Commonwealth Games: DA reveals evidence of initial costs to EThekwini

15 March 2017

The Democratic Alliance can reveal that the City of EThekwini is at least R18 million down on the failed and collapsed Commonwealth Games 2022 bid.

This, in addition to the over R100 million wasted by SASCOC and Minister Fikile Mbalula on the bid, tells a tale of sheer ANC recklessness with our public money.

The initial cost evidence which the DA can reveal comes from a 2015 EThekwini full Council decision to spend millions on the bid. The DA is on record as the only party to have opposed this vote to spend millions of rands of EThekwini public money on a bid we could not afford.

This reckless waste of money has stolen services, houses and opportunities from our people.

The R18 million figure includes:

- R17,5 million on marketing materials for the bid,

- R500,000 on travel for lobbying meetings around the bid, and

- an undisclosed amount for the EThwkwini Mayor and two officials to attend the bid ceremony in London, England.

See minutes of the meeting here.

The R18 million from EThekwini is likely just the tip of the iceberg, and I have already called for a full investigation into this negligence and carelessness in blowing our money on a failed bid.

The EThekwini Municipal Public Accounts Committee must leave no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of the full cost wasted so blatantly by the ANC on the Commonwealth fiasco.

Issued by Zwakele Mncwango, DA KZN Leader, 15 March 2017