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Ethekwini Metropolitan Municipality has come out guns blazing in response to attacks on its R1.74 City Stars Awards, which it says are aimed at rewarding hard working employees. The awards were announced on Tuesday.
The DA in Ethekwini has, however, slammed this decision by the ANC-EFF coalition to approve the proposal by Durban's governance and international relations committee and have lambasted it for wasting taxpayer's money. It issued a statement condemning the municipality for splashing so much money on the event scheduled to he held next month at a date still to be announced.
Municipal spokesperson Gugu Sisilana told City Press that the City Stars Awards ceremony was not a “bash”, but an event "aimed at boosting staff morale and improving service delivery" as members of the public would form part of the nomination process.
“Similar awards ceremonies are also held in provincial government, so this is not a new phenomenon. Research finds that the simple act of acknowledging achievement is a major boost for employee morale and performance. And that’s why employee recognition is so critical,” added Sisilana.
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She explained that during the executive committee meeting earlier this month, the DA dissented on this matter. Other political parties supported it, reiterating their positive impact and noting that "the actual costs will be informed by the final logistics in this regard".
“The IFP cited the importance of reflecting on financial implications to get comfort that a budget is available for this event. Accordingly, the DA (3) dissented, with the ANC; EFF (1); IFP (1); and National Freedom Party (1) being in support of the recommendation. Therefore, the statement is incorrect that this is an ANC-EFF coalition decision," noted Sisilana.
Asked whether the expenditure was irregular and where the budget would be sourced from, Sisilana said that the R1.74 million, was not an expense as the budget was from the corporate and human capital cluster, which was responsible for skills development, performance management, staff retention and improving human capital in the municipality.
What is being celebrated?
The DA said in a statement that over the last two years, it had been vocal about how the ANC had blown R1.06 million on 36 similar parties. “The big question is, with everything that is going wrong in the city, what exactly are they celebrating?
The DA also questioned the purpose of the celebration while the municipality was collapsing before “our very eyes, we should not have to thank people for doing their job, especially very well-paid civil servants”.
The party highlighted that the beneficiaries of the lavish event would be receiving certificates and photos valued at R150 000 while most of the R1.55 million budget would go to the service providers.
“At least R900 000 is earmarked for 'venue hire and catering' for the 200 guests that will be invited, totalling R4 500 a head for the bash. This is more than dinner at the most expensive five-star hotel in Durban."
The DA said it would be approaching the offices of the Public Protector and Auditor-General office with the "hopes of sanctioning this crass and grotesque waste of money".
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Sisilana insisted that the City Stars awards would recognise and reward eThekwini Municipal employees for their outstanding performance and contribution to service delivery.
"Employees are nominated by fellow colleagues and members of the public. The finalists chosen by the judges will be rewarded with prizes at an awards ceremony at the lnkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre. An independent adjudicating committee will be responsible for the final adjudication of all nominations coming from different clusters. Initiatives aimed at enhancing service delivery are not a slap on ratepayer’s face because where there are service delivery lapses consequence management is implemented against those officials," said Sisilana.
She added that the executive committee of the municipality supported the event, pointing out it would boost employee morale and translate into improved service delivery. The awards will focus on key elements, including efficiency displayed in customer service; improved performance outcomes; and costs savings during service delivery, among other things.
