Staff overloading causes huge service delivery backlog in Hlabisa and surrounds
By CELANI SIKHAKHANE
The amalgamation of municipalities has caused a KwaZulu-Natal municipality to spend more money on staff salaries, and leaving their coffers overloaded.
The mayor of Big 5 Hlabisa Local Municipality, has revealed that they are one of those who bear the brunt of the amalgamation process which has left them with a bloated staff.
Mayor, Comfort Khumalo alluded to this on Friday at Nqutshini in Ward 4 in Hluhluwe where he was presenting the council’s Intergrated Development Program (IDP).
He said the amalgamation of Hlabisa Local Municipality and Big 5 False Bay came with a lot of problema to them.
“We have an annual budget of R209 million and from that budget we spend R93 million on salaries, then we end up with a mere R100 million for services,” said Khumalo.
“This is a crisis since we are unable to render services to our people. The situation has led to the decision that we won’t hire or fill any vacant posts until we get down to the threshold of 45 percent that is required,” he said.
Khumalo also revealed that they are being owed by a certain provincial departments an amount of R53 million.
In 2013 the Dermacation Board received about 10 000 objections against the amalgamation of certain Municipalities.
Dermacation board chairperson, Lindiwe Mahlangu said they had to dismiss all of those objections because they had no substance.
He said most of the objections were politically motivated and that is why they were forced to dismiss them.
