Councillors squabble over free meals

TO eat or not to eat? That was the big debate by Nelson Mandela Bay councillors yesterday as they discussed the municipality's new plan to curb overspending and wasteful expenditure.

While the ANC maintained that an earlier council decision to serve refreshments at meetings should be upheld, the DA wants the municipality to implement an instruction from the national Treasury that no catering be provided at internal council meetings, workshops and retreats.

The Treasury instruction states that only city manager Mpilo Mbambisa has the power to give the go-ahead for catering at meetings.

This, along with other new austerity measures, was discussed at a municipal public accounts committee (MPAC) meeting yesterday.

According to the municipality's new plan and cost containment measures, stricter controls will be put in place to limit the abuse of hired vehicles, domestic flights, overtime and the use of consultants.

It states that only tea, coffee and cooldrinks may be provided to the offices of the mayor, deputy mayor, chief whip, speaker and mayoral committee members, and that the cheapest brands should be supplied.

"These expenses must be incurred with the direct approval of the city manager and the availability of [a] budget having been considered by the chief financial officer."

Yesterday, DA councillor Retief Odendaal wanted to know why food was provided at a meeting between councillors and the Eastern Cape MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Fikile Xasa, on Monday. "Why are we still making catering available? Why was catering made available at [Monday's] meeting with the MEC?

"I understand when there are high- profile politicians that we should provide refreshments, but we need to cut down on providing food at meetings," Odendaal said.

This was disputed by ANC councillor Ncediso Captain, who said council had already taken a decision last year to provide food at meetings and workshops.

"There is a resolution that councillors must eat, and the DA decided that it did not want to eat.

"But at the workshop last week there were some DA councillors who were eating.

"There is no way that we can change that resolution. The DA lost that one and now they are trying to talk a lot," Captain said.

MPAC chairman councillor Jimmy Tutu (ANC) said: "DA people are eating nationally and provincially, so I don't know why they are starving the local contingents."

Odendaal retorted that the party's Bay caucus decided two years ago that none of its councillors would partake in the council lunches.

"I was not at the workshop ... and if any of the DA councillors did eat, I will deal with it personally and put it out in a public space," he said.

Councillor Dean Biddulph (DA) wanted to know if a council decision superceded an instruction from the Treasury.

Tutu said the MPAC did not have the powers to override a council decision.

At a council meeting in August last year, the ANC took a decision that catering services be provided at council meetings and that senior politicians' and officials' fridges be stocked with refreshments. - Rochelle de Kock