The DA has written (view here) to the Head of the Public Protector’s Office in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Advocate Mlandeli Nkosi, to request an investigation into alleged outstanding pension monies owed to at least 30 former Msunduzi Municipality employees.
This after claims by the employees who retired between 2013 and 2017 that they did not receive their full pension funds, as indicated on their pay slips. Some of the pensioners have since passed away and their beneficiaries remain equally disadvantaged by the lack of resolution to this matter.
It is intolerable that despite first being brought to light by DA councillors in 2019, this matter continues to drag on almost four years later. This smacks of an uncaring ANC government that does not have the interests of KZN’s citizens – in this case the elderly – at heart.
In November 2019, a council resolution was passed to investigate and pay the pensioners outstanding monies. However, it was only in March 2022 that the ANC-run council tabled a motion for these resolutions to be implemented and investigation findings to be released.
According to a July 2022 media report, the pensioners were informed that their pensions – invested in the Pietermaritzburg Corporation Provident Fun – were missing. The fund was then allegedly outsourced from the City Treasury to an outside service provider which has since been liquidated.
At the time Msunduzi Mayor, Mzimkhulu Thebolla also committed to launching an investigation and laying criminal charges against those responsible for defrauding the municipality’s pension fund. He also committed to pay the affected pensioners or their beneficiaries “regardless of what happened in the past’’.
To date, there is no indication whatsoever that this has taken place. Pensioners have not received any written communication indicating processes being followed. Nor has there been any substantive information regarding their outstanding monies.
To make matters worse, the pensioners were allegedly told by the Municipal Manager that an investigation report would be finalized and tabled within 60 to 90 days. This was in March 2023. This time frame has long since passed and again there is nothing.
Msunduzi’s ANC-run municipality continues to renege on its promises to the pensioners. The situation is unacceptable and the DA has called on the Public Protector to;
• Establish the sequence of events relating to the administration of the original pension fund, the tracking of the pension funds belonging to the employees, and the subsequent alleged liquidation of the company that assumed responsibility for the funds
• Assess the value of the fund account, the final values of the monies in the pension fund, where the funds were finally deposited, or settlement values placed
• Establish whether the monies were paid to the rightful recipients and what happened to the balances, if any, that were owing to them
• Establish any fraud, maladministration, corruption and whether any charges were laid or action taken against any officials and, if not, advise whether action can be taken now and;
• Establish what compensation can be made to the aggrieved parties.
The DA sincerely hopes that the Public Protector’s Office will respond favourably to our request.
KZN’s Taliban faction ANC government continues to fail the people of our province, at every level. The 2024 elections will provide citizens with the opportunity to save KZN.