Management within the ambit of Elias Motsoaledi Local Council yet once again proved their lack of financial management and actually their ability to conduct sound financial management.
Instead of addressing their mandate of service delivery and using the allocated funds for that purpose it yet once again splurged, frittered, wasted, squandered, binged, wallowed, and luxuriated close on one million five hundred thousand Rand (R 1,5 million) without even having any quam as to how that money could have been better spent on actually addressing their allocated mandate.
Council some time ago entered into a contract with Vodacom for a fixed period to supply its 62 councillors with cell-phones, airtime and date on a monthly basis at approximately R 2 000 per month per councillor – total cost R 124 000 per month.At this point in time a full year of the contract still enforceable by the service provider.
Council yet in its wisdom, or is it again some sinister, corrupt or ex-gratia situation now decided to cancel the contract with Vodacom and entered into a new contract with MTN to provide the service to its Councillors.Having however prematurely breached their contract with Vodacom it still being liable for the remaining period of the contract (one year) which cost extrapolate to R 1 488 million over the year that remains valid as per the contract.
And the most ironic part of it all is that as it would be paying Vodacom monthly for the next twelve months, even Councillors now longer serving in Council would enjoy the benefit of being supplied with airtime and date, all due and thanks to the courtesy of Council whom in its wisdom couldn’t realise the consequences of its actions at the time of cancelling the Vodacom contract.
What is more than clear in this instance, is that yet despite the fact that it is currently under investigation for its lack of financial management by the Special Investigations Unit it just couldn’t stop HABIT!
Management have become so blasé, nonchalant, unmoved, unconcerned, carefree, and laid back in its methodology of financial management and for that matter sound financial management that irrespective of the sword of Damocles’ that is hanging over the head of the Mayor and the Municipal Manager in respect of their management of the financial affairs of Council, HABIT persists and maybe all because they know their time is limited within Council.
Maybe this is a last effort to cash in and at least ensure some kind of income while they are unemployment in the ex-gratia payment that they must have received for this unorthodox decision at the detriment of those that it is supposed to serve.
For the Mayor to daily want to faint and the Municipal Manager being absent from duty will not make the problem go away – sorry Me Mayor and Municipal Manager – You were both the architects of the situation that now prevails (R 113 million later) and for that exact reason you will be held accountable and have to face the full might of the law.
As Bolsheviks Party we can’t in any way condone this action and vehemently oppose the decision taken.
A decision taken at the detriment of those that it is supposed to serve and for that the public need to be informed as to what the consequences are of exactly those that they decided to vote back in power.