eThekwini metro splurges billions in overtime claims while its people sit in limbo
13 March 2023
Leaders of the eThekwini Metro Municipality never miss an opportunity to demonstrate why it has become a matter of urgency to remove them and the African National Congress (ANC) as governing party of the Municipality, after splurging a whopping R3.6 billion in overtime in the last five years, while its people sit in limbo without services.
It is undeniable that the eThekwini Municipality has been a state of disaster for numerous years, with issues varying from poor leadership skills, run-down infrastructure, lack of service delivery and corruption.
However, one gets a sense of just how serious the lack of leadership has been become on the metro.
Shockingly, the overtime cost for clusters within the municipality recorded in the month of August 2022 paint a grim picture of some clusters had used more than 50% of their overtime budgets, with Trading Service cluster having used 58.84%, Economic Development and Planning used 72%, and the Governance and International Relations used a staggering 101.92%, which amounted to the Municipality using R217 214 670.98 of its R521 822 830 of its overtime budget.
With this, it is unfortunate that the people of eThekwini are subjected to substandard service delivery, while the Municipality is used as a quick money-making scheme.
It has become unmistakable that the leaders of eThekwini lack basic skills on how to effectively run a municipality.
If ActionSA were to assume power in this Metro Municipality, we would make it our priority to invest a portion of the money used for overtime into hiring new recruits within the different clusters which may be short staffed and in need of extra personnel.
With the added personnel, this will effectively bring better service delivery across the clusters, reduce overtime claims, which could lead to the redirection of funds into the improvement of service delivery.
And with the unemployment rate sitting at over 28% in eThekwini and over 30% in KwaZulu-Natal, this budget could have been used to create more job opportunities for the people of eThekwini, whom have been battling for secure employment due to our declining economy, and the aftereffects of covid-19 and the July unrest.
However, one cannot expect the ANC to yield such concepts that will contribute to the goodwill of our communities.
After 29 years of this government, South Africa has nothing to show for it, except the declining state of living for our people.
The negligence of irregular expenditure amongst leaders in many ANC-led Municipalities has become a cultural norm amongst its leaders, and while our people suffer under the unforgiving rule of the ANC.
It is unfortunate that capital that could be used towards channelling better service delivery for the people of eThekwini who have been hit with the lack of proper sanitation, the supply of water, electricity, roads and sewage treatment plants, have to fork out money to fund millions of Rands towards overtime claims.
It is important to note that the people of eThekwini have unanimously removed the ANC from power in eThekwini Metro Municipality, however, political parties such as the EFF and the NFP have given power to the ANC in the Municipality, blatantly ignoring the voice of our people, and further subjecting the people of eThekwini to mediocre and self-enriching leaders.
Issued by Zwakele Mncwango, KZN Provincial Chairperson, ActionSA, 13 March 2023
