City of Cape Town misusing ratepayers money for the benefit of cronies
24 January 2020
City of Cape Town misusing ratepayers money for the benefit of cronies
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) has learnt that the City of Cape Town (City) is misusing ratepayers’ monies yet again by creating a heavy top management structure at Water & Sanitation Department. Ratepayers of Cape Town were up in arms not so long ago with the very same Department for building a multimillion-rand building known as the Water City in Bellville, Cape Town purely for luxury.
The very same building was not yet approved to have staff in it as one of the problems was the running tap water that had a strong diesel smell which led some of our members putting in a grievance against the City Capetonians had to fund this building through paying hefty water rates whereas they still face lack thereof or nonexistence of service delivery.
As recent as this week the City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Department has advertised four (4) new Director positions; Director: Bulk Services, Commercial Services, Retail Services and Technical Services. These vacancies close on the 14 February 2020 and these Directors will earn high inflated salaries of nothing less than R1.5 Million per annum. The rhetorical question now is why the creation of these posts because currently the City has existing Heads and Managers managing these four (4) sections within Water City. It is a known secret that these positions are reserved for their cronies and political scores settlements whilst exploiting the real people who provide service delivery to the communities of Cape Town disguised under the Expended Public Works Programme (EPWP).
The City’s vacancy rate is growing by the day and is very alarming. There is over 10 000 permanent job opportunities in the CCT that have not been filled. Yet the City failed to honor the strike agreement that was signed in 2015 where it was agreed upon to fill vacancies of lower level positions by EPWP workers. Instead what has been happening in the City jobs at that level have been filled by families and friends of managers in the City and leaving out those that know the job and have been doing the work.
We also have constantly raising issues of management lacking to motivate and develop their own permanent staff where lack of advancements and promotions for operational staff has been nonexistent. Operational employees spending 40 years of service still being a “worker”. The case of our member in Wildevoelvlei Water Treatment Plant that fell into a tank and passed on, had long years of service but was still a worker. He passed on performing operators’ functions and his management was aware and giving tasks linked with operations and not those of worker.
SAMWU demands that the City retracts these Director positions advertised at Water and Sanitation Department now! and for the City to channel that funding towards employment of those 10 000 permanent jobs at lower level and provide Capetonians the efficient service delivery they deserve and pay for.
Issued by SAMWU Cape Metro
Mikel Kumalo
Regional Secretary
083 265 1519