"With an equitable share of R49 million and a staff complement of 88 employees plus 15 councillors, it is no surprise that employee salaries are 104% of the budget, says Ian Riddle, a DA councillor at the municipality. 

"72% of the equitable share was spent by December 2022, leaving officials scrambling to find funds to keep the municipality afloat for the rest of the financial year."

He points out the Chief Financial Officer’s office has 14 employees - but only three are responsible for the payroll for 88 staff members.
•    Corporate Services has 26 employees, excluding the director and his secretary.
•    Support and Committee Services has 14 employees.
•    The IT department has three employees to manage a website that is managed by the province.
•    The Planning Department has 17 employees but without any available funds, it cannot conduct its duties.
•    The Mayor’s office has one chief of staff, one administration secretary, one driver/bodyguard, three councillors, the chair of the municipal public accounts committee (MPAC) and two secretaries to support them.

"The standard ratio of well-functioning business income to staff is between 25% and 32%. With the number of employees in the district municipality and only salary allocations to budget for, it is still not possible to receive a clean audit outcome," says Riddle.

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