PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Misiwe Mpahlwa, the former corporate services director who left Bitou Municipality in September last year, is still waiting for the payment of her performance bonus.
In pursuit of the payment of a 70% bonus, made in terms of a council resolution on 30 March, Mpahlwa has communicated with Bitou Mayor Dave Swart, Speaker Claude Terblanche and Municipal Manager Mbulelo Memani.
Mpahlwa has also written to Western Cape Minister Anton Bredell and the DA Federal Council leader Helen Zille, without success.
Mzu Mpahlwa, her husband, says the non-payment is politically motivated.
"It is to punish her for taking the municipality to the bargaining council," he said. The bargaining council ruled that Mpahlwa's dismissal was "substantively and procedurally unfair" and ordered Bitou Municipality to pay her compensation of R1 133 463.
Asked about the non-payment of the performance bonus, Memani told Knysna-Plett Herald he did not deal with Mzu Mpahlwa, as he was not an employee of the municipality. Mzu responded,
"It is not whether he deals with me or whether or not she has the municipal manager's email address." He said his wife had sent various emails and WhatsApp messages to Memani that were not replied to.
"She has now instructed her lawyer to send them a letter of demand for her performance bonus payment." On 9 May she communicated with Terblanche requesting his intervention, but she still has not been paid.
Mzu Mpahlwa again contacted Swart and said, "Mr Mayor, on 28 April you promised that the payment has been scheduled for the May pay run. "I just want to let you know that my wife's performance bonus has still not been paid by the municipality. Can you please ensure that she is paid what is due to her? What the municipality is doing to her is unfair."
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