The eThekwini Municipality has defended its decision to hold a two-day budget planning meeting at a Drakensberg venue. | Independent Newspapers Archives
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The office of the mayor of the eThekwini Municipality has pushed back against a claim that the municipality is planning to spend ratepayers' money on a luxurious excursion.
In a statement, the leadership of the City rejected the characterisation of its strategic budget and performance review session as a "luxurious excursion."
On Sunday, the DA released a statement condemning the decision to take eThekwini councillors to a Drakensberg resort for a planning session, especially in light of the service delivery challenges that ratepayers are faced with.
The party strongly condemned the decision made by mayor Cyril Xaba and the municipality’s executive committee (Exco) to hold a two-day strategy and budget implementation session at what it called a “luxurious” location in the Drakensberg. The DA stated that it would not participate in the two-day session, adding that the decision is particularly concerning as the City faces mounting challenges, including poor service delivery.
In response, the City stated that, in its effort to enhance performance and improve accountability, the leadership decided to make accountability metrics a centrepiece in delivering quality service and improving responsiveness.
“Furthermore, it is customary for the municipality to convene such an important planning session at a venue where there will be minimal disruptions.
It added that the DA has participated in previous planning sessions, including the latest one held at Jozini Tiger Lodge and it was therefore surprising that they now believed this is fruitless expenditure.
"Among the issues to be addressed at the meeting are progress in the implementation of the Integrated Development Plan, municipal performance, audit outcomes, plans to address audit queries, revenue enhancement strategies, and budget performance” the municipality said.