THE DA staged a walkout during the March council meeting due to the announcement of the metro’s plans to spend billions on “cadre employment”.
It followed a discussion around the “highly controversial” Institutional Review, which will see 1 049 departmental jobs being created for cadres in the metro’s next financial year.
“Cadre deployment” is the systematic placement of party loyalists by the ANC into key positions of power, in this case managerial positions.
According to Eddie Taylor, DA shadow MMC for finance, the metro has plans to increase the number of its employees by over 8 400 in the coming years, an increase of 45 per cent. This Taylor said would cost ratepayers R2.5 billion a year.
“High on the list of new additions is an increase of 147 political appointments into the offices of the mayor, chief whip and speaker.”
DA caucus leader, Fortune Mahano, agreed there was an urgent need for job creation but in the same breath emphasised the worrisome fact that these employment positions were being filled at managerial level and in political offices, instead of service delivery departments within the municipality.
“It’s the unemployed residents the DA are most concerned about, as these residents continue to suffer through a lack of work opportunities. Unfortunately, their situation is set to get worse as inflationary increases in municipal charges will depress economic growth and job creation even further.
“The only winners out of this proposed extravagant increase in municipal expenditure are the new fat-cats who will occupy these extra posts.”
Taylor said the metro’s plans to make these political appointments into various offices was part of the ANC’s election campaign strategy at the expense of taxpayers.
“We see this as the creation of a war room for the ANC’s election campaign at the expense of the public; so much for their commitment to improving services and creating jobs for the unemployed in the city.”
