DURBAN-UGU District Municipality has been warned to fill vacant senior posts as the vacancies are crippling service delivery.
Ugu is among three municipalities that have been given ultimatums to fill vacant senior posts or run the risk of being placed under administration.
The others are Edumbe and King Cetshwayo.
In Ugu, the municipality parted ways with the municipal manager following a damning forensic investigation and other officials that were implicated in the report resigned.
“At its meeting on Wednesday the provincial cabinet noted that vacant posts at local government were rendering some municipalities dysfunctional, crippling service delivery and leading to civil unrest in many parts of the province.
“The Provincial Executive Council has expressed its misgivings on the status of vacant senior management posts in municipalities and has directed the municipalities of Edumbe, Ugu and King Cetshwayo to fill senior vacant management posts,” said Premier Sihle Zikalala.
Some of the posts identified include those of municipal managers and chief financial officers, which are crucial for the functioning of municipalities.
According to the executive the said municipalities should speedily fill the posts but follow the law in doing so.
“The Executive Council has taken a resolution that municipalities which fail to fill priority posts crucial for the functioning and performance of the municipality should be considered for constitutional intervention,” warned Zikalala.
Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Sipho Hlomuka has been tasked to engage the non-complying municipalities to ensure that the directive is followed.
The premier stressed that if there was no progress in the filling of posts, the municipalities faced the prospect of having their executive powers taken over by the provincial government.
Several municipalities including Msunduzi (Pietermaritzburg), Mpofana (Mooi River) and Abaqulusi (Vryheid) are already under administration owing to a range of problems which include vacant posts that interrupted service delivery.
THE MERCURY