Sol budget unlawful – DA

WHILE the DA has claimed that the annual Sol Plaatje City Council’s budget is unlawful, the city council is set to go ahead with its implementation on July 1.

DA provincial leader Andrew Louw said yesterday the party was “celebrating its first victory in the war on power prices in Sol Plaatje”, after it had demanded that the illegal adoption of the municipal budget be declared null and void.

“Despite an objection from the executive mayor, Mangaliso Matika, the Speaker, Elizabeth Johnson, ruled in favour of the DA, confirming that the budget, as approved on May 31 was in fact unlawful. The Speaker postponed the meeting to June 20.”

After postponing the meeting, Johnson, together with councillors from the DA, left the chambers.

However, the meeting was constituted by the municipal manager and an acting Speaker was appointed. The remaining councillors dealt with the items on the agenda, which included a motion of no confidence in Johnson, which was passed by a majority vote.

The DA, however, is adamant that the budget approval meeting was not legitimate “as the meeting was not convened or attended by the Speaker, who was in fact available”.

“The meeting was irregularly presided over by an interim Speaker. The DA refused to attend the meeting of the 31st, due to this stark irregularity,” Louw said.

He added that it was increasingly clear that an ANC faction, led by Matika, was “doing its utmost to steamroll through the illegitimate budget that has many negative consequences for the people of Kimberley”.

“The DA urgently wants the matter, pertaining to the electricity fees, placed back on the table for proper discussion and consideration. This is because the DA never had the opportunity to properly examine the fee structure, despite having requested for the matter to be discussed.”

Louw stated further that the controversial restructuring of the electricity accessibility fee and the tariff increase had potentially dire repercussions for residents and business.

“While indigents will be exempt from the accessibility fee, the municipality is also a long way off from updating its indigent register to not only separate indigents from those who can pay but also from registering the growing number of indigent households as a result of increasing poverty levels,” Louw stated.

“The electricity restructuring comes on top of the already heavy taxation that residents face as a result of inflation, fuel increases and the 1% VAT increase. It needs to be carefully considered, given that it will place cash-strapped residents and businesses under even more pressure, further threatening economic growth in the city.”

Louw said his party refused to be made a spectator when the people were “taken for a ride by mayor Mangaliso Matika and his comrades”.

“The DA will challenge the process by which the ANC has so ruthlessly endorsed the budget and the electricity costs, which we fear will serve to fund the mayor’s extravagant lifestyle choices, including his ‘municipal’ house, furnishings and Q7.”

The DA, together with civil society and business, will march to the Sol Plaatje offices tomorrow, Louw said.

“Sol Plaatje has been hijacked. Sol Plaatje belongs to the people of Kimberley, not just to Matika’s ANC. The DA will fight to ensure that there is proper discussion, public participation and thoughtful consideration on all the consequences of the new budget, not least of all electricity fees.”

The municipal manager, Goolam Akharwaray, explained during yesterday’s debate on the legality of the budget meeting that the Speaker had called a meeting on May 30 to consider the budget. “This meeting was adjourned by the Speaker.”

He added that the whips of the various parties had asked him to give advice on the way forward because, in terms of the Municipal Structures Act, the budget needed to be approved on or before May 31.

“In terms of a ruling by the Appeal Court of South Africa, the municipal manager can call a council meeting.”

The meeting was attended by a majority of 36 councillors and an acting Speaker was appointed, who ruled that the adoption of the budget was an urgent matter.

“I am very satisfied that the budget was properly adopted,” Akharwaray added.