Planned Joburg Council meeting a waste of residents funds

28 October 2021  

Note to Editors: A soundbite by Sabelo Chalufu, ActionSA Joburg Media Manager, is available here. Please click the link to download the content.

ActionSA notes with concern that, in a move straight out of the handbook on wasting residents' funds, the Speaker of the Joburg Council, Cllr Vasco Da Gama, has called a Council Meeting for this Thursday, 02 December 2021, to deal with essentially one item – the rendering of  Acceptance Speech By the Executive Mayor after her election this past Monday.

It is imprudent and fiscally irresponsible to hold what is clearly a Special Council Meeting, at great expense to the resident, for the sole of purpose of the delivery of a speech. This is especially so in light of the fact that there is another Council meeting scheduled for 09 December 2021, exactly one week later.

The Council agreed at its Inaugural Meeting to hold over the speech to its next meeting. This was due to councillors needing to leave the inaugural meeting venue timeously so as to not fall foul of the looming curfew on the night of the Mayor’s election.

No reasonable person would have interpreted that agreement to suggest that a Special Meeting ought to be called. There is no pressing need for the speech to be delivered at an expensive special meeting.

I have this morning written to the Speaker, recommending that he avert the wastage of resident’s funds by cancelling this meeting, and instead place the item on the agenda for the scheduled 09 December meeting.

In my letter, I have further reminded the Speaker that, in a climate of scarce public resources, it is us political leaders who must model proper financial management. We must ensure that we utilise the limited public funds available in the most efficient manner. The era of wastage is over.

As public leaders, we cannot expect residents to bear with government as it struggles to deliver services due to limited funds, but then turn around and waste those same limited funds at the first opportunity. ActionSA will not allow it.

Issued by Herman Mashaba, ActionSA President, 28 November 2021