The DA says the City’s VIP policy for politicians is adding an unnecessary cost to taxpayers who are struggling to receive proper services.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Johannesburg is furious about the mayor’s additional security needs as service delivery suffers.
Democratic Alliance (DA) caucus leader in Johannesburg Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku, says Dada Morero, the mayor of Johannesburg, should be ashamed of himself for having a controversial VIP policy for politicians in the Council while residents struggle with service delivery.
Kayser-Echeozonjoku was speaking outside the Johannesburg High Court on Friday where the DA was challenging the controversial policy that allows the mayor and other officials to have bodyguards and heightened security in violation of the allowable upper limits.
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The upper limits are part of the remuneration package for public office bearers.
“The mayor and his executive team should be ashamed of having this unlawful policy.
“Instead of rectifying it to be in line with the constitution, they chose to defend this unlawfulness in court at the expense of residents,” she said.
Everybody gets a bodyguard
Earlier this year, The Citizen reported that this policy had allowed the then-mayor Kabelo Gwamanda to drive around in a fleet of luxurious cars with at least 10 bodyguards.
The policy also saw some members of the mayoral committee having a high number of bodyguards ranging between two and five.
The policy also extended to some officials and chairpersons of committees.
“The MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) cautioned the City as early as February 2024 that they violated the Constitutional upper limits and the Municipal Systems Act.
“But even this did not stop the City from bringing this flawed policy to council,” she said.
Kayser-Echeozonjoku said the DA asked the court to to review the VIP policy to set it aside and declare it unlawful.
“We are also asking the court for the decision to pass it through council to be declared unlawful, unconstitutional, and invalid,” she said.
Judgement reserved in court
However, she said judgement in the matter was reserved on Friday.
“Judgement was reserved so the City can file an Affidavit with a risk assessment of security to which we can respond.”
She said she was confident the court will find the policy unlawful.
“Now with the landmark judgement a few days ago, we also need to start looking at whether this unlawfulness had led to useless, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure.
“And relevant officials and politicians must then also be personally held liable for the cost incurred to the residents of Johannesburg,” she said.
VIP policy inherited from the DA government in 2016
In a media statement earlier this year, the City said protection for the executive leadership in Johannesburg is not a new practice.
“It was introduced in its current form with the change of government in 2016. However, the extension of this service was done irregularly and without a policy, an anomaly the current policy seeks to ratify,” the statement said.
The City said the policy is to regularise and standardise the provision of protection services in compliance with relevant legislation and regulations.
“We are further concerned about the exaggerated numbers currently circulating in the public domain, which do not accurately reflect reality.”
According to the City, the policy stipulates that protection services are offered on an ad hoc basis, based on a threat risk assessment conducted by either the State Security Agency or the South African Police Services.
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