The Democratic Alliance (DA) expresses grave concern over the deteriorating situation in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality, where delays in salary payments are now impacting municipal employees at both district and local levels.
Public servants should be paid on time, and governance interventions should never be ignored or obstructed due to political interference. This political sabotage is not only jeopardising staff livelihoods, but it is also crippling service delivery and leaving residents without the basic services they depend on.
These delays stem from apparent factions within the ANC, disregarding a provincial executive decision by the government of provincial unity to place the municipality under administration.
The DA condemns the local ANC’s refusal to cooperate with the Administrator, a legally appointed official tasked with stabilising governance, managing finances and protecting employees’ livelihoods. As articulated by MEC Buthelezi, this refusal is not only irresponsible but amounts to a flagrant disregard for constitutional and legal frameworks. It is a breach that directly endangers the timely payment of salaries.
Furthermore, the provincial ANC’s public opposition to this intervention reveals a disturbing pattern: ANC provincial structures instructing their deployed mayors and councillors to defy lawful administration, replacing public interest with party agenda. This unacceptable interference must be condemned.
The DA demands the following urgent actions:
– Immediate compliance with the Administrator’s authority, including unimpeded access to municipal premises and bank accounts.
– Prompt payment of all overdue salaries at both district and municipal levels.
– Clear assurance that future municipal decisions and operations will be anchored in rule of law and respect the separation between political party influence and public administration.
– An independent investigation into how political deployment and internal party directives have undermined service delivery and good governance in uMkhanyakude.
The DA stands firmly with the dedicated municipal staff who are being unfairly caught between a dysfunctional ANC-run administration and a provincial government forced to intervene.