The Western Cape Government is taking Kannaland Municipal Council representatives and senior officials to task for their attempts to push through a raft of new “political” staff appointments as well as other potentially prejudicial and unlawful transactions.
The towns of Ladysmith, Zoar, Van Wyksdorp and
Calitzdorp fall under the municipality that is in the Central Karoo.
Western Cape Local Government, Environmental
Affairs and Development Planning MEC, Anton Bredell says the appointment of
political staff in the offices of the Speaker and Mayor, including an office
manager, a driver, a clerk, a ‘political support’ officer and ‘support staff’
is ‘’particularly reprehensible for a small municipality in a financial crisis
struggling to deliver services to the community and dealing with the economic
effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.’’
“There are ongoing efforts to push through a
contract with a private entity for the provision of electricity and water
services and infrastructure at a cost of hundreds of millions of rand that
would bind the Municipality for more than 25 years. This when National and
Provincial Treasury have advised the Municipality that they have not followed
due process nor ensured that the process followed was fair, transparent,
competitive and cost effective. It
appears that the project will come at a cost of R735 millon which is clearly
not affordable when the municipality’s entire available operating budget for
2020/21 is R174 million,” says Bredell.
“The latest conduct of the municipality is not
only unlawful, it also undermines the hard-won gains made by the Provincial
Government in respect of improving the Municipality’s financial stability and
sustainability since 2017. The financial recovery plan put in place for the
Municipality, introduced a cost effective and cost saving staffing structure
which is now being ignored. This smacks of jobs for pals and is simply
unacceptable,” Bredell added.
Done By: Mitchum George
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