KwaDukuza Municipality DA Councillor Tammy Colley writes:
In a meeting of the KwaDukuza municipality’s Exco, an item was presented requesting approval for the use of R185 000 to show appreciation to communities for partnering with and assisting the municipality to deliver services.
The programme is set to be rolled out between 13-16 February with activities such as pothole patching, streetlight repairs, verge maintenance, waste removal and storm water maintenance.
The programme will culminate with an awards function for 250 people. The itemised costs include decor, entertainment, red carpet, draping, awards, catering and hire of taxis.
While there is no doubt that public-private partnerships are an important part of governance, this so-called Masakhane Campaign is an insult to residents and ratepayers who are already paying for services they do not receive.
It is disingenuous of the municipality to think the public will buy into this supposed service delivery campaign when it is only taking place in four ANC wards.
We should see it for what it is, a veiled campaigning tool.
Unfortunately, the only political party represented in the Executive Council that voted against this squandering of public funds, was the Democratic Alliance.
These small programmes all add up to substantial amounts of public money being spent on events that do not improve the realities of the residents of KwaDukuza.
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