This comes after a recent incident in which employees were denied access to municipal property because the proper hiring processes were allegedly not followed in appointing them.

The ANC caucus whip in the municipality, Mandlenkosi Dlamini, said the irregular promotion of seven Supply Chain Management (SCM) employees without following the correct procedures "reflects MAP16's failure to manage the municipality".

"Maluti-a-Phofung has been a joke under the MAP16 government. Unlawful decisions are being imposed to destabilise the running and provision of service delivery. The municipality is on the verge of total collapse due to a lack of competent leadership that can't provide clear direction and prioritise service delivery," Dlamini said.

According to him, the uncertainty caused by the municipality's illegal blockage of the municipal workers' access to the municipal premises led to an urgent meeting of all parties' whips and the following agreement:

- The promotion of SCM employees will be investigated. Pending the outcome of the investigation, promotions and adjustments of salaries must be stopped, and all adjusted money must be recovered within 30 days.

- The review of the municipal organogram should be speeded up and finalised by 31 May 2023 or earlier, to be approved together with the 2023/24 budget.

- Immediate withdrawal of armed security forces brandishing artillery or weapons at the municipal premises.

- Legality and validity of the appointment of armed private security will be investigated in terms of Section 32 of the Municipal Finance Management Act.

- MAP whips will secure a meeting with the board of directors of MAP Water to solve chaotic situations at the entity that are exacerbated by the continued sabotage of water supply to the community.

Speaking to OFM News this morning, MAP16's spokesperson, Mutlanyana Sekete, responded to the ANC's accusations by saying "the municipality is seen as dysfunctional today because the very same employees that are called incompetent are the ones that were employed by the ANC itself."

Sekete said: "We are currently working on fixing the damage that was caused by the ANC. By the time we took leadership last year after the local elections, the municipality had already collapsed."

"The administration has done its duty by promoting those employees. No political interference is required since the council will sit to discuss this matter further."

Sekete said during the ANC's leadership term at the municipality, employees used to not get paid on time.

OFM News/Tumelo Khotha