'Broke' municipalities fail to pay January salaries

29 January 2015 - 02:13 By Kingdom Mabuza
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Municipal workers in two Limpopo towns have not been paid their January salaries and the national Treasury has blamed senior officials.

Treasury spokesman Jabulani Sikhakhane said both municipalities, Mopani and Vhembe, have been unable to account for grants allocated to them.

"The issue of Mopani dates back to 2012 when the municipality failed to spend conditional grants of about R210-million for the purposes which the funds had been allocated to the municipality.

"When a municipality fails to spend the funds as per the stipulated conditions, the municipality must repay the funds to national government.

"Mopani couldn't repay the funds, nor could the municipality explain what the funds had been used for," he said.

Sikhakhane said R46-million would be transferred to the municipality for workers to be paid.

He said the Vhembe municipality has also failed to explain why a 2013/14 grant was not spent.

Mopani spokesman Tumelo Malaka said national Treasury officials who chose to go on vacation were to blame.

Vhembe spokesman Matotzi Ralushai attributed the delay to the fact that payday (January 25) fell on a Sunday.

The South African Municipal Workers' Union said it was unfair that workers were not paid but councillors received their salaries.

"Municipalities have failed to pay workers because they are broke. But councillors were paid their January salaries while the people who are doing the real work of service delivery are relegated," said Samwu provincial secretary Simon Mathe.

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