The JB Marks Local Municipality in North West has paid staff members, including entry-level employees, nearly R25-million in overtime in just three months.
The shocking revelation has forced councillors to summon a special urgent meeting on Tuesday, to debate, among other things, what they consider excessive overtime payments.
Overtime payouts were made between July and September this year. The highest earner received R72 000 for 176 hours of extra hours done in September. The lowest earned was R11 094,40 for 100 hours of overtime.
“A grass cutter in our municipality earns between R6 500 and R7 000 per month and receives an additional R30 000 in overtime compensation. We want the chief financial officer and the municipal manager to explain when did these people work because it appears that they never slept and worked nonstop day and night, and we need proof of that,” said a councillor who opted to remain anonymous.
Most officials who claimed this overtime money are said to be general workers, with some being artisans within the municipality.
The Sunday World has seen a document detailing staff benefit expenditure.
Another councillor who requested anonymity said according to the MFMA’s section 71 report, these escalating exorbitant costs should have been picked up earlier.
“Why couldn’t they pick it up in the report, which is tabled in council every month? The item has surprised councillors, and many questions must be answered.
“This boils down to poor leadership, we hear from the corridors that the auditor general is complaining; evidently, we have fared worse in this upcoming financial report than in past years,” he said.
According to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act No. 75 of 1997, no employer may authorise an employee to work more than 45 hours a week or nine hours per day.
It states that on ordinary working hours, an employer may not force or authorise an employee to work more than 10 hours of overtime per week unless otherwise agreed upon.
An agreement may not demand or permit an employee to work more than 12 hours daily.
It further says a collective agreement allows for an increase in overtime to 15 hours per week for up to two months in any 12 months.
Overtime must be paid at 1.5 times the employee’s regular rate, or the employee can agree to be paid time off.
This chapter does not apply to senior managers, travelling and sales employees, or workers who work fewer than 24 hours each month.
Early this month, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) was granted a warrant to search the premises of the JB Marks Local Municipality and seize evidence that may assist with an ongoing investigation.
The SIU’s spokesperson Kaizer Kganyego said they are investigating allegations of serious maladministration regarding the procurement of contracting for goods, works or services by the municipality concerning the construction of a flood line canal next to the N12 provincial road and Ikageng extension 11.
During the search, the SIU collected a range of documentation and devices essential for auditing and compliance concerning successful tenders awarded from January 1 2015 to October 4 2024.
The Auditor General has found that the municipality accumulated irregular expenditure totalling R3,5 billion at the end of June.
Municipal officials did not respond to the Sunday World despite promising to do so.
