WITH reference to "City boss crisis delays vital meeting" (February 6), it would appear that everyone involved in this fiasco regarding a manager for this metro is getting their knickers in a knot. The actual truth behind the fiasco is, to my mind and surely so to anybody with anything between their ears, rather simple facts of South African life.
We have, in government service, thousands upon thousands of "deployed cadres". We all know what they are, and there are, apparently, about 7000 of them in Port Elizabeth, with no one in charge.
It therefore stands to reason that this sort of scenario is absolute heaven for those with their eye on the public purse, via blatant open corruption and theft. I use the word "blatant" advisedly since it would appear to be so.
The metro is bankrupt yet can afford luxuries like international football, but cannot afford basic necessities of life for those thousands living in the poorer areas – simply because there are no controls as to where the citizens' contributions to the coffers end up. Certainly not where they are intended.
Without those controls, there cannot be. But that is exactly how those "deployed cadres" would wish it, it makes their thievery so much easier.
Hence the disaster that is the ANC in practise. No local financial management is exactly what they would wish to continue.
That is most certainly the impression that is being generated, government in total disarray.
Richard Burbidge, Port Elizabeth
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