Financial crisis hits six Free State municipalities as salaries Go unpaid; MEC's inaction raises alarming concerns

11 December 2023

ActionSA expresses its concern that service delivery has all but come to a halt in six Free State local municipalities. These municipalities, namely Tokologo, Masilonyane, Mohokare, Kopanong, Mantsopa, and Mafube, have failed to pay their officials' salaries, and unsurprisingly, they fall on the long list of ANC-run municipalities struggling to meet their financial obligations.

The dire state of Free State municipalities' finances is evident, considering that not a single municipality in the province received a clean audit during the previous financial year. It is alarming that numerous ANC local governments are plagued by financial mismanagement, corruption, and poor leadership.

The failure of these six municipalities to pay salaries and third-party benefits symbolises the financial strain faced by the country’s municipalities, which ActionSA believes is an ANC-manufactured crisis facilitated by their corrosive cadre deployment policy.

The consequences of this complete failure have resulted in numerous municipal worker protests due to the frustration of non-payment. Additionally, residents face the repercussions of unpaid salaries, leading to the halt of third-party payments and the suffering of basic services. Water scarcity, mounting litter, and unattended sewage issues contribute to the worrying inevitability of a complete collapse of service delivery.

Shockingly, residents are expected to pay their municipal accounts despite little to no service delivery. ActionSA contends that this is daylight robbery, with paying residents being the victims of mismanagement and deserving better than what they receive from the ANC.

These municipalities have made late salary payments fashionable, particularly Mafube Local Municipality, which started as early as 2013. Now, they have informed their employees that they will not be remunerated for the next three months, which is entirely unacceptable.

In light of the above concerns, ActionSA demands the immediate payment of these employees’ salaries. It is unacceptable that employees work diligently for these municipalities, only to receive letters instead of money when the time for payment comes.

The MEC’s silence on this matter is of great concern to ActionSA. A diligent leader would have intervened by invoking Section 139(5) of the Constitution. Due to poor leadership, employees are the victims.

If these municipalities were managed and staffed by highly qualified, ethical, and committed public servants operating with a high degree of professionalism, care, and a sense of duty, this crisis could have been curtailed. ActionSA aims to implement responsive and caring governance.

Issued by Patricia Kopane, ActionSA Free State Provincial Chairperson, 11 December 2023