Nelson Mandela Bay residents have criticised the municipality’s decision to spend R235,000 on a State of the Metro Address while communities continue to report water, electricity and sanitation problems.
The event was held in Despatch on Thursday evening and drew hundreds of guests. It was the metro’s first State of the Metro Address in more than a decade, according to SABC News.
Residents who spoke to the broadcaster said municipal resources should have been directed to service-delivery problems, including water and electricity interruptions and sewage spills.
Spending questioned
One resident said people in the area were relying on toilets that did not flush and raised safety concerns about facilities serving the community.
The R235,000 figure and residents’ criticism were reported by SABC News. EBNewsDaily had not obtained a municipal response to the criticism by Sunday evening.
The report did not provide a breakdown of the event’s costs or say which municipal budget line funded it.
The State of the Metro Address is used by the mayoral leadership to set out the municipality’s programme and priorities. The dispute in Despatch centres on the cost of staging the event while basic services remain under pressure.
