Some former employees of the Ditsobotla Local Municipality in the North West, are accusing the municipality of using their personal details to pay bogus employees while they struggle to get social grants and employment because the system reflects that they are still employed.
One of the affected former employees is 58-year old Tlale Pholo, who was alerted to the shenanigans of the municipality by the South African Revenue Services (SARS).
“We were released from our duties as casual workers on the 25 February 2011, and told we will be called back. But that never happened despite the fact that we were contracted for 12 months and only worked for 8 months.
“Only to find that they were busy making us ghost workers. We were not given anything concerning our dismissal. We didn’t even get letters. From then until today, I have been knocking on doors looking for employment, but I was told about a personal number I knew nothing about.
“Fortunately I went to (SARS) where all the shenanigans of the municipality were exposed. I was shown proof that I have been receiving payments and that I was registered as a permanent employee of the municipality. I don’t even know who has been receiving this salary using my name,” Pholo said, adding that he ended up being sick from frustration of not being able to secure a job .
“This is just an act of fraud, which in the process caused me illness. I ended up having a stroke, I still have not fully recovered and the doctor advised me not to stress too much. But this is painful.
“The culprit is even earning a salary that is more than what I was earning. I used to earn R1 500, but at SARS I was told the culprit earns R9 000,” he said.
The municipality spokesperson, Pius Batsile, said the municipality was implementing systems that would ensure that all ghost employees were eliminated from the payroll of the municipality.
“The Municipality is in the process of implementing systems to ensure an accurate, fair, and legally compliant headcount of all municipal employees. This will be carried out in the coming weeks to identify and eliminate any instances of ghost workers on the payroll.
“Mayor Lethoko has made it clear that there will be consequences for those found to have been remunerated without reporting for work, and the full extent of the law will be used in these cases.
“Furthermore, the municipality is conducting a comprehensive skills audit to guarantee that all employees possess the necessary qualifications, skills, and experience for their appointed positions,” Batsile said.
The EFF’s spokesperson in the North West, Fanon Moema vowed to ensure that those responsible will face the full might of the law.
“We want to see for the first time now in Ditsobotla people being prosecuted because our predicament is that these people, they do as they please continuously because no one dares to prosecute them ultimately,” said Moema.
