In a statement from, The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Thabo Mofutsanyane District Municipality has discovered with shock that Mayor Malefu Vilakazi spent over R1m for Mayoral Christmas celebrations.
This amount was amongst the reported bank withdraws at a recent Thabo Mofutsanyane District Municipality council meeting.
It was duly reported to council that the money was spend as follows:
Ø About 3000 toys worth R50 each were purchased for a Mayoral Imbozo dated 15th till the 17th December.
Ø A swimming pool and jumping castles were also hired for R113 100.
Ø The sound systems hired over Christmas cost R439 855.
Ø Catering during this period was R434 101.
Ø Transport added R R194 000.
For her part, Cllr Alison Oates said that although South Africa was not in a hard lock down over Christmas, how children practiced social distancing in a swimming pool or jumping castle is not immediately obvious.
The Council Chief Whip, Councillor Seipati Mbiwe excused this largess on the tax payer’s money by saying that it was budgeted for, thus acceptable. It is hard to see where Christmas parties fit into the District municipalities mandate of “Continually improving and developing living conditions of our communities by providing efficient and effective bulk services and create a conducive environment for business opportunities and Job creation,” said Cllr Alison Oates.
“Even if the Executive Mayor believed that Christmas largess to vulnerable children was in her remit, Thabo Mofutsanyane area has a great shortage of children’s homes which are all are severely underfunded. There are, as far as can be determined, no shelters for battered women, whose numbers, as statistics regrettably report, have probably increased during lock down. Surely these needs could have been helped, far more effectively,” she continued.
It is really hard to believe that a R1m Christmas celebration was anything more than an attempt for the Mayor to enhance her status amongst a select few. The massive cost of sound systems is also very questionable. Could there be other reasons to curry favour with such companies?
“The Executive Mayor holds one of the most senior positions in the regional ANC structures.
The DA in the District Municipality has repeatedly questioned the Mayor’s enthusiasm for bussing residents to a central location, addressing them with an expensive sound system and providing them with a meal. However, this R1m Christmas celebration takes the (Marie Antoinette) cake,” she concluded.