POLITICS

R8.1 million Mobale City council renovation stopped – DA

Party says previous administration drew up extravagant plans while Council could not actually afford it

DA saved Mogale City R8.1 million by  stopping wasteful council chamber renovations 

19 October 2016

The newly appointed DA-led council in Mogale City has rejected a plan drawn up by the previous administration for an R8.1-million upgrade of the Council Chamber. 

Apart from the fact that this plan was extravagant and Council could not afford it, Mogale City MMC for Corporate Services also raised a number of areas of concern within the quotation for the upgrade. These included R2-million for carpentry and chairs, R990 360.00 in professional fees and disbursements and R229 250.00 for unforeseen expenses. 

The DA’s swift action upon taking office to curb wasteful spending was the only way we were able to save the wasteful R8.1 million in unnecessary upgrades from being passed through council and being paid out. 

In the same way as the DA governs in Tshwane, where Mayor Msimanga has exposed an obscene R90 million corruption scandal around upgrades to the metro city hall, the same cannot and will not occur in the DA-led government in Mogale City.  

As a responsible government, we cannot approve this project when the current chamber could still be used effectively. I also believe that the municipality has far more productive ways to spend tax payer’s money” says Executive Mayor Lynn Pannall.  

Where the DA governs, we never forget who voted for us and we never forget who we serve. We are not perfect, and there are many things we’re working hard to be better at. But we know what we were hired to do, and we spend every single cent of public money on the people not on vanity projects. 

For the next 5 years, we are committed to being ruthless in ending buddy-politics and ensuring honest government where we govern. Everyone will have a fair chance under a DA government, and there will be a zero-tolerance approach to corruption, increased service delivery and job creation. South Africans deserve better and have voted for better. 

Issued by Refiloe Nt'sekhe, DA National Spokesperson, 19 October 2016