DURBAN - THE ANC in eThekwini has shut down those who were raising complaints about the municipality spending R1.7 million on a three-day youth employment seminar.
Funding for the event was approved at a full council meeting last week, and it will be hosted in May this year.
A report on the matter stated that eThekwini Youth Employability Indaba will be held from May 26 to 28 in partnership with the interested units within eThekwini Municipality, the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (ICC) and the Maritime Cluster.
When the matter initially came up last month, opposition party councillors had complained that the R1.7 million set to be spent was excessive, and the programme had no quantifiable value when it came to tackling youth unemployment in the city.
The ANC councillors defended the spending on the indaba and said the expenditure was not a waste of money as the bulk of the funds would go to the Durban ICC, which was a municipal entity.
The council has also committed to producing a report on the impact of the indaba after its completion.
EFF councillor Vukani Ndlovu said the municipality should focus on service delivery and come up with better ways to address youth unemployment.
He also questioned how many job opportunities or business opportunities had been created from such events.
Patrick Pillay of the DLC said they supported the programme but were concerned about the cost saying it must be further curtailed.
But ANC councillor Nkosenhle Madlala said the bulk of the money would be spent on the ICC, a municipal entity.
“This is a flagship intervention programme, as the ANC we support all initiatives that seek to address the crisis of youth unemployment, “ he said.
Madlala said this is just one of many intervention strategies and practical steps that the party was taking to address the issue of youth unemployment.