We demand that National Treasury scrutinises the municipality’s financial position, cash flow, grant management and expenditure; also the Auditor-General of South Africa to urgently examine whether there have been any breaches of financial management requirements, irregular expenditure, financial misconduct or other forms of maladministration; and all other relevant law enforcement and oversight institutions to act where evidence of wrongdoing emerges,” he said.
Cogta MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi has directed the head of his department, Scelo Duma, to immediately investigate the cause of the non-payment of salaries.
He also urged consequence management against officials who are responsible for financial misconduct.
“We will not tolerate any municipality that does not respect the rights of workers, we will act without fear or favour,” said Buthelezi.
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