Staff members at the City of Matlosana Local Municipality in Klerksdorp, North West, were forced to evacuate the building on Friday morning after angry municipal workers set fire to the entrance.
The situation caused Mayor Fikile Mahlophe to confront furious workers at the sewage and water department. They wanted to know why they had not been paid for overtime since December.
Mayor forced to intervene
The aggrieved staff claim that they have been ensuring that service delivery runs well during the holiday season. They have diligently responded to sewer spills whenever residents called for assistance, they said.
“No one wants to account to our questions. We have worked, and all we are saying is that we need the municipality to pay us the money that we have worked hard for,” said one of the protesting employees.
Maholphe apologised to the workers.
“I wish to extend my sincerest apologies to all employees who were affected by the misunderstanding regarding overtime payments earlier today.
Payment delays acknowledged, and addressed
“We acknowledge that the delay in processing overtime documents caused frustration and inconvenience to our valued employees. And we understand the importance of timely compensation for their hard work and dedication,” he said.
Mahlophe said he was committed to ensuring that all outstanding overtime payments were processed and paid as soon as possible.
“The matter has been resolved. I have had an emergency meeting with management. That includes the CFO, municipal manager and the director of corporate services and MMCs. We have agreed that the team that must capture overtime will be working from today, including Saturday and Sunday, to make sure that people are being paid,” he said.
Situation back to normal
He said the situation has gone back to normal.
“The situation now is calm, we have agreed on the solution together with the workers.
“We appreciate the patience and understanding of our employees during this time. And we assure them that we are taking immediate action to prevent such misunderstandings in the future.
Mahlophe also apologised to the community of Matlosana for the inconvenience caused
