Service delivery or R90m festival

The ANC in Ekurhuleni is about to decide whether to spend R90-million on service delivery - or on a music festival.

The decision to fund a World of Music, Arts and Dance (Womad) festival has already been taken by the city's mayoral committee.

But the festival spending must still be tabled before the full council, on which the ANC is in the majority.

Municipal spokesman Themba Gadebe said yesterday that the Womad spending had not been approved by the council.

It is expected that when the recommendation is tabled the ruling party will use its majority to get it approved.

Independent Ratepayers' Association chairman and councillor Izak Berg said there could be no turning back because the mayoral committee had made its decision.

"The festival will run over three years and R90-million of ratepayers' hard-earned money would be spent to benefit only a few," he said.

"Here in Ekurhuleni we [have high] unemployment among the young but the mayor and his party would rather wine and dine on our hard-earned money than look at the real issues."

He said the money that would be spent on the festival would be drawn from the budgets of the sport and recreation, arts and culture, economic development, and communication departments.

"The council did not approve the matter ... The mayor and his committee approved it and brought it to a full council meeting to inform the councillors."

Berg said the finance department has brought a proposal to the council to borrow R1.1-billion.

"And yet they are prepared to spend R90-million on a festival like this over three years."

Ekurhuleni has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country.