A decision to change the Knysna municipality’s organigram to accommodate six new support staff for political bosses was the subject of fierce debate after the council meeting on Friday.
Opposition parties have labelled the move cadre deployment, while calling the process unlawful.
At the meeting, it was recommended that changes be made to the organigram to accommodate support services for political office bearers.
The recommendations were passed at the meeting.
The positions include a chief of staff, and public relations officer for mayor Aubrey Tshengwa, while deputy mayor Alberto Marbi gets a political adviser, head of office and personal assistant.
Speaker Mncedisi Skosana will also get a head of office.
The positions are expected to cost between R2.4m to R3m a year, according to the DA.
While the DA and Knysna Independent Movement (KIM) viewed it as wasteful expenditure, the new Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners (PBI), EFF and ANC have supported the move.
The DA-led coalition was booted out of power at a council meeting earlier in September.
This led to the ANC, working with the Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners, EFF and Patriotic Alliance, taking control of the city.
Finance and economy chair and ANC councillor Thando Matika said the change to the organigram was legal and essential.
“We have not appointed anyone as of yet because we are yet to advertise.
“The organigram structure allows for the political appointments to happen for political offices.
“Throughout the Garden Route, they are doing the exact same thing and I don’t understand why this is a big issue now.”
Asked if the municipality could afford the appointments, Matika said: “The only thing the municipality needs to do is collect enough revenue.
“Our first task as the municipality is to collect that revenue because we are owed about R433m.”
“It’s obvious that they were always going to complain but we are not doing anything illegal.”
Taking a swipe at the DA, Matika said: “The DA and KIM could not even appoint municipal managers, CFOs and other critical directors.”
PBI leader Virgil Gericke agreed with Matika.
“These appointments will assist the political executives to be more effective.
“Some of the responsibilities are being carried by them at the moment.
“This new government has its own mission, its own objectives and its own strategies and that is why we are adjusting our organigram to make service delivery more effective,” he said.
EFF Southern Cape spokesperson Luvo Dayimane said it could not be classified as wasteful expenditure when jobs were being created.
“The DA was in the municipality for months and it did not open up the new posts.
“That is not the problem of the new coalition,” he said.
Dayimane said they were not in the business of appeasing the opposition.
Patriotic Alliance national chair Marlon Daniels declined to comment.
KIM councillor Susan Campbell said there had never been a need for these posts before.
“The newly created posts would be laughable if the jobs are created for cadres.
“The entire process that was followed was not in compliance with the relevant legislation or guidelines.
“We will be writing to the speaker [Skosana], the acting municipal manager [Johannes Jonkers] and [local government] MEC Anton Bredell to provide them with an opportunity to ensure that the unlawful decision is set aside,” she said.
Knysna DA caucus leader Laveal Davis said even though regulations made provision for political office assistance, the amendments were a smack in the face of clean governance.
He said the community would be forced to foot the bill.
“In light of the above, the DA could not support these bloated costs for cadres and as a result voted against the proposed recommendations,” Davis said.
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