The Tshwane Metro is facing a looming service delivery crisis as there are 12 529 vacancies within the Metro.
It recently came to light during a council meeting that this staffing crisis affects key departments, including electricity, water and sanitation, health, and roads and transport.
Vacancy rates ranging from 36% to 74% in various departments threaten the Metro’s ability to fulfil its constitutional obligations.
This is in stark contrast to an employment equity report indicating superfluous staff in certain other areas. The discrepancy between surplus and shortage in the workforce points to a dysfunctional Human Resources Department that is failing to align the workforce with operational needs.
If all these vacancies were filled, the wage bill would exceed R21 billion, which is unsustainable and would only add to residents’ immense financial strain.
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) wants to issue a clear warning: Residents should not bear the brunt of poor planning and mismanagement. In addition, racial targets should not be blindly pursued when appointments are made, skills and merit should also be taken into account.
The party will keep demanding accountability, transparency and performance-driven governance, and calls on the executive authority to urgently address the misallocation of staff.
The executive authority should also restore faith in its human resource planning and protect service delivery integrity.
