Broke EC municipality under fire for R13m bodyguards bill

THE Eastern Cape’s cash strapped Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality is paying almost R13 million for 13 bodyguards for its mayor, her deputy and speaker.

The payments are disclosed in the municipality’s latest annual report.

Mayor Princess Faku currently earns nearly R870 000 while speaker Humphrey Maxegwana earns about R701 000 a year.

The deputy mayor, who has aan annual salary of about R650 000, has not been filled since Faku vacated it last to become mayor.

According to the municipality’s financial statements, Faku, the deputy mayor and speaker each have full-time bodyguards and the cost of 13 bodyguards amounts to over R12.8m, which up from in about R12.1m in 2022.

Other in-kind benefits received by Faku, Maxegwana, chief whip Ntombizandile Mhlola and mayoral committee members who are full-time, include each being provided with an office and secretarial support at the cost of the council.

The cost of secretarial support is about R34.6m, an increase from R26.5m in 2022.

The housekeeper appointed to maintain the mayoral house costs the council R347 000, which shot up from R329 00 the previous financial year.

Faku, Maxegwana, and Mhlola also have access to council-owned vehicles for official duties, and repairs to the vehicles amounts to R382 100.

The municipality also incurred an amount of more than R4.5m for hired vehicles, up from R1.1m in 2022.

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs states that mayors, deputy mayors, speaker or whip are entitled to two bodyguards, and that deviations from this norm may only be based on the recommendations of the SA Police Service (SAPS).

All other councillors can have personal security subject to a threat and risk analysis conducted by the SAPS.

Councillors are provided with special risk insurance on residential property, to be limited to R1.5m, R750 000 for vehicles, while life and disability insurance cover is limited to two times their total remuneration package.

“Municipalities are required to take out risk insurance cover, to provide for an insurance cover, provided to a councillor, which covers the loss of or damage to a councillor’s personal immovable or moveable property and assets, excluding property used by such councillor for business purposes, as well as life and disability cover, for any loss or damage caused by riot, civil unrest, strike or public disorder.

”In the event where the residential property of a councillor was damaged or destroyed as a result of riot, civil unrest, strike or public disorder, the municipality may, subject to affordability, provide alternative accommodation to the affected councillor, for a period of not more than 30 days from the date of such an incident,” states the determination of upper limits of salaries, allowances and benefits of different members of municipal councils released in August last year.

A council may, on good cause, provide alternative accommodation for a further period not exceeding 30 days.

Full-time mayors have access to official accommodation and furniture where the property currently exists while all councillors are provided with a laptop or tablet.

Other tools of trade for councillors include postage costs, office telephone; and multi-digital office, facsimile, printer, photocopier and scanner but part-time councillors have access to them at the municipality’s offices.

Office space and furniture, parking bay, business cards, calculators, letterheads, stationery, toner cartridges; diaries and appropriate mobile technology and multi-digital office are also part of councillors’ perks.

These tools of trade apply to full-time councillors, part-time mayors, part-time deputy mayors, part-time speakers, part-time members of mayoral committee or members of executive committee, part-time chairpersons of oversight committees and whips.

Councillors may be paid a cellphone allowance not exceeding R3 600 per month in accordance with the applicable municipal council policy, and data bundles should not exceed R317 monthly.

Sue Bentley, DA caucus leader in the Buffalo City Metro, said as a matter of course, the party saw no real need for bodyguards or blue light brigades.

”However, we must bear in mind that some of our councillors have been subjected to threats to their person or family. So some form of protection may be necessary. However, the extent of that protection is another matter,” she said.

“Bentley said Faku is transported in an official vehicle (as was the deputy mayor at that time) and for the majority of the day there is little to no productive work for the drivers, who one must assume are also a form of protector.“

Maxegwana is also transported in an official vehicle.

”But in addition, there are the bodyguards. We do not know how many there are. We are told that the staff in the deputy mayor’s office work together with the staff in the mayor’s office and we assume something similar with the bodyguards,” she explained.

Bentley continued: “The main cost of these bodyguards must arise from overtime and perhaps a shift allowance. But the figure of R13m suggests that there must be anything from 10 to 15 of these officials. The need for that is not understood.”

She said the lack of transparency on matters such as this is concerning to the DA.

”We have at no time been informed of any threats to the mayor or speaker, and the provision is simply based on it being permitted in terms of the gazette, even if no threat has been made.

“While we accept the need for bodyguards where a credible threat exists, costs need to be contained and R13m certainly appears excessive,” Bentley added.

Buffalo City Metro spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya did not respond to requests for comment.

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