This is how 22 employees received R24 million from Emfuleni Local Municipality while sitting at home

The municipality has also spent R7 million on legal fees connected to the suspension of the employees. The Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) has paid up to R24 million to employees that have been on suspension over several years without their cases coming to a conclusion. This was revealed in Gauteng legislature replies to question asked by the DA’s mayoral candidate in Emfuleni, Kingsol Chabalala. “The DA is outraged that employees suspended by the Emfuleni Local Municipality, seemingly indefinitely, continue to receive their salaries while legal costs accumulate. “There are currently 22 employees who have been suspended for possible misconduct. The length of their suspensions varies, but collectively, they span several years,” said Chabalala. Legal fees He said not only is the municipality spending large amounts of money on the salaries of these employees, but they are also spending millions on law firms involved in these cases. “We requested details of the legal costs incurred as a result of these prolonged suspensions. The amount paid to all the law firms involved totals more than R7 million,” said Chabalala. Chabalala said it is unacceptable that taxpayers’ money has been used to fund endless suspensions, which have lasted so long that they have become difficult to rationalise. “This money could have rather been used on service delivery. Why is the Emfuleni Local Municipality dragging out these suspensions? Is this a classic case of cadre employment, in which corruption is protecting a politically connected few, or is it simply mismanagement at its finest?,” he said. “Either way, it reflects poorly on the ANC-led municipality, which is evidently incapable of good governance and continues to court failure,” he added. ANC challenges DA in Emfuleni Chabalala has encouraged Emfuleni residents to use the upcoming voter registration weekend to register to vote for new leadership in Emfuleni. He said the May by-election that saw the DA winning its first black ward in Emfuleni is proof that residents are desperate for a government that can deliver uninterrupted services and clean governance. “The people of Ward 28 in Emfuleni have spoken, and their democratic choice must be respected. The DA’s victory was earned at the ballot box through the votes of residents who chose change. “The ANC’s decision to challenge the result appears to be the reaction of a party that is struggling to accept the will of the people,” he said.