Durban - The deputy mayor of eThekwini has lambasted Minister for Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa for attempts to waste taxpayers’ money on erecting flags when the people of South Africa languish in poverty without jobs and houses.
The chair of human settlements and infrastructure portfolio in the eThekwini Municipality, Philani Mavundla, was speaking on Thursday during a site visit where he inspected contractors repairing damage to a sewer in Riverhorse Valley and bridges at Umlazi, Durban, running into millions of rand.
Progress on repairs was under way as the contractors’ work began to contain air pollution and redirect the sewage leakage toward the Phoenix waste system after the deadly floods that destroyed infrastructure worth billions.
Asked about how he felt about Mthethwa’s plan to spend millions of rand on a flag when thousands of people were displaced after floods had wreaked havoc in KZN, Mavundla criticised the minister, saying he appeared not to care about the challenges faced by the people.
“This is a political question and will be handled as such. The erection of flags and the spending of millions of our money in such a manner is an indication of what the government has been doing for years. They spend hundreds of millions on unimportant things when people are suffering on the ground.
“This is precisely why my party, the ABC, has called for the Zulu nation to become an independent state so that we can save ourselves from this massive looting of resources. This will allow us to focus on bettering the lives of the people and not have to be subjected to flags and other useless things,” he said.
Following the public roars of disapproval of the planned costly flag, Mthethwa’s attempt to defend the flag failed as he succumbed to pressure and announced on Thursday that his department would waive the idea of erecting the flag.
Mthethwa’s chief of staff, JP Louw, said: “In upholding the ethos and inalienable rights of citizens to be heard, the minister has directed his department to review the process related to the monumental flag in its totality.”
Meanwhile, Mavundla said his priority was to put the people first and heal the wounds of injustices where the masses had been neglected by political leaders who continued to mismanage funds.
Daily News