Metro Police R99m overtime costs raise concerns

COUNCILLORS expressed concerns over the overtime expenses Metro Police officers have been racking up during a full council meeting on Monday.

The meeting’s agenda was to debate and vote on a special adjustment budget (SAB) that was brought by “unforeseen and unavoidable Covid-19 related expenditure.”

The SAB is funded by money repurposed from the city’s internal savings and several grants.

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On 30 March, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni signed an exemption allowing municipalities to pass SAB’s authrorising all emergency Covid-19 related expenditures before the end of the 2019/2020 financial year (30 June 2020). Councillor Jonathan Annipen, Minority

Front leader, described the Metro Police overtime bill “excessive”, saying the money eats away at a huge chunk of the city’s budget.

According to the SAB report, the city has incured R99 million in non-structured overtime by the Metro Police for the month of May.

The report states this is due increased compliance enforcement, roadblocks and the delay of filling in new posts.

Thabani Mthethwa, Democratic Alliance eThekwini Chief Whip, said he suspected there was an element of “looting” happening at Metro Police.

“The city needs to take a closer look, fully investigate and give us a breakdown of who requested what at Metro Police because it cannot be that every month Metro Police overspends and that expenditure is only with overtime,” he said.

However, Deputy Mayor, Belinda Scott praised the police and the city’s other front line workers and said many have contracted the Coronavirus as a result of their work.

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“Before you complain, place yourself in the shoes of our frontline staff, know the risk, show empathy to their plight,” she said.

Scott said due to high demand and scarce commodity, the city had to overpay for a lot of protective supplies and that a full internal audit will be underway for all expenditures against benchmark prices.

Scott also revealed that the city has increased its revenue collection to 78 per cent in May after dropping to a historic low of 56 per cent in April.

The budget also makes provision for a R43-million grant to keep operations running at Ushaka Marine World and cover the revenue shortfall due to the national lockdown.

The budget was passed overwhelmingly with 189 councillors voting in favour, none against and nine (all from the Economic Freedom Fighters) abstaining.

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