The festival was pitched by the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture as a way to position the city as a tourism destination, and an opportunity to increase infrastructure and skills development. The announcement of the event’s proposal did not come without naysayers such as Coucillor Izak Berg, who strongly opposed the bid.
The councillor negated the pitch by stating that the R90 million to be spent over the next three years could be better utilised and the benefits created will only assist a select few. He also cast doubt on the wisdom of spending the R90 million on a festival, when the Finance Department of Ekurhuleni has requested to borrow R1,1 billion.
The matter was raised during the February general Council meeting, where it was delegated to an oversight committee. However, it was not forwarded to the council for approval. The event’s bid was approved by the mayoral committee, which effectively bypassed the views of the general council.
Ekurhuleni Municipality spokesperson Themba Gadebe stated that the issue has not been approved by Council and was referred back to the relevant committee. His statement was labelled as misleading by Cllr Berg, who drew attention to the minutiae of the Council’s functioning practices by stating that the Mayor and his Committee approved it and brought it to a full Council Meeting to inform Council not to request the Council’s consent.
