DA objects to number of delegates off to Finland

A delegation of eight councillors and officials from Polokwane Municipality is expected to depart for Finland and the Netherlands on a technical tour to build capacity required to drive the institution’s interventions in the current and future water and sanitation challenges despite attempts by Democratic Alliance (DA) caucus leader in council, Frank Haas to limit the number of participants.
This follows after a heated debate in Friday’s special council meeting wherein the African National Congress (ANC) and the DA could not reach agreement on the size of the delegation and the matter had to be taken to a vote.
It was then resolved that four councillors and four officials, one of them being Municipal Manager, Dikgape Makobe should visit the city of Mikkeli in Finland as well as a waste water treatment plant in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Council noted that the size of the delegation was in conflict with National Treasury’s recently promulgated cost saving measures but resolved to approach National Treasury to allow a delegation of eight persons, opposed to the maximum of three permitted by the regulations.
According to the report, this is the second visit to Finland during the last year. During March, a delegation comprising of member of the Mayoral Committee for Water and Sanitation, William Kganyago and two officials from the Water and Sanitation Section also visited Finland and returned with a proposal that the operations in Finland justify a further visit. Kganyago will again be a member of the delegation on account of his previous experience as an official of the Department of Water and Sanitation and his position as member of the relevant portfolio committee, Makobe explained at a media briefing after the council meeting. The four officials were not part of the first delegation.
According to the report before council, the focus of the technical tour will inter alia be to learn how the City of Mikkeli is managing its waste water treatment works including amongst others effluent quality and water reclamation processes back to potable water standards, how technology is employed in their waste water treatment works, how Mikkeli is managing its public private partnerships and skills development and how sludge is handled and disposed to farmers. The delegation will also learn from the Netherlands how to deal with sludge treatment at the Nereda plant.
Details of the cost involved in the tour could not be provided as yet. “The cost will only be determined once the travel and accommodation arrangements are finalised but it will be in accordance with the cost saving measures. No business class travel will be allowed,” Makobe assured. Makobe also confirmed that adequate funds have been budgeted for.

Story: BARRY VILJOEN
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