THERE was some strong opposition to eThekwini’s council decision on Tuesday to merge the Finance and Procurement Committee with the Executive Committe. According to the city, the decision was made in a bid to ensure the effective use of public funds and enhance accountability.
The municipality said the merger would strengthen Mayor Zandile Gumede’s political oversight and guidance over the fiscal as well as financial affairs of the city.
“As Mayor of eThekwini, I am charged with the responsibility of monitoring and, to the extent provided by the Municipal Finance Management Act, overseeing the exercise of responsibilities assigned to the accounting officer and chief financial officer. These will be my tasks on a daily basis,” she said.
The Municipal Finance Management Act requires that Gumede take all reasonable steps to ensure that the municipality performs its constitutional and statutory functions within the limits of the city’s approved budget. Gumede’s role also includes providing political guidance over the budget process and the priorities that guide the preparation of a budget.
Gumede also chairs the Executive Committee where all reports pertaining to service delivery and the prudent use of public funds are presented before being tabled for adoption before council.
Clarifying the reason behind merging the Finance and Procurement Committee with the Executive Committee, Gumede stressed that the powers and functions assigned to the Mayor must be exercised by the Mayor in consultation with the Executive Committee.
“I cannot delegate the powers I have been given by the people of eThekwini to anyone else. I will be driving the process very closely to make sure that I deliver on the promises I made to the people of eThekwini,” said Gumede.
Gumede added that ratepayers should not be misled into believing that the Finance and Procurement Committee merging with Exco will perpetuate corruption when it will in fact ensure the prudent use of council funds. Deputy Mayor Fawzia Peer, who previously chaired the Finance and Procurement Committee, echoed Gumede’s sentiments adding that all committee reports were referred to Exco.
However, in a comment posted on his Facebook page, DA councillor Chris Pappas questioned the move. “This means that the responsibilities of a committee of 40 who oversaw the spending of city money has been handed over to 10 people. 6/10 of these people are ANC members, one of these people is the previous chair of the Finance committee who presided over more than R200 million in irregular and wasteful expenditure,” he said.
Councillor Peer however disagreed, saying the merger of the two committees would enhance accountability and transparency. “The Executive Committee will be central in ensuring the city once again achieves a clean audit. This will be a good platform to deliberate on all budget issues and supply chain management reports,” she said.
