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The easing of lockdown restrictions to level 4 from May 1 has given councillor a chance to meet and conclude important business linked to service delivery and finances, the Mogale City municipality in Krugersdorp said on Thursday morning.
Responding to the Freedom Front Plus’ concerns on Wednesday night that a planned council meeting might not comply with the national lockdown health and safety regulations, Lucky Sele, spokesperson for Mogale, said the national department of the cooperative governance and traditional affairs had, through its provincial counterpart, provided the green light for councils to meet during level 4 lockdown to deal with the adoption of local integrated development plans and budgets.
Read: Mogale City speaker calls urgent council meeting ‘to discuss salary increases’
Mogale City Local Municipality services the areas of Krugersdorp, Kagiso, Magaliesburg, Muldersdrift and the surrounding township, rural and informal settlements.
Sele dismissed the FF+’s contention that top of the agenda was to finalise salary increases for councillors.
“The item on upper limits is not necessarily to reach a decision on salary increases, but an enabler for councillors’ to contribute to the Covid-19 relief fund as Salga [the SA Local Government Association] exhorts councillors to use the increment towards the relief fund,” he said.
Preparations were in place to ensure the meeting would adhere to Covid-19 health and safety protocols and strict hygiene practices.
“Masks were delivered to all councillors, who are expected to arrive early for screening and testing; the municipal precinct and council venue have been sanitised and cleaned; each councillor has been allocated an individual table in accordance with social distancing and hand sanitiser will be provided,” Sele said.
Since the inception of the lockdown, the municipality had implemented regulations and directives to address, prevent and combat the spread of Covid-19, permitting only ward councillors – and assigned members of the mayoral committee – to perform essential services.
Sele said council meetings during the lockdown period were suspended.
“Level 4 of the lockdown prohibits gatherings, except at work and funerals. Part of the responsibility of councillors is decision-making and, as a collective, this is achieved through meetings,” he said.
He said Mangole had attempted to organise a virtual council sitting, but there were concerns, even after members were visited and instructed by IT officials.
On Wednesday night, the FF+ in the city were up in arms that the speaker of council, Noluthando Mangole, “wants to convene more than 77 councillors and other officials on Thursday morning to participate in a special council meeting to discuss councillors’ salary increases”.
FF+ councillor Tjaart Steenkamp said Mangole – despite the national state of disaster due to the Covid-19 coronavirus – had not advised on health and safety measures that had been put in place and had simply asked councillors to arrive early at the Centenary Hall in Krugersdorp, where city council meetings were traditionally held.
“Mangole’s actions are utterly irresponsible while the rest of the country is expected to comply with the regulations that were announced in terms of the Disaster Management Act. She has not announced any measures to ensure the safety of councillors,” Steenkamp said.
The second item for discussion on the agenda, he said, “is the election of a chairperson for the public municipal accounts committee after Bongani Nkosi from the IFP was appointed as a member of the mayoral committee”.
He said his party was not opposed to city councils functioning during lockdown, “but the national regulations must be adhered to” .
“Virtual meetings are now a common occurrence and technology is being successfully used on national and provincial levels,” he said.
“It is extremely insensitive to place on the agenda matters such as salary increases and the election of a new chairperson for a committee at a time when people are starving and many have lost their jobs,” he said.
The FF+ preferred to see Mangole reach out a helping hand to small- and medium-size enterprises to offer support to businesspeople at a time when many were forced to close their doors.
“Many enterprises have not been allowed to reopen and, as a result, the possibility exists that they might have to close down permanently,” he said.
Before the council meeting, the party wanted to know what Covid-19 regulations on hygiene would be implemented, Steenkamp said.
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