PRESS RELEASE
This is our Tax Money
13 November 2006
The Executive Mayor, Cllr Amos Masondo, of the City of Johannesburg responded to questions asked in terms of the Standing Orders of Council in as far as the costs incurred by Council for the payment of consultants.
For the financial year ending June 2004 the amount was R170,766 million, for year ending June 2005 the amount was R156,303 million and for the financial year end June 2006 the amount was a staggering R173,390 million.
The largest spend was in Engineering consultants who received 22,7%, 28,5% and 27,8% respectively. Consultants in Town Planning were paid R4,462 million for the financial year ending June 2006.
Xavier Consultants were paid an amount of R30,054 million for their expertise regarding Operation Clean Audit and Operation Clean Audit Revenue. Q-Data was paid R11,958 million to maintain the Venus Financial System.
Councillor Rudi du Plooy of the Christian front (CF) expressed his concern at the expenditure. “It is a great pity that the City of Johannesburg is not able to recruit the levels of expertise needed to run the city and is then forced to spend more money on consultants.
“Unrealistic labour laws and ideological expectations of the ruling party are at the heart of this dilemma. What is needed in South Africa today is meritorious advancement in the workplace with no room for quotas or racial discrimination. We pay our taxes and therefore deserve to be recognised for our expertise and not for our race,” concluded Du Plooy.