Germiston Council Chamber sound system caused frustration to the press and visitors, as it did not work properly during last week’s council meeting.
“Fix up so councillors can speak up”, was the DA’s reaction on this issue.
The problem started with the council meeting starting 45 minutes late because the microphones were not working. A scratching noise made hearing the person speak in the microphone impossible.
Because each meeting is recorded, metro officials had to make alternative plans to get the recordings of this meeting in the form of a revolving microphone and recorder.
DA Chief Whip, Andre du Plessis, said this incident did not strike trust into the hearts of residents of the metro when something as simple as a regularly planned meeting was unable to go ahead as scheduled.
He said some microphones have been problematic for some months, with several of them not working at all.
Du Plessis commended the ANC-led Council for arranging engineers to repair the system.
“However, a day before the meeting is too little too late because it does not allow time for a contingency plan if the problem is bigger than expected – as happened in this instance,” du Plessis said.
