More councillors means more money

I’m wondering if I’ve lost the plot, but hoping this is not the case. We have been made aware, several times, that our esteemed president has 11 more cabinet ministers than the president of the United States, with only approximately ten percent of the population. In the SONA he mentioned that there would be some cutting back on expenses, which I would have thought should begin with some of his 35 ministers. However, this is not the main point of my letter.
Kwadukuza Municipality has announced there will be a further splitting of wards, which I believe will now number 29. Twenty-nine wards means 29 councillors to be paid salaries and expenses from our rates. The extra two councillors will cost in the region of R1 million (excluding expenses) per annum. This in spite of the fact that the existing councillors are not delivering to their various constituencies. Surely in the circumstances, and under President Zuma’s direction to reduce costs, the opposite should happen and these non-functioning councillors should be given larger wards to decrease the number needed. An increase in the number of people in each ward will make no difference as the councillors aren’t functioning anyway, but the money saved could be put to much better use. The only problem would be that the purpose of increasing the number of wards, which is obviously to split the local voters, would be defeated.
Time for us to wake up before we have no say at all in our local affairs.
PAM MILLS
Ballito