The cash-strapped municipality wasn’t the only one in the red today. EFF PR councillors Mzwandile Qotoyi and Nomakhwezi Mtwa attended today’s Special Council Meeting at Makana Municipality in the party’s trademark red overalls.
The cash-strapped municipality wasn’t the only one in the red today. EFF PR councillors Mzwandile Qotoyi and Nomakhwezi Mtwa attended today’s Special Council Meeting at Makana Municipality in the party’s trademark red overalls.
Yandiswa Vara, speaking from her position as Council Speaker, was disapproving of the councillors’ dress.
“I’m a bit disturbed because it brings back memories of things I saw on TV,” she said.
She was referring to the State of the Nation address on 9 February during which EFF members in red were forcibly removed from Parliament. But she couldn’t do a Baleka Mbete, because there is no rule saying you can’t wear overalls in Council.
Or red. Which, incidentally, Vara herself was wearing.
Today’s Special Council Meeting was to pass the adjustment budget and appoint a new acting director for corporate and shared services.
However, the meeting included a closed discussion on an urgent confidential report.
It also saw the announcement by the Mayor that Makana’s entire EPWP allocation would be deployed to cleaning Grahamstown, and keeping it clean.
A useful feature in Council agendas over the past few months has been the inclusion of an explanation of the processes that are being dealt with in that meeting, along with a summary of the legislation.
According to this explanation, the Adjustment Budget “reaffirms the Municipality’s commitment to achieve the service delivery targets and performance indicators as reflected in the approved service delivery and budget implementation plan, considering the financial constraints currently being experienced”.
In her introduction, the Mayor Nomhle Gaga highlighted the fact that in the first six months of the year, the municipality has collected 82% of its revenue budget of R245 553 million.
At the same time, less than 50% of the capital expenditure budget had been utilised, which was compromising service delivery.
Gaga mentioned the Grahamstown Business Forum-driven strategic planning meeting last Thursday and said there would be a follow up on 15 and 16 March for the whole municipality.
One of the commitments made at the session was to keeping Grahamstown clean, and all those employed through the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) would be entirely focused on that goal.
Items where expenditure had been cut included catering; events, advertising and sponsorships; office furnishing; purchasing of newspapers and other publications for employees; travel and subsistence and legal costs.
Overtime had been reined in, according to Council documents, with planned overtime submitted to management for consideration on a monthly basis.
A notable change in the adjustment budget was the reduction of electricity income by R33 million – “for the purpose of aligning our tariffs with Nersa and also due to the implementation of time of use tariff”.
The total operating expenditure was adjusted downwards by R63 981m compared to the approved budget.
While wages and salaries swelled by R20 637, general expenditure was reduced downwards, particularly with electricity bulk purchases.
Notyawa fires first salvo over municipal manager post
Bound to confidentiality, councillors and officials would not disclose the subject of a closed discussion on an urgent confidential report in today’s Council meeting and by the time of publishing this piece, Grocott’s Mail had not yet received a reply to enquiries about the item from the municipality’s spokesperson.
However, given the timing, it is likely that the subject of the discussion was the lodging of papers in the high court in Grahamstown on Friday by former councillor Paul Notyawa.
In the documents, Notyawa says he was lawfully appointed in the post of municipal manager on 12 March 2015 and makes explosive claims of political interference by the ANC at regional, provincial and national level that prevented him from taking up the position.
Should his application to have Makana compelled to conclude a written employment contract with him prove successful, there would be considerable financial and other implications for the local municipality.
The respondents in the matter are listed as Makana Municipality, the MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs in the Eastern Cape, and former administrator in Makana Municipality, Pam Yako.
Yako is cited in her official capacity, with no relief being sought against her, “as she may have an interest in the matter”.
Grocott’s Mail will report further on this matter in our Friday 24 February print edition.
Reason for the red
Afterwards, Qotoyi told Grocott’s Mail: “There’s no rule and they want to make one – but it won’t be constitutional.
We should rather be focusing on community issues rather than how people are dressed.”
The EFF councillors have not worn the red overalls in previous Council meetings and the outfits of Qotoyi and Mtwa were evidently brand new, with Qotoyi’s gumboots clearly never having seen the mud they are designed for.
Why did they choose to wear the uniform today, Grocott’s Mail asked?
“Those who voted for us are the poorest of the poor,” Qotoyi said. “We want them to see that they are being represented here.
Besides, Qotoyi said, here in Makana, suits don’t make sense.
“This municipality is bankrupt,” he said. “Suits are for the wealthy. We are saying that we are all at the same level.”
Mtwa said it was unacceptable that the Speaker had criticised them for wearing workers’ uniforms.
“Then they are saying that what their own parents who are working in factories are wearing isn’t acceptable.
“No, we are going to wear our overalls every time,” Mtwa said.
