Disgruntled service providers have blocked access to the Kumkani Mhlontlo municipality’s offices in Qumbu in protest over unpaid invoices totalling R10.6m.
Operations at the municipality have ground to a halt since Monday due to the protest.
The service providers were employed on a three-year fixed term by the municipality at the beginning of 2023 to carry out maintenance on municipal gravel roads, bridges and stormwater-related works in all 26 of its wards.
Initially, six local contractors were awarded the contract for the job before four more were added.
Despite working for more than a year, the service providers claim they have not been paid a cent by the “broke” municipality.
This is according to Ngawonke Bulala, who led the service providers in their picket outside the municipal offices.
Bulala told the Dispatch they were frustrated by the empty promises of officials.
“From 2023 up until now, we have not been paid.
“Some of us have to hire plant, employ local labourers out of our own pockets while the municipality does not pay us our money.
“We were told to wait until July for the start of the financial year.
“We worked until July and met the municipal manager, who told us they are still sorting out their finances and asked us to wait until September.
Bulala said they had given the municipality until the first week of October to settle the debt.
“When we went to the municipality again after the first week of October, they kept giving us promises, and in the weeks that followed.
“On Friday last week, we took a decision that not any more. We decided to shut down the whole municipality.
“We chose Qumbu because all of their main offices are here and it is only satellite offices in Tsolo.”
According to the tender document, the scope of the contract was the construction of various gravel roads.
The contractors were also required to provide all required personnel, materials, equipment and plant needed for the construction of gravel roads.
More than 90% of the municipality’s road network is gravel.
“We were being deployed throughout all the wards to do roadworks,” Bulala said.
“Our main wish is to be paid in full. The mayor came here to address us informally and we met the municipal manager on Monday when he told us their funds are depleted.
“We just couldn’t understand.”
Bulala said they would escalate the dispute to the provincial government and resort to legal action unless steps were taken to ensure they were paid.
Kumkani Mhlontlo spokesperson Mamela Mangcotywa said: “We understand the concerns raised by these contractors and the importance of timely payments for those services they provided.
“We want to assure the community and all stakeholders that we are actively working on a solution to address this matter.
“Our priority is to ensure that all service providers are compensated fairly and promptly while maintaining the integrity of our municipal operations.”
Mangcotywa said officials were in discussions with the relevant parties to resolve the payment issues “swiftly and effectively”.
“We appreciate the patience of our residents during this time and are committed to restoring normal operations as soon as possible,” she said.
Resident Amanda Somyali, who travelled from Balasi to the municipal offices in Qumbu, a 62km journey, said she had been turned away at the gates.
“I saw a lot of people standing, I just needed a proof of residence, as directed by the bank, and they told me only the municipality can issue them.
“I was told it was closed without any explanation.
“A lot of old people stood there, which was my only concern.”
The municipality is set to discuss the problem at a council meeting on Wednesday.
DispatchLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.