In a letter to the public protector, the Gauteng DA asked that the Chapter 9 institution look into the Emfuleni local municipality’s payment of R130 000 to a high-ranking official for failing to take annual leave.
According to a written response to the DA’s enquiries in the provincial legislature, Jacob Mamabolo, the Gauteng MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs, said the employee was hired in 2017 and held a managerial position at the Emfuleni municipality.
The employee’s name is known to Sunday World.
Kingsol Chabalala, the DA’s representative in the provincial legislature, wrote a letter requesting that an investigation be carried out because the party believed the payment to be illegal.
Leave administration policy
“It has come to light that the ELM [Emfuleni local municipality] paid out R132 374.09 to an employee … for accrued leave in 2021,” wrote Chabalala.
“This payout appears to be in direct violation of the municipality’s leave administration policy and raises significant questions about financial mismanagement within the ELM.”
The primary issue, he said, was that the employee’s payout was in violation of the municipality’s leave administration policy, which limits accrued leave retention to 48 days.
“This payout occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic when most employees were working from home, making it unlikely that leave would accrue due to operational purposes.”
According to the party, the employee seems to be the only employee to receive this kind of compensation since 2021, which raises concerns about preferential treatment.
Chabalala noted the municipality’s dire financial problems, which include poor road maintenance, water supply interruptions, and Eskom’s attachment of its bank accounts.
“The funds used for this payout could have been better utilised to address these pressing issues,” he said.
Comprehensive investigation
Given these worries, Chabalala said it would be just and in the public interest for the public protector to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the events leading up to this leave encashment to ascertain whether the payout was illegal and against municipal regulations.
He said: “If found [the encashment] to be unlawful, compel [name withheld] to repay the full amount to the municipality.
“Identify and hold accountable any officials who authorised this payout if it is found to be improper.
“Review the ELM’s overall leave administration practices to ensure compliance with policies and prevent future misuse of public funds.”
Last Thursday, Sunday World reported that Mamabolo had disclosed that the employee had received over R130 000 for skipping his yearly leave.
