Cash-strapped municipality defends spending R90,000 on fried chicken

The municipal manager of a cash-strapped municipality in the Eastern Cape‚ beset by power and water shortages‚ has defended spending R90‚000 on fried chicken after his appointment.

Carte Blanche on Sunday lifted the lid on the shocking lack of service delivery by Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality in the town of Komani‚ formerly Queenstown.

The heavily indebted municipality has resorted to selling off its assets‚ such as fire engines and road graders‚ to pay off some of its debts. Komani is littered with rubbish and its roads are full of potholes.

Records revealed that municipal manager Chris Magwangqana spent R90‚000 on “catering” – listed as KFC.

Presenter Derek Watts confronted Magwangqana about the poor state of the town. “On your list of priorities‚ it is more important to spend R90‚000 on fried chicken or clean up the town and the townships‚” he asked.

“The priorities of this municipality‚ they have been set. It’s the roads‚ electricity and cleanliness of the city‚” replied Magwangqana.

“But you haven’t answered the question‚” said Watts.

“If you compare to what we spend each month on cleaning the town and township‚ that R90‚000 is far less than what we spend‚” was the response.

The Daily Dispatch has previously reported on protest action by residents against the embattled municipality over poor service delivery.

The municipality oversees the towns of Komani‚ Tarkastad‚ Sterkstroom‚ Molteno‚ Hofmeyr and Whittlesea and is the product of an amalgamation of the former municipalities of Lukhanji‚ Nkwanca and Tsolwana after the local government elections in 2016.

In June‚ municipal assets including fire brigade vehicles and refuse trucks were auctioned due to debt of over R21-million owed to a contractor after the construction of a R21-million community hall in Sterkstroom in 2012.

Carte Blanche viewers voiced their anger on the state of Komani in a series of tweets.