Sport activities costs ratepayers

THABAZIMBI – The Democratic Alliance said in a press release that it is appalled by the recent decision of the Thabazimbi Municipal Council to allow 64 municipal employees to take part in sports activity during 5th – 13th September 2009 in Maputo, Mozambique at a total cost of R25 3000,00 to the taxpayers.
The DA says that as part of their oversight role, they have made a promise to monitor extravagant and wasteful expenditures by the municipality.
Not only does this wasteful expenditure occur when we are in the grips of economic recession but if effectively means that for the period that these municipal employees will be absent, there will be no proper service rendered to the people of Thabazimbi.
This shows how the ruling party pays lip service to the principle of putting the needs of the ordinary citizens first.
To put this in context, taken at the highest estimate of R40 000 to build 1 RDP house, the money used for these municipal employees could be used to build RDP houses for seven families. Alternatively at R300 for one person per household, it could be used to train 843 households in basic food gardens skills and get each of them the seeds to start their own food garden.
The Democratic Alliance will be submitting questions to establish whether it was at all necessary to take the entire team of 64 people to a foreign country when our province has a number of team building venues and sporting facilities.