This week, the National Treasury (NT) warned the Emfuleni Local Municipality (Evaton, Sebokeng, Vaal Oewer, Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging) to pay outstanding staff pension fund contributions within seven days to avoid further action.
Emfuleni is one of 39 municipalities in the country guilty of the malpractice of failing to pay staff pension fund contributions.
In Emfuleni’s case, the Municipality has withheld over R6,5 million in pension fund contributions, keeping the funds in its own coffers instead of transferring them to the relevant fund.
Additionally, the NT also warned Emfuleni to settle its historical debt of R1,7 billion with Rand Water.
Should Emfuleni fail to comply, the national government will withhold its equitable share for the remainder of the 2025/26 financial year.
The NT’s drastic steps against Emfuleni come as no surprise to the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) seeing as the Municipality is an utter failure.
Not even four years under the Gauteng provincial government’s administration has made any positive difference.
Eskom and Rand Water have repeatedly attached the Municipality’s accounts, causing residents to pay their outstanding electricity and water bills directly to the bulk suppliers.
The Freedom Front Plus will keep pressuring the Municipality to pay the outstanding contributions so that officials do not forfeit their pension fund benefits.
The mismanagement of the Emfuleni Local Municipality has to stop. It is an utter disgrace that the Municipality is not only failing to provide basic services to its residents, but is also misappropriating staff pension fund contributions.
The only way to stop the mismanagement is to oust the ANC government at the polls.
