Cape Town - What was meant to be a council strategic session allegedly turned into a "mini holiday" for the lawmakers of Kannaland and their “cronies”.
During its yearly strategic session, held in November, the council paid close to R65 000 to the Mariott King George’s Protea Hotel, according to an invoice seen by Weekend Argus.
The session, held between November 11 to 13, was attended by 18 people, even though they only booked enough beds for 15.
The 18 consisted of four councillors, including mayor Jeffrey Donson, his deputy, Werner Meshoa, speaker Peter-George Rooi and Icosa member, Hyrin Ruiters.
Six municipal officials also attended the sessions, Weekend Argus understands.The other eight were allegedly girlfriends, friends and a driver.
Insiders say attendees were also able to claim for petrol for travelling more than 320 km from Ladismith to George and back.
The municipality’s two ANC councillors and one DA councillor were not in attendance.
“The alcohol was flowing, it was more like a year-end function than a strategic session. The music was pumping and they hardly ever worked,” said an insider.
Under normal circumstances, a council strategic session is held to discuss how the municipality can give impetus to the implementation of its policy priorities, programmes and project plans for the year ahead.
It’s also where the political figureheads discuss the adoption of a new strategic plan for the municipality to give the organisation a solid vision, mission, and key objectives and goals to achieve over the period.
They should also discuss the external social, economic and political environment and how emerging issues will impact the municipality’s strategic vision.
The senior management and the executive leadership of the municipality usually attend such sessions.
Up until today, no report regarding the session have been tabled in council.
Kannaland ANC councillor Leoni Stuurman said the trip was another example of waste of money for a municipality that faces challenges.
Former speaker Rodge Albertus said the money spent on the session was “an unforgivable” waste of public money.
“The spending of taxpayers’ money for Donson and his cronies to have a jol at some hotel is disgraceful, especially in light of the precarious financial position of the municipality.
“This type of disregard for prudent financial governance is entrenched within the Donson administration stretching back to the days of the Dekker Commission of Inquiry more than 20 years ago,” said Albertus.
Albertus added that Donson’s performance since being re-elected Kannaland mayor in October has been dismal, with basic service delivery grinding to a standstill.
This week more details around the money the municipality spent on communication’s expert, Drewan Baird also emerged.
Roughly R77 000 was spent on Baird’s services in the face of Kannaland’s serious financial difficulties which includes unfunded budgets, huge budget deficits and service delivery challenges.
The invoice, seen by the publication, was date-stamped November 9, two days before the council session commenced.
Weekend Argus reported last week that Donson allegedly hired Baird, whose bill was footed by the municipality, to clean up his image after his rape conviction surfaced.
In several invoices seen by Weekend Argus, Baird was paid to, among others, draft letters to the MEC for Local Government, Anton Bredell and to draft statements in response to media reports that adversely affected Donson’s tenure as mayor.
Baird said: “I was contracted to deliver certain services and that’s what I did.”
Weekend Argus also reported on the awarding of an irregular multimillion-rand contract to a consulting firm whose reports have since been deemed “useless”.
The company, known to the Weekend Argus, was reportedly granted the contract in a “hurry” before the November 2021 local government elections and within weeks of striking the deal “massive amounts of money was paid out”.
Weekend Argus