Emfuleni spends over R32 million on labour disputes while service delivery suffers

VAAL TRIANGLE - The DA in Emfuleni says the local municipality has spent more than R32 million on labour disputes with its employees. This information was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Mzi Khumalo, who named six different attorneys that were paid by Emfuleni for legal disputes between the municipality and its employees. DA Emfuleni North Constituency Head, Kingsol Chabalala MPL, yesterday said in a statement that this money spent on outsourcing legal services could have been used for service delivery, and legal services could have been done in-house. Chabalala said the municipality is wasting millions of rands outsourcing legal representation, which is an indication that the internal legal unit is not adequately capacitated. He said the DA demands that MEC Khumalo urgently intervene and ensure that the Emfuleni legal unit is utilised to handle legal matters concerning the municipality. In addition, the disputes between Emfuleni and its employees must be dealt with internally to avoid legal costs.

PHOTO: (DA)