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If the catering costs for Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidential jet can be lavish, then surely the City of Johannesburg can spend more than R2 million on a year-end ceremony.

That can only be the reasoning of government cadres, who love squandering an already tight South African cash flow.

Jozi officials want to splurge a cool R2.6 million on a year-end event to be held on December 9 to honour City employees who have served 40 years or more. That’s nice and all, but the costs incurred are said to be inflated by as much as 766% for goods and services for the ceremony, with R40,000 for flowers thrown into the mix, along with R300,000 for jackets, R769,000 for watches and R171,000 for vague service fees.

Holy cash cow is right.

News24 reported that this goes against National Treasury cost containment regulations, with documents showing the reallocation of R2 million from the City’s locomotive savings to supplement the original council-approved budget.

City manager Floyd Brink was one of the officials who signed off the ceremony, despite legal advisor warnings that it went against cost containment measures relating to catering, “especially under the current financial climate”.

In response, Brink noted the relevant processes would be followed, the budget would be confirmed, compliance would be ensured, and they would engage with Metropolitan Trading Company (MTC) – an entity which provides IT services – about the management fee.

The City wishes to spoil its workers with lavish gifts, while the city declines further into a state of decay and disrepair and officials struggle to collect revenue. Buildings are rotting and occasionally catching fire, roads are riddled with potholes and sometimes explode, taps run dry thanks to ageing infrastructure, and crime is ever-abundant – and yet, spoil the riches.

MTC was contracted for events management in this case, according to a service delivery agreement between the group corporate and the shared services department (GCSS). MTC was responsible for the “procurement of corporate branding items and to provide catering and events management services for the City Group Long Service Awards Ceremony”.

It is strange that MTC’s services were enlisted because according to the entity’s website, it provides mostly technology-related services.

While the City has its own venues available for events, such as the Joburg Theatre, MTC invoiced the office R76 000 for a venue which, judging by the cost, promises to be grand, complete with R40 000 worth of fresh flower decorations and a R1 800 red carpet for guests to enter in style.

The 500 guests will be hosted by a R13 000 DJ on a R12 000 PA system, surrounded by R11 000 projector screens, according to the invoice, and they will have the option to take a fun photo beneath a R6 000 black and gold balloon photobooth.

They will be treated to breakfast, lunch and dessert, at a cost of R237 000, while those 112 employees worthy of recognition will receive a certificate in an A4 glass frame totalling R28 569.

It doesn’t stop there. The other 461 people will receive either a R3,000 watch or a R3,000 Balkan jacket, totalling more than R1.5 million.

These expenses do not even include the whopping R171,518 MTC invoiced for vague “event vendor management”, “project capital budgeting”, and “project contingency management”, which does not include R25,000 for its management fees.

Hahahaha. All we can do is laugh, right?

The City is justifying this freak spending as it “sends a positive message that hard work and dedication are appreciated and rewarded, which can boost overall morale and productivity within the workforce”.

The DA’s Nicci Rahn said the year-end ceremony underscored the importance of the motion set up to dissolve the Johannesburg council, with residents suffering, since funds could be better used on urgent repairs to the water and power grid in Jozi.

[source:news24]