Durban - The Loeries - the premier award event for South Africa’s creative industry - is set to cost Durban R12.5 million over the next three years, much to the chagrin of opposition councillors.
On Tuesday they questioned the city’s priorities.
Known for its booze-fuelled parties and big spending advertising executives, the Loeries Creative Week was snatched away from Cape Town, which hosted the week-long event for the past two years.
It was awarded to Durban last year after a bidding process that included Johannesburg.
On Tuesday, a request to authorise funding for the event, which is scheduled for August 10-16, came before the eThekwini Municipality’s executive committee (Exco).
It angered members of the DA who said Exco had been turned into a “rubber stamping” body.
“Why are we here if this event has already been approved?” asked DA caucus leader, Zwakele Mncwango.
“The Loeries sent out a press release last year announcing that the event is coming to Durban and tickets are already on sale on their website.
“This just shows how we are being taken for granted as the executive and it seems we are just here to rubber stamp things,” he said.
Mncwango also questioned the high price the city was asked to fork out to host the event.
“This is a nice-to-have event, but it is not a must for the city. We have to ask ourselves (how) will it benefit the ordinary person of Durban, and those that live in poor areas.”
His colleague, Heinz de Boer, agreed.
“How do we explain to people battling to put food on the table that we are going to spend this amount of money on one event? I know it is all about marketing the city, but you cannot put publicity on bread and eat it,” he said.
City manager, S’bu Sithole, said the majority of funding would come from the provincial government.
Durban’s portion was the cost of hiring out the International Convention Centre for the week, he explained.
Answering Mncwango’s concerns about Exco being a rubber stamping body, Sithole said it was Durban KZN Convention Bureau - in which the city had a 30 percent stake - that bid for the event.
Despite winning, the city had yet to sign a contract with the Loeries, he said.
“So if Exco says no, then that is it.”
Deputy mayor, Nomvuso Shabalala, said the financial benefit to Durban hosting the event was enormous because the Loeries also attracted international visitors.
Council Speaker, Logie Naidoo, agreed, saying that when it was hosted in Cape Town, the city considered it the fourth most valuable event.
Funding for the event was approved by all the members of Exco, except the DA.
Daily News