OFM News reports that the cash-strapped Theunissen-based Masilonyana Municipality in the Free State is to give workers food vouchers following the non-payment of their salaries for May 2022.

The municipality has sent staff a communique informing workers that they would receive R1,000 food vouchers to be used at one of the local food retailers. According to the communique, the vouchers are limited to food stock, but could be used for other important commodities such as the purchase of prepaid electricity. Workers, including councillors, were set to access these vouchers from Friday, 17 June until Wednesday, 22 June 2022. Workers were not been paid for May due to cash flow issues. The decision to give workers food vouchers was taken following a meeting with workers’ unions to mitigate the effects of the delayed May salaries. However, in a second letter sent to workers in relation to the payment of salaries, the Acting Municipal Manager, Lungile Mokoteli, said the municipality was working towards speeding up the process of trying to have salaries paid as soon as possible. According to the Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke, Masilonyana is among three Free State municipalities which failed to account for how they spent their money.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lucky Nkuyane at The Citizen

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