THABA Chweu municipal offices in Mpumalanga remain closed after workers downed tools three weeks ago.
The workers are demanding the removal of the acting municipal manager appointed by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA).
Charlie Maphanga, the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) shop steward at Thaba Chweu Local Municipality, told Daily Sun the council had asked the MEC of CoGTA, Mandla Msibi, to second someone as they didn't agree with the notion.
"The person who was seconded is a former employee at the City of Mbombela. She was the CFO. On top of that, the second person is facing corruption charges in which she was found to have flouted the supply chain process to the amount of R213 million.
"From there, she resigned. Her resignation doesn't mean that she was exonerated from the charges. We don't believe such a person can be seconded in our municipality. We are still standing on the notion that the secondment they are bringing is to capture our municipalities," Maphanga said.
He said that all municipal managers in the Ehlanzeni region are former employees of the City of Mbombela, and they cannot allow that.
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Meanwhile, EFF councillor Jimmy Mosutho said the delays from the department are denying residents of the area service delivery.
"The community is affected to the core. They cannot even access our offices. There is no service delivery. The mayor doesn't have direction and is consulting from the upper structures. It looks like she is getting a different mandate, and that is why they don't have a direction of where they must go," he said.
DA councillor Comfort Sibiya, said there is a clear division between the office of the speaker and the mayor, alleging that ANC factional fights are negatively affecting service delivery.
Mpumalanga CoGTA spokeswoman, Lindiwe Msibi, said the department isn't happy about what is happening in Thaba Chweu.
She said discussions are ongoing with various partners to resolve this matter.
"The allegations that the seconded person is implicated in corruption are not true and are unfounded. The statement that the strike was caused by the secondment is misleading. When the secondment was done, the workers were already in the second week of the strike," Msibi said.
