Date:
18 November 2013
Headline:
Metro pays for ANC items
News Article:
The Herald
By:
Michael Kimberly and Nwabisa Makunga
Nearly R300 000 spent on party T-shirts, election posters, flyers
THE Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has footed the bill for almost R300 000 worth
of ANCmerchandise, including T-shirts, election posters, flyers, funeral programmes,
placards and lanyards.
Invoices from Port Elizabeth printing company Goshawk Litho, which The Herald has
seen, show senior officials ordered at least R278 000 worth ofANC paraphernalia
between 2008 and 2011.
On Friday, ANC regional secretary Zandisile Qupe insisted that not one cent of
municipal money was used to pay for ANC merchandise.
The city also “categorically denied having used municipal funds for any party
political propaganda”.
Municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said almost all of the items were for funerals
of ANCstruggle stalwarts and community leaders, and that the metro was
unapologetic for financially assisting the families.
However, one of the largest orders dates back to 2010 when municipal product
development coordinator Basil de Lange requested 2 145 yellow ANC T-shirts at a
cost of R70 785.
Attached to the invoices were different T-shirt designs with specifics on colours,
slogans andANC branding.
De Lange also put through three more orders for ANC posters and flyers, totalling
R28 000.
A handful of the 2010 invoices show the ANCYouth League ordered conference
reports for R12 800, notepads branded with the league’s logo for R4 400 and lanyards
at a cost of R2 720.
Mayor’s office director Roelf Basson orderedANC-branded T-shirts, golf shirts,
pouch cards and lanyards worth R29 225 in four months in 2010.
Businesswoman Traci Mackie, who is contracted to The Herald as an editorial
consultant, ordered 1 500 ANC A4 funeral programmes for R3 750 about three years
ago.
Mackie said: “I can only presume that the invoice is linked to the passing of late Aunt
Dixie Mhlaba in January 2010.
“I have been a family friend of the Mhlabas for many years and was requested by the
printer to supply a photograph and information about her for an obituary.
“I can only presume that is perhaps why the name ‘Tracy’ and my telephone number
ended up being scribbled on the printer’s invoice.
“I was not party to any agreements between the printer or [the municipality],” she
said.
The invoices show that more than 7 000 posters were printed, some of which were
laminated, featuring the face of President Jacob Zuma with the ANC logo and the
party’s slogan, “ANC lives, ANC leads”.
Other posters carried the message “Welcome Cde President”.
The rest of the orders were for posters ofANC candidates for by-elections in 2009,
funeral programmes and banners. Several other invoices did not state what the orders
were for.
Goshawk managing director Grant Benyon said the firm had done work for the
municipality until January this year. This included printing official municipal items as
well as those with ANCbranding. He did not realise there was anything inappropriate
about the deal as he had been instructed by the municipality.
“I honestly did not give it a second thought. I know that our metro is
an ANC metro and I thought its work runs through the municipality and that [the
printing] had to be done.”
Benyon said the municipality had racked up a bill of more than R900 000, of which it
had paid only R450 000 in 2010. Several attempts to obtain payment of the balance
had failed.
Mniki said: “Almost all of these [invoices] relate to funerals, memorial services and
tributes to heroes and stalwarts and community leaders.
“In these instances where we have funded programmes, posters, banners and other
material for such funerals, memorial services and struggle icons’ honouring events,
upon which appeared the logos of the ANC, SACP, Cosatu, Sanco, DA, or any other
political party, we do not apologise.
“In fact, it borders on disrespect to the families and organisations of those people to
have to justify the municipality’s spending on them.
“We wish to emphasise that the municipality understands its responsibility and the
work that needs to be done to honour our struggle heroes and build a united Nelson
Mandela Bay community,” Mniki said.
Qupe said: “The ANC follows its policy of procurement where we have three quotes.
That is dealt with by our administration office. The material is printed and paid for by
the ANC.”
He admitted that “as politicians, we are not hands-on in procurement”.
“We only say what we want and our administration staff deal with it and report back
to our treasurer’s office and finance committee.
“It is not true that the municipality pays forANC material. We use our own funds,
even election posters we pay for ourselves,” Qupe said.
The Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) in Grahamstown said Bay
officials could be in breach of multiple sections of the Municipal Finance
Management Act, Municipal Systems Act and Prevention and Combating of Corrupt
Activities Act.
PSAM local government researcher Thabani Mdlongwa said: “Given the poor service
delivery in the city, it is unacceptable that a large amount of public money has been
used to fund material for a political party.”
He said the allegations warranted prompt disciplinary action against the implicated
officials.
Bay Ratepayers’ Association chairman Kobus Gerber, who gave the invoices to The
Herald, said: “These officials abused their position. They need to be exposed and held
accountable for their actions.”