SAMWU slams National Treasury over unpaid municipal salaries

By Thapelo Molefe

The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) has issued an ultimatum to the government, declaring zero tolerance for ongoing failures by municipalities to pay workers’ salaries.

As thousands of municipal employees across at least six municipalities woke up without pay on Wednesday, SAMWU General Secretary Dumisane Magagula labeled the situation a crisis of economic aggression.

He attributed this to National Treasury’s stringent austerity measures and a fundamentally flawed funding model for municipalities.

“This situation is not merely unfortunate; it is the direct consequence of National Treasury’s dereliction of duty in providing adequate, predictable, and sustainable funding to municipalities, particularly those serving rural and economically marginalised communities,” said Magagula in a media statement.

The union slammed National Treasury for failing to support municipalities, arguing that local governments are being “set up for failure” while betraying both workers and the communities they serve.

Municipal employees in Umzinyathi (KwaZulu-Natal), Thembelihle