LOUIS TRICHARDT – The luxury and very expensive foreign tours of councillors and directors of the Makhado Municipality is reason for concern. In a financial year, in which capital expenditure was reduced by R20 million, the Makhado Municipal Council voted to treat itself on yet another foreign joyride.

The opposition DA in a media statement expressed surprise at the way the mayor (presently on his second trip to China), under the heading: Official Announcements in Council could simply announce still another expensive tour to Gwanda.

"A fully researched and reasonably motivated item would have been expected to inform council of full details also about the costs to enable representatives to make an informed decision. It must now be assumed that the decision was already made beforehand and that Council served merely as a rubber stamp for this luxury tour paid by tax payers money."

The DA expressed concern that no mention was made in council of the costs.

"In a Financial Bookyear in which the capital budget of the municipality dropped from R50 million to R30 million, 32 councillors and seven members of the Executive Committee plus various highly paid directors can go on a luxury bus tour to Gwanda without any indication how the municipality's poor and rural people will benefit. Precious resources are allocated to luxury tours for councillors and officials.

"Two high profile tours are undertaken under these circumstances, while still nothing has come of Mr Mbeki's high profile promise of free basic services to the people. The Gwanda extravaganza (without any cost indication) will follow shortly after the third expensive trip to China, which the Municipal Manager now assure us will cost about R300 000.

"The DA is concerned that so little has been done to alleviate poverty and to fight the deadly HIV/AIDS disease. It seems as if this municipality tries its utmost to give councillors and highly paid officials a good time while they can, instead of dealing with the real issues," the statement reads.