Independent skills audit of city workers is essential

IT CAN’T be that the ratepayers who contribute towards the salaries of municipal officials, especially DSW (Durban Solid Waste) employees, are held ransom to their demands while our community is waist-high in uncollected refuse bags.

It is blatantly obvious that management has failed to discipline its employees for a long time, and therefore these employees are taking advantage of the situation.

In order to find a solution, the present DSW management must be immediately removed and a capable management with proper skills, including HR and labour-law experience, be employed by following the correct HR recruitment process, not cadre deployment.

The SAPS and Crime Intelligence must also be brought in to counteract any form of intimidation and violent behaviour from these employees.

Those employees that are prepared to work normal shifts, with the occasional necessary overtime, should be kept in employment. Those employees that think overtime is a right, should be immediately removed through the correct disciplinary procedures

Obviously, there might be violent confrontation in the beginning, therefore the SAPS and all other law-enforcement agencies must be on board to arrest culprits, otherwise this is going to be an ongoing problem.

We are going to see ill-discipline across all municipal departments if drastic steps are not taken now.

The failure of the municipality to appoint proper, competent and skilled staff throughout its management structure is the major reason for lack of service delivery.

If every department adopts and implements these criteria, then and only then, will eThekwini be run like a well-oiled machine.

I was told that the municipality has about 28 000 staff to deliver services to residents and one does not have to be a rocket scientist to see that if all 28 000 staff added value to their positions, we would not be having major service-delivery issues.

My guess is that only about one third deserve a salary and the rest are probably political appointees that have no clue what is going on. An independent skills audit will tell us exactly if the ratepayers of eThekwini are receiving value for money.