The City of uMhlathuze full council has received and noted the detailed report on the COVID-19 expenditure that has recently been misconceived by members of the public.
On its full seating today as well as the earlier seating of the Executive Committee, a detailed report was tabled clarifying that the actual City of uMhlathuze COVID-19 expenditure amounts to R21,6 million as opposed to the R89 million that was peddled by rumour mongers and opposition parties wanting to deliberately mislead members of the public and taint the image of the City and its credible leadership.
The City of uMhlathuze was listed as a second big spender in the COVID-19 related expenditure because of its thorough reporting of its financial expenditure during the COVID-19 period according to the stipulated National Treasury reporting template whereas, other municipalities only reported on items such as PPE, sanitisers, masks and other related COVID-19 items.
Council appreciated the fact that the Sum of R89 million is a reflection of the total spending of the municipality that it would have spent event if there was no COVID-19 and the total amount of R21,6 million is an actual expenditure related to COVID-19 direct spend.
Council noted that on direct COVID-19 expenditure, the report detailed all amounts in relation to services procured and all the service providers and the amounts as it was procured in line with the Supply Chain Management Policy (SCM), Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) and circulars 100, 101 and 102 of the National Treasury issued during the beginning of COVID-19 regulations.
The report covered costs such as water provision through water tankers in areas that does not have reticulation such as wards 31, 32 and 33 and parts of Madlankala, support with 200 static tanks by National and Provincial Cogta which required to be filled on daily basis, employee-related costs including overtime incurred, sanitisation of taxi ranks and public facilities, security, provision for homeless people at City halls and all costs related to that, public information activities and statutory public engagements through media and awareness campaigns.
In a meeting by the Executive Committee held on the 30th September 2020, it was resolved that the report of the expenditure incurred during the National Lockdown period 27 March to 31 August 2020 be re-submitted to include a detailed breakdown, which necessitated that it also be tabled in the Finance Portfolio Committee and subsequently to the Exco and full council today.
“The detailed report of Covid-19 expenditure adopted by Council today is an indication that the City spending during the Covid-19 National Lockdown was according to the stipulated prescripts and in line with all regulation. The adopted report is a public information and we are hoping that we will not experience the unfortunate scenario of some people wanting to twist the facts and mislead communities for their own self-interest reasons,” said the Municipal Manager Mr Lulamile Mapholoba.
