A Buffalo City Metro council meeting collapsed on Wednesday after a heated debate erupted over an attempt to spend millions of ratepayers’ money on an upcoming boxing tournament.
At the centre of the controversy is former ANC Youth League provincial chairman Ayanda Matiti’s Xaba Boxing Promotions outfit, which was earmarked for a R3.4m handout from the BCM coffers.
The metro’s sports sponsorship committee granted the same company R399,000 for an event that was held on June 17. The committee is allowed to approve funding under R400,000. Any funding above that needs council approval.
The R3.4m was recommended for the upcoming “5th Annual celebrations of Madiba as a Boxer” tournament in the name of Nelson Mandela.
The event is scheduled for Friday in East London.
Matiti had requested R10m from the metro, but the report tabled before council yesterday recommended that the company be granted R3.4m.
Chaos erupted in the council chamber after ANC councillors supported the move to grant Matiti the millions.
In supporting the move, ANC ward 11 councillor Mashwabada Gcilishe stated: “In principle the ANC caucus accepts the recommendation, approves the recommendation subject to the legal scrutiny by our legal unit.
“If there are positive results after that process – which should not take long – then it should be processed as such. Xaba Boxing Promotions should submit a close-out report of the event.”ANC chief whip Mzwandile Vaaiboom said: “Let us take the matter to legal scrutiny in terms of processes and let’s mandate the administration to implement the decision without coming back to this council if legally the gaps are closed and there is no problem.”
DA councillor Olwethu Ntame, however, demanded answers on why there were only four councillors who were part of the sports sponsorship committee meeting held on June 7.
“How many councillors constitute a quorum? I see that it was just four councillors. I want clarity on that,” Ntame said, adding that her party found it problematic that the project team consisted of Matiti family members.
“The project leader is Ayanda Matiti, project coordinator is Dibakazi Matiti, stakeholder liaison manager Sibongile Matiti,” Ntame said. “With all the boxing concerns in BCM, have we funded others too, or are we only going to give to this one?”
The DA requested a brief caucus meeting. However, instead of coming back they sent their caucus leader, Terence Fritz, to record their disagreement with the approval and then left the sitting, which depleted the already dwindling quorum as the EFF councillors were also not in attendance. Facing a collapsed quorum, council speaker Alfred Mtsi was forced to adjourn the council meeting.
The Eastern Cape Boxing Promotion Association has also expressed its unhappiness about the pending funding.
ECBPA chairman Thando Zonke said: “In BCM we were told that the process to submit proposals for all sports codes had not been opened yet, but now we hear that Matiti’s proposal will be tabled in a council meeting.
They can give people money but they must follow the right processes. We have 28 promoters. Does he have a special arrangement because he is a politician?” ECBPA is a breakaway faction from the Eastern Cape Promoters Association, which Matiti leads.
Matiti told the Dispatch he would not comment except to say his tournament was above board. “There’s nothing wrong that I’ve done,” he said, adding BCM had been involved in the tournament twice in the past.
The BCM council meeting is expected to reconvene on Thursday...