ANC wants answers over R7m payout
Cape Town - The ANC says it will seek legal advice on being muzzled from discussing the city council's secret approval of almost R7 million in golden handshakes for two of its top executives.
|||Cape Town - The ANC says it will seek legal advice on being muzzled from discussing the city council's secret approval of almost R7 million in golden handshakes for two of its top executives.
While the official reasons for the terminations are unknown, the cancellation of their contracts coincided with mayor Patricia de Lille's announcement on Wednesday of a major overhaul of the city council's top executive with new portfolios created for executive directors and council portfolio committees.
Service delivery would now be area-based and the number of directorates reduced from 11 to 10.
Following a closed-door discussion, it is understood the council has now severed ties with its executive director of compliance and auxiliary services Gerhard Ras and executive director of health, Ivan Bromfield.
Twice during Wednesday's full council meeting, ANC leader Xolani Sotashe requested the Speaker Dirk Smit to allow the item to be discussed in public, saying the information was already in the public domain.
The ACDP's Grant Haskin said it made no sense that the council could discuss the renewal of section 57 contracts in public, but not their termination.
But Smit refused the request, saying the council was not responsible for the public dissemination of the information and the item would remain confidential.
On Monday's open agenda were the yearly contract renewals of all executive directors including Ras and Bromfield, signed in June.
"This is a party that says they are transparent. This issue that they complain about the ANC keeping meetings private, it is the same thing they are doing here. Critical issues of the public interest are not being discussed for the public to know," Sotashe said after the meeting.
The EFF's Melikhaya Xego said the party would respect the council processes not to comment on the severance packages, but would definitely pronounce itself on the issue when permitted to do so.
Two city directors will possibly act in the terminated positions until December.
The new executive director posts will be advertised next week and the mayor will appoint the selection panels.
De Lille will also align her mayoral committee portfolios to the new structure before January 1 next year.
In her mayoral address, De Lille said the Organisation Development and Transformation Plan was needed to "reboot" the city government and to help in the strategic implementation of the city council's Integrated Development Plan.
According to the council's new structure, 10 executive directors will occupy the portfolios of:
* area-based service delivery;
* assets and facilities management;
* corporate services;
* directorate of the mayor;
* energy;
* finance;
* informal settlements, water and waste services;
* safety and security;
* social services;
* transport and urban development.
Council will receive a report and recommendation from the selection panel to make the new appointments.
The posts of executive director for city health, community services, energy, environment and spatial planning, human settlements, social development and early childhood development, tourism, events and economic development and transport commissioner, have been abolished.
lindsay.dentlinger@inl.co.za
Cape Argus