Emfuleni Municipality employees say they've had to borrow money to settle bills as salaries unpaid
The struggling municipality was unable to pay all its employees on 25 September, after Eskom attached four of its bank accounts.
FILE: Roads and stormwater team patching potholes in DF Malan Street at Emfuleni Local Municipality Picture: Supplied/facebook.com/emfulenilocalmunicipality
JOHANNESBURG - Some frustrated municipal workers in Emfuleni say they’ve had to borrow money to pay their bills after not receiving their September salaries.
The struggling municipality was unable to pay all its employees on 25 September, after Eskom attached four of its bank accounts.
The action was taken after the municipality failed to settle its R8 billion debt to the power utility.
While Eskom and the Emfuleni municipality are in court regarding the attachment of the municipality's bank accounts, workers have been left in limbo, anxiously waiting for their salaries.
One municipal worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he had to borrow money to settle September’s rent.
"We are very furious and very angry. You would understand, we have a lot of financial obligations that we must meet as the workers. So, the situation right now is quite stressful and frustrating."
Another Emfuleni worker said that the last two weeks had been extremely challenging.
"That’s the part of the whole situation because no one is considering the workers in this regard, because some of the workers don’t have anything now. Some, we still have to pay the mashonisas."
The Emfuleni Municipality said it was unable to guarantee when workers would be paid.