RHODES PAYS R3M TO HELP MAKANA PAY ITS WORKFORCE RHODES University bailed out the cash-strapped Makana municipality to the tune of R3-million after workers were not paid on Friday. After days of Daily Dispatch queries to key Rhodes staffers over whether they gave officials money to pay wages, university executive director: infrastructure, operations and finance Dr Iain L’Ange yesterday confirmed the payment. He said the university had made an advance payment on its monthly municipal services bill to prevent angry workers striking. “The inability to pay municipal staff salaries and wages had the potential to cause considerable disruption to the provision of municipal services to the Grahamstown community, hence the university’s decision to make the advance payment in respect of rates and services,” a statement said. The bailout move was condemned yesterday by South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) Eastern Cape provincial secretary Siphiwo Ndunyana. Although appreciative workers were paid, Ndunyana warned the bailout set a bad precedent. “It is an unhealthy thing to do, it is not sustainable.” He said the municipality had to get its “house in order” before the next pay day to assure workers it would not happen again. “It is a huge concern, we are worried it will happen over the Festive Season.” Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) director Jay Kruuse said the need to get advance payment from Rhodes University to sort out cash flow problems was an indictment against municipal manager Dr Pravine Naidoo and senior budget and treasury staff. “The municipality needs to be far more transparent and provide the public with a detailed explanation for how this state of affairs arose,” said Kruuse. He questioned a confidential council decision to financially settle a dispute with ex-municipal manager Ntombi Baart before her contract expired. “The public should know whether the cost of this settlement agreement have contributed to the current cashflow problems.” He said PSAM was also mindful that Naidoo was recently accommodated in a local guesthouse for several months – “undoubtedly at great expense and with funds that could have been better used elsewhere”. Kruuse said ongoing and serious service delivery obstacles showed a lack of management and oversight leadership. “Until the municipal manager and senior managers conclude performance agreements which are then monitored and assessed by their superiors including council and corrective action taken, where needed, the state of services rendered will remain substandard.” Although mayor Zamuxolo Peter said on Friday he cut short a trip to East London to hurry home and resolve the problem with angry workers who had gathered outside the city hall to protest not being paid, he never mentioned they had been bailed out by Rhodes University’s early rates and services payment. He also did not say what caused the problem. Attempts to get comment from Peter and municipal spokesman Mncedisi Boma yesterday were unsuccessful. ANC provincial secretary, Oscar Mabuyane, said the first he had heard of the bailout was when the Dispatch called late yesterday. He declined to comment until he had all the facts. David MacGregor - Daily Dispatch 29 Oct 2013
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 16:09:33 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015