Watchdog politicians feel their hands are tied
Some Section 79 committees, formed to check whether the policies and projects of the City of Mbombela Local Municipality (CMLM) are implemented, met in early 2017 for the first time since the August elections.
MBOMBELA – Each department has such a committee, but opposition party politicians say it does not enable them to perform their watchdog function properly.
DA
“There is none and has never has been any accountability,” said Ms Sanley van der Merwe, DA whip in council.
“The new committees were only established in the second quarter of the financial year (October to December). If everything we have put forward from the committee processes is included in the reports, we will know if the system is working,” she said.
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Van der Merwe said it remains to be seen whether the nine oversight committees will be effective or not. The first feedback should be reported back to council at its next sitting.
Each Section 79 committee is chaired by an ANC councillor, since the ruling party is the ANC.
EFF
The EFF’s Mr Lucky Shongwe said he does not believe the oversight processes are working at all.
Whatever is discussed at those meetings comes there and dies. Issues brought to table should taken further, at least be presented and debated in the council meetings.
“It’s like we don’t have a municipality at all. How much longer will the excuse of the amalgamation of the two former municipalities be used for our problems?” he told Lowvelder.
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Freedom Front Plus
Mr Henk Cilliers of the Freedom Front Plus, said although he thinks council meetings are simply “a play for political points”, he feels the oversight committees provide a platform for councillors to ask tough questions.
In the Section 79 committee meetings, you are listened to and given a chance to speak. Whether it will be taken further from there, I do not know,” he said.
DA councillor, Ms Trudie Grové-Morgan, said if there was no oversight, councillors would not have time to scrutinise important reports because they are given the reports 24 hours before a council meeting.
She finds it frustrating if nothing is done when faults are found.
“You feel as if you are failing the ratepayers. It’s the municipal manager’s responsibility to penalise the (wrongdoer) after he gets the report,” Grové-Morgan said.
