SABC News reports that Municipal Manager of the troubled Mafube Local Municipality in the Free State, Mothusi Lepheana, says they are hoping for a speedy resolution to the municipality’s financial woes.

Last week, the municipality issued a memo to its employees stating that they might not receive their salaries for December, January and February. According to the memo, the situation was brought about by one of its creditors, the Municipal Worker’s Retirement Fund, which approached the High Court to get an order to attach the municipality’s accounts. Lepheana elaborated: “It was the plan of the municipality to pay that creditor in terms of the financial recovery plan that has just been adopted. Now, the discussions are still underway between the municipality and the creditor. We hope to resolve the matter and we are going to be able to pay the salaries of employees.” But, Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union shop steward Tshepo Tsotetsi blamed the municipality’s crisis on an absence of proper management. He said non-payment and late payment of salaries had been an ongoing issue in the municipality for at least seven years.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Palesa Matshane at SABC News

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