LOUIS TRICHARDT – Two items which were withdrawn from the agenda of the monthly town council meeting caused lively reaction last week.

One of the items was to have dealt with a stern directive from the MEC for Local Government and Housing that the Makhado Municipality must adhere to the Remuneration of the Public Office Bearers Act without deviation.

This directive deals, amongst other things, with the scheme whereby full-time councillors had been accorded financial assistance by the municipality to buy cars for themselves. In an official letter, the MEC instructed that those councillors should arrange financial assistance from the usual financial institutions.

In his directive the MEC warned that the municipality is in fact implementing double subsidisation by also allowing councillors to claim for kilometres travelled and warned that all benefits which are outside regulations should be terminated.

On the official council agenda it was stated that the recommendation of the Executive Committee on this issue would be put verbally during the meeting.

A stir was caused in the council when it was announced that the item dealing with Finances: Allowances and Benefits: Municipal Councillors: Directive: MEC for Local Government and Housing was being withdrawn from the agenda

The Speaker called for order when councillors obviously wanted to know more or were eager to express opinions on the matter.

The item also deals with the highly contentious decision made earlier by the council to continue with the payment of certain allowances and benefits to councillors, even after they had been advised by experts that such an action was not in order.

The council was called to order by the directive from the MEC who requested the council to terminate all benefits which are outside the official regulations.

The Speaker again called for order when councillors broke into a loud murmur.

When several councillors indicated that they wanted to discuss the matter in order to find out more the Speaker ruled them out of order and said: "The status quo remains. It is as before."

Councillors were obviously still not satisfied and the Speaker had to call for order once again.

When the mayor was approached after the meeting to find out what the 'status quo" in this instance entailed and whether this meant that they were ignoring the MEC's directive, he denied that this was the case. He said the matter was now between himself and the MEC, who would be requested to send the Director General of Local Government and Housing to explain the situation to the councillors.

Earlier, it was indicated on the agenda that the item pertaining to the tender for the electrification of Matshavhawe and Khunda villages had been withdrawn from discussion.

A councillor who insisted on being heard, caused a lighter moment in council when he indicated that he wanted to know the reason for the withdrawal.

"Is it because of what I know or because of what I do not know?" he enquired amidst hearty laughter.