Mayor cancels R70 000 bash
2000-11-26 13:16
Phillip Nkosi
Piet Retief - A R70 000 bumper year-end party for local councillors
planned by high-flying Piet Retief mayor Andries Gamede for Sunday, has been called off.
The party, scheduled to take place at eThandakukhanya Stadium, caused
outrage among opposition politicians who saw it as a waste of taxpayers' money.
A curt two-sentence letter signed by the town's acting chief executive
officer, James Easton, confirmed last week that the party had been
cancelled. No reasons were given.
"I confirm that the above-mentioned function will no longer take place. This
function has been cancelled," said the letter.
Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor Rob Wilson, who severely criticised the
planned bash, welcomed the cancellation.
"We were considering taken legal steps to force the council to stop the
party. We regarded it as a waste of taxpayers' money," he said.
The R70 000 would have come from the mayor's contingency fund, which is
intended for emergencies and not for parties, Wilson added.
As a result of the cancellation, gospel singer Rebecca Malope lost out on a
R27 900 offer to perform at the party. It is not clear whether a deposit had
already been paid.
Among the extravagances planned for the party were R800 worth of flowers to
decorate the stage for the diminutive gospel singer.
Gamede, who is an African National Congress mayoral candidate in the coming
local elections, and a clique of VIPs would have been wined and dined to the
tune of R8 000 inside hired tents which would have cost R12 000.
The "masses", meanwhile, were going to be catered for at a cost of R10 000.
Gamede is the second Mpumalanga mayor to become embroiled this month in
controversy over throwing an elaborate bash, after the mayor of bankrupt
Bethal was criticised for hosting an exclusive party in honour of the
province's controversial director general, advocate Stanley Soko.
Gamede is also embroiled in a R500 000 lawsuit brought against him by Piet
Retief's former chief executive officer, Teddy Khoza.
Khoza was fired three months ago after being accused by Gamede of being a
"womaniser and drunkard who drinks in township shebeens".
Khoza is claiming the mayor was instrumental in his unfair dismissal.
He said he intended taking the matter to the Bargaining
Council in Middelburg in an effort to get a settlement. - African Eye News
Service
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