Pretoria - Government authorities have gone silent on allegations that a municipality in Mpumalanga has spent more than R1 million renting a marquee tent to respond to hazardous weather conditions.
The Nkomazi Local Municipality reportedly forked out R40 000 for the tent, used as a disaster management centre at KaMhlushwa Stadium, near Malalane, after Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma declared a National State of Disaster following unstable weather conditions.
Ten people have lost their lives in Mpumalanga due to flooded rivers and bridges.
Member of the municipality, Nhlonipho Dlamini said they became concerned about the unwarranted expenditure and raised the matter with the mayor, Phindile Magagula.
“Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma declared a National State of Disaster after significant flooding so that an extensive and co-ordinated response could be put in place.
“People lost their lives in Mpumalanga and many families were left homeless; schools were disrupted, and medical facilities temporarily ceased operations. The municipality then set up a disaster centre at KaMhlushwa Stadium.
“However, it has since come to light that this facility was created to benefit cadres rather than those in need.
“This disaster centre came in the form of a marquee that was rented at R40 000 a day,” said Dlamini.
Dlamini, who is a DA councillor, said the tent came with 20 water boots, 20 leather safety boots, 20 reflector jackets, 300 lunch packs for damage assessors, 30 catering services, initial assessors and two VIP toilets.
“As the DA, we found that some of these items were unnecessary and expensive, however, hiring a marquee tent at R40 000 daily, while there are community halls was just irrational.
“During a general council telephone conference meeting on February 17, we raised our concerns with the executive mayor Phindile Magagula, who agreed that the marquee tent would be removed on February 19,” Dlamini said.
“Despite the mayor’s commitment, the marquee tent remained at the site for more than 15 days. Its rental cost and other items saw the municipality spend more than R1 million over a period of two weeks."
Grassroots Activism Forum spokesperson Kopano Dibakwane said corruption had become endemic in South African society.
“We recently learnt that about R1 billion is stolen from Eskom while we console ourselves in the dark due to load shedding. And we are told that people should be allowed to ‘eat a little’.
“At whose expense are these people eating? It is the poor grandmother looking after her orphaned children who is being eaten. It is the millions of unemployed youth who are being eaten while the top dogs are eating. Society needs to wake up, not in 2024, but right now,” Dibakwane said.
Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Mandla Msibi recently blamed “thugs” who sell stands in low-lying areas for the consequent damage done to homes due to the ongoing floods.
His departmental spokesperson Lindiwe Msibi did not respond to media questions she had asked to be sent via text. Nkomazi municipality’s spokesperson Cyril Ripinga did not respond to questions sent to him. His WhatsApp account indicated the messages had been read.
Pretoria News