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The eThekwini Metro Municipality’s decision to set aside R71 million for junior staff bonuses is absurd considering the laundry list of urgent interventions the city needs.

Not only is this decision shocking, but it is an insult to the people of eThekwini who continue to languish in substandard service delivery if the receive services at all.

April flood victims are yet to receive proper housing from the Municipality a full 8 months later while damaged infrastructure continues to contaminate our beaches and rivers with raw sewage.

In typical ANC fashion, the Metro has proclaimed its commitment to fixing infrastructure and rehabilitating the city from the floods and July unrests, however, the City leadership’s actual commitment is to self-enrichment.

To add insult to injury, eThekwini’s Council has recommended that the Executive Committee (ExCo) take out a R1.5 billion loan of which only R60 million is likely to be allocated to sanitation. A measly 4% allocation to address this ensuing crisis.

This development makes it even clearer why eThekwini needs new leadership. It is outrageous that bonuses are likely to end up costing R11 million more than that of fixing decrepit sanitation infrastructure in the city. 

ActionSA believes that the city did not plan their budget allocation appropriately, therefore, we recommend that city leaders go back to their drawing board and propose a more appropriate plan that will not only benefit a handful of city staff but will benefit the whole city.

It is an embarrassment that city leaders have failed to make sound decisions on pressing matters such as this, which speaks volumes of their prioritisation of issues. 

We believe that not a lot of thought has gone into making this decision, which is unfortunate for the people of eThekwini, as they have been failed once more.

ActionSA will continue to fight for the residents of eThekwini and stakeholders who have been affected by the wilful disregard of this ANC city government. 

76 DAYS ‘TILL COURT DATE 

Issued by ActionSA KwaZulu-Natal Chairperson Zwakele Mncwango