Councillors squabble over free meals

MickeyD

MickeyD

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TO eat or not to eat? That was the big debate by Nelson Mandela Bay councillors yesterday as they discussed the municipality’s new plan to curb overspending and wasteful expenditure.

While the ANC maintained that an earlier council decision to serve refreshments at meetings should be upheld, the DA wants the municipality to implement an instruction from the national Treasury that no catering be provided at internal council meetings, workshops and retreats.

The Treasury instruction states that only city manager Mpilo Mbambisa has the power to give the go-ahead for catering at meetings.

This, along with other new austerity measures, was discussed at a municipal public accounts committee (MPAC) meeting yesterday.

According to the municipality’s new plan and cost containment measures, stricter controls will be put in place to limit the abuse of hired vehicles, domestic flights, overtime and the use of consultants.

It states that only tea, coffee and cooldrinks may be provided to the offices of the mayor, deputy mayor, chief whip, speaker and mayoral committee members, and that the cheapest brands should be supplied.

“These expenses must be incurred with the direct approval of the city manager and the availability of [a] budget having been considered by the chief financial officer.”

Yesterday, DA councillor Retief Odendaal wanted to know why food was provided at a meeting between councillors and the Eastern Cape MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Fikile Xasa, on Monday. “Why are we still making catering available? Why was catering made available at [Monday's] meeting with the MEC?

“I understand when there are high- profile politicians that we should provide refreshments, but we need to cut down on providing food at meetings,” Odendaal said.

This was disputed by ANC councillor Ncediso Captain, who said council had already taken a decision last year to provide food at meetings and workshops.

“There is a resolution that councillors must eat, and the DA decided that it did not want to eat.

“But at the workshop last week there were some DA councillors who were eating.

“There is no way that we can change that resolution. The DA lost that one and now they are trying to talk a lot,” Captain said.

MPAC chairman councillor Jimmy Tutu (ANC) said: “DA people are eating nationally and provincially, so I don’t know why they are starving the local contingents.”

Odendaal retorted that the party’s Bay caucus decided two years ago that none of its councillors would partake in the council lunches.

“I was not at the workshop … and if any of the DA councillors did eat, I will deal with it personally and put it out in a public space,” he said.

Councillor Dean Biddulph (DA) wanted to know if a council decision superceded an instruction from the Treasury.

Tutu said the MPAC did not have the powers to override a council decision.

At a council meeting in August last year, the ANC took a decision that catering services be provided at council meetings and that senior politicians’ and officials’ fridges be stocked with refreshments.
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– Rochelle de Kock
http://www.heraldlive.co.za/councillors-squabble-free-meals/
 
Shamepies. I feel for you guys.

NOT.

What's wrong with supplying your own food? Or are you really that miserly?
 
Wasn't there another thread where the MP's complain that they were getting fat because of the food given to them?

Guess they will have to make up their minds what they want. Get food and complain, don't get food and complain.
 
Or, we can chip in and force them to eat all the unhealthy food they want all day long - and get rid of the useless ones this way :p :D
 
Didn't see in the article but I remember them saying that the budget for these refreshments is like 1 mill a year.

Its so easy to trim the fat by culling stuff like that... I'm sure there are loads of other things like this.

Will also make the meetings shorter and more productive. Snacking is also terrible... and they get nice salaries, they can bring their own sarmies.
 
Wow, can't take free food away from councillors. For someone that had nothing before food is high on the needs hierarchy, it really shows their level of life priority, living from the hand to the mouth sort of attitude...shame. Maybe one day they will grow up...
 
DA people are eating nationally and provincially, so I don’t know why they are starving the local contingents
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lol... starving...lol. Eat at home, bring in your own food.. easy as that.
 
How many private companies serve lunch at meetings?

Why the fsck must these overeaten buffoons get more from my tax money than I am getting :mad:
 
can just imagine how big the catering contract is and what politician is fingering that pie.
 
Devill said:
How many private companies serve lunch at meetings?

Why the fsck must these overeaten buffoons get more from my tax money than I am getting :mad:
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I'm also getting more and more upset by the day.

akescpt said:
can just imagine how big the catering contract is and what politician is fingering that pie.
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Ditto... somebody is benefiting from this one way or the other...
 
This catered meeting nonsense just boggles my mind.

None of the meetings I go to within my company or with clients are ever catered for... You want food, you bring your own.
 
I wonder if the greedy ****s pay fringe benefit tax on food that is provided for them?
 
Pigs in a sty! O.I.N.K.

At a council meeting in August last year, the ANC took a decision that catering services be provided at council meetings and that senior politicians’ and officials’ fridges be stocked with refreshments.
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But how else will they get people to attend the meetings? :p
 
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