By Luvuyo Mjekula and Asemahle Vumsindo
The Makana Local Municipality reported a number of positive service delivery-related outcomes, mostly from its Budget and Treasury Office (BTO), during a special council meeting at Settlers Monument yesterday (Thursday). Grocott’s Mail learned that the meeting was moved to a different venue due to renovations taking place at the City Hall. All councillors except those of Makana Citizens Front (MCF) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), attended the meeting. In his opening remarks, Council Speaker Mabuti Matyumza chastised the missing councillors. ANC councillor Andile Hoyi cited council legislation on do’s and don’ts when it comes to attendance of council meetings.
Meanwhile, the ruling ANC’s councillors and administration staff were at pains to present a positive outlook of the municipality’s finances at the meeting. They alluded to various negative reports in the media and social media. Late last night, municipal spokesperson Yoliswa Ramokolo released a media statement recounting the successes reported at the council meeting.
The Eskom debt relief
In the municipality’s media statement, the institution referred to the payment of Eskom account and debt relief. According to the report presented to council, the municipality was approved by the National Treasury for the Eskom Debt Write Off during the beginning of the current financial year, where Eskom was instructed to write off one third of the municipal debt to the value of R19,270,830.67. According to the report, the efforts and commitments made by the municipality showed it was catching up with the arrear payments where the municipality has made payments for this financial year up to May 2025 towards the Eskom Bulk account. “This proves that the account from July 2024 to April 2025 has been fully paid,” the municipality says in the statement. It goes on to say the report shows that during August and September, the municipality was paying far more than the monthly account to Eskom, with the amount of R33,220,281.73 during September, while the August account payable in September was R25,360,346,58. “The Council commended the work done by the Finance Department, encouraging efforts for revenue enhancement.”
The Sars debt
Another item on the agenda noted in the municipality’s media statement was the issue of the South African Revenue Services (Sars) debt. In July 2025 the Treasury Department notified the municipality that the Equitable Share would be withheld due to the municipality owing R3,7 million to Sars. The municipality lodged some objections for July 2023 to the amount of R1,276,496,04 and April 2024 with the amount of R3,134,701.80, both payable to Sars. The assessment made for July 2023 was revised and it was discovered that Sars actually owed the municipality R1,293,347.79. The April 2024 account is not finalised yet but all the documentation that Sars required was submitted, read the statement. From the original R901,129,80 issued by Sars, it is indicated that an amount of R237, 486.56 is still owed to the revenue service. The municipality submitted an objection to this but has not received a response yet. Negotiations with Sars are ongoing and communication was sent to National Treasury with proof of payment and bank statements where Sars has paid the municipality and the Equitable Share was subsequently paid to the municipality. “The Speaker of the Council, Cllr Mabuti Matyumza, commended the department for their effort and for not outsourcing the matter as they have saved a huge amount of money that would have gone to the service providers.”
Landfill site compliance order
In previous years, the municipality received a Compliance Court Order for its landfill site. The report on operations and management of the site being done in-house, was also tabled at Thursday’s council meeting. According to the municipality, the report showed remarkable work done thus far, with major projects completed and some in the process of being completed. To highlight a few, the boundary wall has been erected and the guard house completed, four municipal employees are placed at the site for waste screening and directing vehicles on where certain waste is to be disposed, the procurement of a TLB has been done as well as the placement of sign boards at the site. The department also has EPWP, CWP and municipal casual workers on the site to assist with collection of plastics and papers blown by the wind.
Overtime bill reduced
The meeting also noted the reduction on overtime paid to staff. The report spoke to overtime payment since the 2023/24 financial year. The acting chief financial officer confirmed that the municipality had initiated the cost-saving drive because it was paying between R1 million and R1.2 million each month for overtime, even while employees frequently lacked the necessary tools and vehicles to do their jobs. The largest contributors to the high cost of overtime were the service delivery departments. Councillors were presented with figures showing a dramatic reduction in spending. For the 2023/24 financial year, Engineering and Infrastructure Services accounted for a staggering R7.8 million in overtime, with Community Services adding another R4.5 million. However, by the 2024/25 period, spending was successfully curtailed across the board. The CFO said the reduction was achieved by encouraging staff to take time off instead of accepting overtime payment.
However, since staff generally do not welcome this time-off option, necessary work after hours has “mostly ceased”. This shift has resulted in noticeable service failures across the municipality: the Parks department is no longer trimming trees on Sundays, leading to overgrowth; stray animals are not be removed; and critical water deliveries are often confined to weekdays, even when serious plant breakdowns occur over the weekend. The Council noted that control over overtime remains weak, resting within individual directorates. Despite the service decline, the Council was informed that the millions saved from the reduced overtime were successfully reinvested. The municipality used the funds to procure necessary assets, including new vehicles, yellow fleet, water chemicals, and tools for roads repairs for the water, sanitation, and electricity departments.
