DA punished with 10% salary deductions for sabotaging ‘extravagant’ overseas trip

According to the DA, a Free State ANC speaker has sanctioned 10% salary deductions from their councillors’ salaries because they would not approve an “extravagant international trip” he was set to embark on.

The DA walked out of a meeting held by the Dihlabeng Local Municipality, effectively preventing the council from voting to approve a R400 000 international trip to Portugal and Switzerland for municipality speaker David Lengoabala as well as mayor Lindiwe Makhalema and other municipal officers.

This is the same mayor who came under fire earlier in the year when she insulted President Cyril Ramaphosa on a Facebook group, calling him a “sellout”. The group was closed, but had roughly 80 000 members at the time.

Makhalema survived a vote of no confidence following the incident.

READ MORE: ANC prepares to whip anti-Ramaphosa mayor into line

The DA say that, as punishment for scuppering Lengoabala’s attempts to go on the trip, they were informed they would be getting 10% salary deductions for walking out of the meeting.

They also say if they had not abandoned the meeting, which took place on July 23, and then another one on July 30, the ANC would have voted to let the councillor go on the trip.

According to a statement released by the party, the trip “does not serve the interests of the people and this expenditure is contrary to recommendations by national and provincial treasury of implementing cost-cutting measures on unnecessary expenditure in order to concentrate on the core business”.

The official reason for the trip is not known at this point.

The DA claim the proposed salary deduction is only “due to the unhappiness of council not approving the trip”, which they call “frivolous”.

They say they will get legal advice and attempt to force Lengoabala to pay the costs in his personal capacity.

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