Impendle Local Municipality staff unpaid as financial crisis deepens
KZN Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi
Image: Supplied
THE dire financial situation in the Impendle Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal has reached a critical point as employees once again face salary delays.
The MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, is visiting the Impendle Local Municipality Offices on Wednesday to engage with leadership to restore stability and demand accountability.
This intervention comes after the municipality's failure to pay salaries for January.
Buthelezi’s concern stems from the municipality's severe financial distress, previously highlighted during similar crises that unfolded in May and December 2025.
"We sympathise deeply with the workers and their families who are once again facing uncertainty. It is unacceptable that the municipality has repeatedly failed to pay salaries on time since May 2025," said Buthelezi.
The fiscal health of the Impendle municipality paints a worrying picture; as of 31 December 2025, it recorded a mere R1.9 million in its bank accounts compared to R24 million in unspent conditional grants.
Consequently, the municipality cannot cash-back its grants, has incurred unauthorised expenditure, and is unable to service its debts or operational costs.
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) in KwaZulu-Natal has called for decisive action, urging Buthelezi to place the Impendle Local Municipality under administration and demanding the immediate resignation of the municipal manager.
They argue that non-payment constitutes a blatant violation of service conditions stipulated in workers’ contracts, which require pay to be disbursed on the 24th of every month.
"This inconsiderate and inhumane trait by the municipality started in April 2025. Workers’ contracts stipulate that they shall be paid on the 24th of every month. In the event of the 24th of every month falling into weekend, workers shall be paid on Friday prior to the 24th of the month.
"The municipal leadership have taken it upon themselves to alter payment dates, citing financial constraints. They have been providing workers with all sorts of excuses, that does not address the problem of late payments," said SAMWU KZN in a statement.
The union further revealed concerning practices of withholding payments to broader financial obligations, including SARS, medical aid funds, pension contributions, and personal policies such as funeral covers and investments.
"This has badly affected credit profile of workers, collapsed workers policies, suspension of medical aids, workers owing SARS, and severe debt at personal level. These acts of late salary payments and non-payment of third parties are detrimental to the well-being of workers," said SAMWU.
"It is against this background that SAMWU is calling for an immediate resignation of the Municipal Manager, and for the municipality to be put under administration. As SAMWU we are also gearing up for industrial action in the municipality in the event COGTA fails to act," said SAMWU.