Almost R1-Million Spent in 4 Months on 2 Administrators’ Salaries in Cash-Strapped Emfuleni

Cash-strapped Emfuleni, in the heart of the Vaal Triangle in South Africa, has spent almost R1-million – R893 984 000 to be exact – in four months for the payment of two administrators’ salaries who are paid an hourly rate of R2,264 each.

A team of three administrators were appointed to support the lead administrator in the Emfuleni Local Municipality, and started work in Emfuleni in August 2020. They are paid the hourly rate in line with the treasury regulations which constitute 52 hours per month, revealed Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Lebogang Maile, in an oral reply to the Democratic Alliance (DA) at a virtual sitting of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.

The Gauteng Department of COGTA is only paying the salaries of two administrators, who are part of the provincial government, and the other two administrators are paid by Emfuleni.

Each administrator earns about R111 748 a month which means that Emfuleni has spent R893 984,000 on the salaries of two administrators in four months.

“It is unacceptable that the cash-strapped Emfuleni Municipality continues to pay ridiculous salaries to administrators while facing a serious cash flow problem,” said Kingsol Chabalala, DA Emfuleni North Constituency Head, in a statement on Sunday.

“This municipality has been battling to pay its debts owed to Rand Water and Eskom as well as to pay it service providers for the services rendered yet they continue to pay thousands of rands to administrators every month.

“Service delivery has completely collapsed in Emfuleni under the watch of these administrators who are failing to rescue this municipality from its serious financial situation.”

The DA has called on Maile to review whether the work these administrators have done in Emfuleni is assisting in rescuing the municipality from its long-term financial and service delivery problems.