WHILE political bickering between the IFP and ANC in Umkhanyakude Municipality continues unabated, staff and residents are suffering.
More than 500 staff members did not receive their salaries on Friday while residents are not getting basic services such as water.
The municipality council has failed to pass the budget on several occasions and also missed the June 30 deadline. This meant the municipality is no longer able to withdraw from its account.
A worker, who declined to be named, said on Sunday that workers were angered by the situation and didn’t know what to do.
It was a double tragedy for staff who had scrambled to get essential goods after shops in Umkhuze and Jozini were looted during the unrest, he said. Also, during the unrest staff had travelled as far as Richards Bay and Ulundi to buy essentials with the last of their cash in the hope they’d be paid. “We are really in trouble. We are not able to buy food, let alone service our debts ... Politicians have failed (us). We’re victims of the political battles of the ANC and IFP in the municipality.”
Municipal manager Mxolisi Nkosi confirmed none of the staff, including councillors, were paid on Friday. He said the municipality has 357 permanent staff and 200 non-permanent employees, which include councillors, contracted managers and Expanded Public Works Programme workers.
Nkosi said there was nothing he could do as the manager as he himself did not get his salary because council had not been able to pass the budget.
ANC councillor Thokozani Ngema, who is also the speaker, blamed the IFP for not attending council meetings. He said he had been begging IFP councillors to come for a budget only, but they had refused. He said the issue had been taken over by the province and he was waiting for its directive.
The IFP’s Makhosonke Sithole said it was wrong to blame his party because the ANC had caused the budget not to be approved. IFP mayor, Tim Moodley, had not been allowed to see the budget up until last week, he said.
“The ANC drafted the budget alone. Our mayor didn’t know what was going on and now they blame us.”
Sithole said the IFP was willing to attend the meeting and were waiting for the speaker to notify them. The speaker said it was too late; no meeting would be called because the budget was now under the provincial government.
Cogta spokesperson Senzo Mzila said Umkhanyakude’s issues were being attended to. The problems started last year when some ANC councillors dodged meetings because of alleged internal battles. Allegations were that one faction would vote with the IFP to remove mayor Solomon Mkhondo The municipality was placed under administration but it seemed to fail. In March, the IFP snatched power from a divided ANC and removed Mkhondo, but the ANC managed to hold on to the deputy mayor and speaker’s positions. This compounded the situation further as there was no coalition arrangement to co-govern.
Daily News