KwaDukuza Municipality Rejects ANC Youth League’s “Ghost Worker” Allegations

A political storm has erupted in KwaDukuza after the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) publicly accused the municipality of being plagued by “ghost workers” and corrupt hiring practices. The municipality has now hit back, firmly rejecting the allegations as “unverified and potentially misleading.”

The spat began when the ANCYL’s General Gizenga Mpanza Region chairperson, Ndabenhle Mzoneli, leveled serious claims against the council. He alleged that some individuals were receiving salaries without working, pointing to one specific case in the corporate governance unit where an employee was allegedly paid for over five years without ever reporting for duty.

“This is a serious misuse of public funds and highlights weak financial control,” Mzoneli stated, framing it as part of a broader pattern of nepotism where friends and relatives are hired over qualified local youth.

Municipality Provides Point-by-Point Rebuttal

In a robust response, KwaDukuza municipal spokesperson Sifiso Zulu dismissed the claims, arguing that the Youth League had assumed guilt without offering the administration a right to reply.

Addressing the specific cases, Zulu provided clarifications:

• The “Ghost Worker”: The employee in question is “known to the municipality and was recruited through proper channels,” directly contradicting the allegation of a non-existent worker.

• The Project Management Unit Hire: The individual mentioned was a temporary contract worker hired to cover maternity leave and was later reappointed for a limited period, a move Zulu stated was in full compliance with HR policy.

Nepotism and EPWP Claims Addressed

The Youth League also accused the municipality of bypassing job advertisements to appoint connected individuals, and of misusing the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) to repeatedly benefit the same people.

The municipality denied both charges. Zulu stated that recruitment follows a clear, established policy that involves organized labour, and that only temporary posts may be filled without public advertising.

Regarding the EPWP, the municipality clarified that participants are paid a fixed stipend and cannot occupy permanent, high-paying roles, countering the implication that the program is a backdoor for permanent employment for a favored few.

“The municipality believes in merit-based hiring and qualifications are vetted before any appointment,” Zulu asserted.

Concluding its defense, the KwaDukuza municipality issued an open invitation, urging anyone with credible evidence of wrongdoing to formally submit it to the municipal manager for a proper investigation. The ball, for now, appears to be back in the accuser’s court.

{Source: Citizen}

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