The Labour Court has ruled against Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality in its attempt to overturn a bargaining council decision involving salary increases for municipal employees.
The judgment, delivered on 30 October 2026, concerns a 5.4% salary increase for the 2023/2024 financial year.
The municipality had applied for exemption from paying the increases, arguing that its financial situation made them unaffordable.
However, the court upheld the bargaining council’s decision to refuse the exemption.
The court did set aside a separate instruction requiring the municipality to adjust its budget to prioritise the salary increases.
The financial implications of the judgment remain unclear, particularly whether affected employees have received their increases and any outstanding backpay.
Komani News approached municipal spokesperson Lonwabo Kowa on Thursday, 5 November, to establish whether the municipality intends to appeal the ruling, whether a proposed settlement was finalised and whether employees have been paid.
The municipality was also asked to clarify the financial implications of the judgment.
At the time of publication, the municipality had not provided a response to these questions.
