Stop the doubt

AT THE top of the list of 43 promises eThekwini’s mayor, Zandile Gumede, made at her inauguration last week was to “commit to work with our people, opposition parties, the government, business and civil society to realise the vision of our great city”.

It did not take long for the mayor to give voters, ratepayers and everyone else interested in the city’s governance, reason to doubt her goodwill and sincerity to the goals.

The decision to scrap the finance and procurement committees and concentrate their functions on the municipality executive committee made up exclusively of the majority party in the council, gives reason for concern. The effect is that councillors who do not sit on the executive committee will only hear for the first time how council intends to spend some of its money is when they are required to rubber-stamp the exco decision.

It is no smear on the integrity of the committee members – led by Gumede and made up of her deputy, Fawzia Peer, who will head community emergency services, Speaker Lekgwa Mapena and chief whip Nelly Nyanisa, Barbara Fontein (governance committee), Zamazulu Sokhabase (community service, youth and women), Sipho Kaunda (economic development) and Mondli Mthembu – to insist that a committee as integral to giving ratepayers the feel that their rates are used properly be made more transparent.

The integrity of these councillors notwithstanding, the city does have a less than stellar record in managing finance and procurement processes.

The Mercury and other media have reported on many such cases, including our recent stories where an audit firm showed how the city had paid out more than once for the same work or had work done at egregiously inflated costs.

That is why it is critical that the city demonstrates its stated commitment to working with other political parties where it truly matters. One way of making this committee accessible is to open its workings to the scrutiny of as wide a range of councillors representing the various constituencies as possible.

We appeal to the mayor to reconsider her decision and reinstitute the committee as has been the case previously.

If she does not, then the majority party in council must take the blame if some take its commitment to work with other parties and stakeholders – and more crucially, its commitment to clean governance – with more than just a pinch of salt.