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City Press reports that the Emfuleni Local Municipality in Gauteng has suffered another blow after the Bargaining Council (BC) ruled in favour of an employee in respect of whom it had spent more than R55 million in an epic labour dispute.
The cash-strapped municipality has been told to reinstate the acting manager, Edward Radebe, and pay him three months' salary, totalling R211,194. The dispute dates back to 2018 when he lodged an unfair labour practice dispute with the BC. Radebe, who had acted in his position for more than a decade, demanded to be paid the benefits associated with the post. The BC ruled in Radebe's favour and directed the municipality to pay him R739,000 However, the municipality refused to pay and hired multiple law firms to appeal the decision at the Labour Appeal Court. Despite the court ruling in Radebe’s favour, the municipality still would not pay. In October 2023, Radebe had the municipality’s bank account attached to recoup the funds, thereby forcing the municipality to pay him R1.1 million, including interest. In January last year, the municipality approached the Constitutional Court for leave to appeal the matter, but lost. The municipality then fired Radebe for attaching its bank account, but he successfully lobbied the BC Council once again and was reinstated. However, on 4 February 2025 when he reported for duty as ordered by the BC, he was sent away. Radebe has since applied to the BC for enforcement. In March last year, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Mzi Khumalo revealed that Emfuleni had splurged R55,315,741 on law firms in the dispute.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sipho Mabena at City Press (subscriber access only)
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