This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.
News24 reports that the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) government has allowed more than 580 government-owned houses in Ulundi to be occupied by invaders who have racked up a R3.3 million water bill.
Moreover, taxpayers shelled out R4.1 million in property rates for buildings the state no longer has exclusive use for. And when government officials tried to inspect the properties, they found the situation "unsafe and life threatening". MPLs were told that some of the houses were illegally occupied by government officials, who had failed to hand over the house keys. This emerged at a public works portfolio committee meeting, where government officials submitted a progress report on the management and illegal occupation of the government-owned houses in Ulundi. Although there was no budget for the maintenance of the buildings, more than 90 government officials still lived in the flats. According to the report, the municipal services accounts of the hijacked properties were "very difficult to manage as there are no separate meters installed at the flats". The report further revealed that there was no value for money taking into account the R4.1 million spent on property rates. A debt of about R3.3 million existed as at March 2023 for water accounts. The report advised that the department was intervening by way of engaging with the Zululand District Municipality to manage the flats and had disconnected those who had not paid the water bill, but had allowed them to stay connected to a borehole. The DA in the provincial legislature said the ANC was allowing "cadres" to live freely there, "while millions struggle to make ends meet".
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Soyiso Maliti at News24 (subscriber access only)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page