Durban — ActionSA and the Westville Ratepayers’ Association held a protest march to hand over a list of grievances to the Durban International Convention Centre (ICC) management, accusing the ICC of colluding with eThekwini Municipality.
This was when they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to host a Women’s Month Launch event, but instead used the ratepayers’ money towards the Women’s League elective conference.
The march was held at the corner of Bram Fischer Road and Samora Machel Street on Thursday.
This comes after the ICC and eThekwini Municipality allegedly signed an MOU to pay for the hosting of the Women’s Month Launch event, which ActionSA described as the use of the residents’ money towards the hosting of the Women’s League elective conference that was held at the Durban ICC from August 4 till the 7.
ActionSA KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Zwakele Mncwango said that ActionSA was aware that in that MOU, the City committed to paying R5 089 781.90 towards their Woman’s Month Launch event in August.
“On 18 October during a finance portfolio committee meeting, City mayor Mxolisi Thomas Kaunda confirmed that the City had signed the MOU to host this event, but further said that the event was later cancelled.
“ActionSA is also aware that the ICC invoiced the eThekwini Municipality an amount of R4 794 824.21 after the ANC Women's League conference. If the mayor’s stance can be true that the event was cancelled, then why did the ICC invoice eThekwini Municipality?”
Mncwango further alleged that the ICC criminally invoiced the City for the Women’s Month Launch event, knowing very well that such an event did not take place.
“We believe that the ICC has not done its due diligence in this matter, and may be withholding vital information that could crack this matter wide open,” Mncwango stressed.
He added that it was high time that there was transparency from the ICC detailing exactly what transpired during the drawing up of the MOU, which led to the municipality being invoiced R4.7 million.
“It is public knowledge that the ANCWL conference was hosted at the ICC from the 4th through to August 7. Therefore, we call on you to take the public into your confidence by:
- Publicising the MOU between the ICC and the ANC if it does exist.
- After the venue had been booked by the municipality to host their Women’s Month Launch programme, how did the ICC allow the ANCWL to make use of the venue that was scheduled to be used by the municipality?
- At what stage was the CEO and the board chairperson made aware that the eThekwini Women’s Month Launch that was meant to have been hosted at the venue, was turned into the ANCWL conference?
- Knowing that the municipality’s event did not take place as planned, but was replaced by the ANCWL conference, did the CEO report this to the relevant authorities?
Mncwango further said given the seriousness of these criminal actions, as ActionSA they recommended:
- That the ICC invoices the ANC an amount of R4 794 824.21;
- That the chairperson of the board and the CEO immediately report this criminal act to the SAPS within seven days, and open a case of intention to steal public funds, and detail all that truly transpired during the agreement stages, leading up to invoicing of eThekwini Municipality in this regard.
The eThekwini Municipality said it wished to place on record that the frivolous allegations about the City paying for the African National Congress Women’s League conference held at the Durban ICC in August were devoid of truth or facts.
Durban ICC’s operations executive, Mncedisi Dlamini, who accepted the list of grievances, declined to declined to comment referring the media to his communications unit.
EThekwini Municipality Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda challenged the opposition to produce proof to support these malicious and unfounded allegations, describing it as a desperate attempt to grab the headlines.
“The municipality does not get involved in the arrangement of logistics and venue hire bookings on behalf of political parties. It is deeply concerning when councillors from opposition parties, who are public representatives and should be leading with honesty and integrity, deliberately distort information and peddle propaganda without any shred of evidence. Public representatives should know better than to peddle gossip,” said Kaunda.
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