Over the last four years, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has incurred R126 909 447 in legal expenses, through litigation and legal opinion, with R56 313 963 incurred over the last financial year alone.
Executive Mayor Athol Trollip says; “I believe this to be wasteful and entirely unnecessary, especially given this Metro’s vast service delivery backlog.
“Going forward, every proposed legal expense will be scrutinised by myself and the Acting City Manager and will only be signed off if deemed to be absolutely crucial and necessary.
“The Municipality’s Legal Sub-Directorate will be reviewed and capacitated, where necessary, to ensure that all legal services are insourced, except where specialist opinion or litigation is required.
“This administration is committed to doing everything by the book. Thus, we will no longer spend taxpayers’ money defending indefensible maladministration and corruption. By stopping corruption and operating within the law, we will avoid unnecessary and expensive legal battles, which have been the hallmark of our predecessors.
“We cannot outsource the work of this government as has been done at enormous expense in almost every directorate for the last 22 years. This Municipality’s budget must be spent on the people we serve, the residents of the Bay, by delivering better services and creating jobs through economic growth.
“I am determined to save as close to R100 million as possible in my first 100 days in office and this new sign-off procedure for legal consultants will go a long way to achieving this.”
NMB Communications
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