Emfuleni defends R700 million overtime spending despite failing service delivery

The Emfuleni Local Municipality is battling to deal with sewage spillages. Image:Itumeleng English / African News Agency (ANA) TheEmfuleni Local Municipality has defended R700 million spent on overtime over six years, even as residents endure collapsing service delivery marked by sewage spills, uncollected waste, and failing infrastructure. Municipal officials insist the spending was necessary to keep essential services running amid staff shortages and operational strain.

The figures, revealed in a written reply to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature by municipal manager April Ntuli, show a steady rise in overtime costs: R91.6 million in 2019/2020, R92.6 million in 2020/2021, R114.2 million in 2021/2022, R108.9 million in 2022/2023, R110.3 million in 2023/2024, and R110.2 million in 2024/2025. In the current financial year alone, R66.3 million has already been spent. The expenditure includes close to R200 million during the Covid-19 lockdown period in 2020 and 2021, when large parts of the country were not fully operational.

On the ground, conditions continue to deteriorate, withresidents facing uncollected refuse, sewage spilling into streets and homes, and a severe shortage of refuse trucks. Reports show only five operational trucks were servicing Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging, leaving most of the municipality’s 45 wards without reliable waste collection. The breakdown in basic services has fuelled illegal dumping, with the number of dumping sites increasing from about 308 to more than 320.

[paywall]

Closed waste-transfer stations and poor resource management have worsened what critics describe as an environmental catastrophe. Efforts to reverse the decline have faltered. The “Phakama Vaal” campaign, launched earlier this year by Mayor Sipho Radebe and Gauteng MEC Jacob Mamabolo, quickly lost momentum, with refuse collection collapsing again shortly after its rollout.

The Democratic Alliance has sharply criticised the spending, accusing the ANC-led municipality of failing residents. DA Emfuleni mayoral candidate Kingsol Chabalala said despite the massive overtime bill, there has been no improvement in services.

[/paywall]