Council’s R1.2m flower bill smells of graft – DA

Eric Naki

A huge hoo-ha is brewing over the alleged unexplained expenditure of R1.2 million on flowers by the Ladybrand-based Mantsopa Local Municipality in the Free State.

The fact that the amount is reflected on the municipality’s financial statement, contained in its draft annual report for the 2015-16 financial year presented to council on January 30, raised the antennae of opposition councillors. They suspect financial mismanagement or corruption.

But Mantsopa municipality spokesperson Dumile Nana denied the council had bought any flowers. He said the amount is reflected on the financial statement as an assets disclosure and not expenditure. The DA refuted this, saying that on the actual statement the money spent is listed under general expenses.

Nana insisted there is no evidence in the municipal record of purchases of flowers. “We don’t have any project that needs us to buy flowers,” he said.

He said a recreational park built by the national department of environmental affairs to plant indigenous plants was handed over to the municipality and entered into its asset register, but it was not bought by the local authority. According to Nana, it was common practice for all assets to be entered into the municipal register after hand-over.

“We have serious service delivery matters to attend to as Mantsopa Municipality and we don’t deal with flowers. If you go to our bank account, there is no indication of any purchase of flowers,” Nana insisted.

But Tania Halse, DA councillor for the town of Ladybrand, said her party suspected corruption.

She claimed the environmental affairs department had no knowledge of any expenditure on flowers or trees whatsoever.

“The year before there was a zero expenditure under that programme, where does this one come from now all of sudden?” she said.

She has written to the chairperson of the municipal public accounts committee of Mantsopa Municipality, asking for the R1.2 million flower bill to be investigated.