Ratepayers outraged as eThekwini officials enjoy luxury of Drakensberg hotel
eThekwini Ratepayers Protest Movement is outraged that officials in the cash-strapped metro spent thousands on a three-night luxury stay at a Drakensberg hotel this week to conduct municipal business.
The movement’s chairperson, Asad Gaffar, said it was “shocking” that municipal officials had indicated that they could only work without distraction in the comfort of the Drakensberg resort.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in eThekwini’s caucus leader Thabani Mthethwa condemned the decision by mayor Cyril Xaba and the municipality’s executive committee to hold the strategy and budget implementation session at the Champagne Sports Resort, about 220km from Durban.
Mthethwa said the city had planned to take an estimated 40 officials to the event, which was held from 10 to 13 March, and that officials would also probably file claims for travelling expenses.
In addition, the city had hired a 16-seater minibus to transport some of the officials to the resort.
Standard advertised rates for guests at the Champagne Sports Resort are R2 980 a night per person for dinner bed and breakfast, which amounts to R8 940 a person for three days, totalling R357 600 for 40 people, without the cost of a conference room, refreshments and lunch.
The city, while refusing to say how much it had paid for the three-night jaunt, said it was a “blatant lie” that it had cost that much, as it had obtained a “conference package” from the venue.
Mthethwa said that incurring expenses for a luxury hotel stay was unacceptable, given the city’s financial problems.
“This as the city faces mounting challenges, including poor service delivery. This extravagant spending of ratepayers’ money is disgraceful,” he said.
“At a time when eThekwini residents are struggling with the failures of this administration, ranging from inconsistent water and electricity provision to deteriorating infrastructure, the leadership has chosen to prioritise lavish retreats over addressing the real needs of the people.”
The DA had proposed that the meeting be held in a more cost-effective location in the city and the party had decided not to go on the “luxurious excursion”, he said.
Gaffar said that holding the meeting at a top hotel was just another example of city officials wasting taxpayers’ money.
“Obviously, we are not happy about it. It just goes to show you the unnecessary, fruitless and wasteful expenditure,” he said.
“The thing is, if you’re saying you need to [hold the meeting] with no interference, surely you can achieve that here in Durban, in any of your buildings? You don’t need to go to a top-class resort to do that.
“They’re just going to sit there. They won’t even put together a proper budget. They will just go and have a good time and enjoy the food — and we are paying for it.”
Xaba’s spokesperson, Mluleki Mntungwa, said the decision to hold the strategic budget and performance review session had been taken by the city’s executive committee.
“It is customary for the municipality to convene such an important planning session at a venue where there will be minimal disruptions,” Mntungwa said, but declined to respond to questions on how many people had attended the event and what the overall cost had been for ratepayers.
“This was a necessary meeting as it sought to address, among the issues, progress in the implementation of the integrated development plan, municipal performance, audit outcomes and plans to address audit queries, revenue enhancement strategies and budget performance.
“It is a blatant lie that the municipality paid this amount [R357 600] as we received a conference package, which is far below your stated amount,” he said.