DA MAYORAL candidate for Johannsburg, Herman Mashaba has lambasted City of Joburg Mayor Parks Tau for wasteful expenditure.
According to Mashaba, the City, under the leadership of Tau has spent R13.8 million on advertising itself between April and May. The mayoral hopeful feels that the money should have been directed elsewhere in the city. “This represents R13.8 million of lost opportunity to create jobs in a time of crisis for the youth of the city.”
Breaking down how the money was spent, Mashaba revealed that R4.7 million was spent on advertising the State of the City Address, R3.2 million was spent on the budget speech and R1.1 million spent on an advertising campaign after credit-rating agency, Moody’s, had upgraded Johannesburg city.
Mashaba further stated that 65 percent of the money spent was for advertising the mayor himself and some of the City officials, such as the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Finance, Geoffrey Makhubo.
Mashaba accused Tau of using the City’s resources as an attempt to hijack democracy by trying to influence how people would vote in the upcoming local government elections. “This is a blatant example of the ANC using State funds – the people’s money – to advertise itself under the guise of City advertising.”
Mashaba made this statement noting that the City’s advertising has dramatically risen in the run-up to the elections.
The mayoral hopeful vowed to prioritise creating jobs and rendering better services to the residents of Johannesburg should his party win the metro on 3 August. “I will not use money in this abusive manner,” he concluded.
Following Mashaba’s address and revelations on what he said was fruitless expenditure of City money, James Selfe, who is a Member of Parliament spoke on how his party planned to ensure that money would no longer be misused in this manner.
Selfe said the DA will table a Free and Fair Elections Private Member’s Bill in the National Assembly to prevent abuse of State resources for party political campaigning.
“This bill seeks to strengthen the Electoral Act and allow for the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to comprehensively fulfill its constitutional mandate to carry out free and fair elections,” explained Selfe.
