ANC, DA feud over office space

TEMPERS recently flared between DA ward councillors of the Upper Highway area and Belinda Scott, finance committee chairman and ANC MPL, over the use of an office in the Sizakala Centre in Hillcrest.

The DA councillors have recently accused Scott of abusing municipal facilities at the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) meeting. According to Rick Crouch, DA Councillor for ward 10, the municipality granted Scott authorisation to use the office space as a constituency office in 2010, and she has never signed a lease or paid rent.

Crouch also alleged that Scott’s use of the office on a municipal building is not only against policy, but also illegal. “There is no policy within council which permits the leasing of premises to political parties or individuals in a municipal building. Offices in municipal buildings should only be rented to the councillors of the relevant ward, NPOs and NGOs,” said Crouch.

Scott was outraged and shocked by the DA’s allegations, and insisted that there is no policy preventing her from occupying the office space, and that the lease issues were linked to administrative errors within the municipality. “I am one of many MPL’s around the country and from various parties who have an office space in a municipal building. We occupy these offices, because we get government rates and because we offer free government services to the public. So, it also makes sense for us to set up offices where the public go,” said Scott.

Scott also insisted that she went through the official eThekwini channels to acquire the lease and enquired about the lease with deputy city manager of governance, Sipho Cele, on numerous occasions after she had not received an invoice.

Logie Naidoo, Speaker of eThekwini Municipality, said that the current constitution provides a cooperative cover between three spheres: national, provincial and government. Therefore, there is no law preventing a member of parliament from leasing an office in a municipal building.

“Scott has now regularised her occupation of the office by offering to pay back the outstanding rent and has signed a lease agreement,” said Naidoo.

Scott said, “This issue has been resolved. Why is it illegal for me to occupy an office in Hillcrest as a constituency office, but not other MPLs in rural African areas?”

According to Crouch, the lease signed by Scott is below market rate for a premises in Hillcrest, as she will only be paying approximately R1 000 per month. “My office in Gillitts has been leased for R7 000 per month. It costs rate payers, but occupying the office at the Sizakala Centre would be free,” said Crouch.