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Dear Helen Zille: Please stop Knysna Municipality's salary increases & demand financial transparency

Dear Helen Zille: Please stop Knysna Municipality's salary increases & demand financial transparency

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This petition has been created by Mike H. and may not represent the views of the Avaaz community.
Mike H.
started this petition to
Helen Zille (leader of the Democratic Alliance)
THIS IS ABOUT PEOPLE FIRST, NOT POLITICS. THIS IS ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE RATEPAYER. THIS IS ABOUT SAVING KNYSNA AND HELEN ZILLE IS IN THE BEST POSITION TO GET TO THE TRUTH.

Knysna, in South Africa, is essentially bankrupt, having to borrow money to survive. The town has only 68 000 people yet as many as 5 staff members earn R1million or more salary packages annually. 2 are earning approximately R1.4million. There has been a massive R54million increase in employee costs the past 4 years (this despite R30million in debt being written off).

The DA won power by promising austerity, transparency and an open-door policy (regularly repeated in the media) but did the opposite, denying public participation and failing to reveal salaries on public request.

Austerity was not the ANC and the DA agreeing on the last salary increase yet allowing the Municipality to distribute flyers telling citizens how to fix potholes because the government had run out of money. Austerity was not the DA upgrading their offices. Austerity was not the Municipality sending staff to France and Jamaica yet adding a monthly "rental" to pre-paid electricity meters. Austerity was not giving the previous Municipal Manager a major 'bonus' to leave. Austerity was not giving Knysna Tourism over R4million per year and then telling the Public Protector that they can't provide information about it because Knysna Tourism is a Section 21 company (even though they set it up and the Municipal Manager and members of the DA and ANC are on the Board of Directors).

The salary budget has increased 50% the past 3 years which means that Knysna Municipality borrows money, selling our future, so that they can keep paying themselves more. A citizen put it differently which was to say that almost all ratepayers monies now go to paying local government salaries.

New national increases, if passed locally, will increase those million plus salaries to 6 people.

We demand that:

1. the DA address the Knysna Municipality and stop increases and bonuses for Directors.
2. the ANC, COPE and DA not only vote against increasing their own salaries but take a 10% pay cut on the current amount in support of the struggling town they are suppose to be representing.
3. the monies saved be put into a kitty whose distribution will be decided with public participation e.g. fix our roads.
4. the Knysna Municipality commit itself to immediate transparency and meet with concerned citizens from ratepayers' and residents associations.
5. Helen Zille, leader of the Democratic Alliance, launch an investigation into locally failed election promises and illegal tender awards (such as the ISDF which will decide the future of our town).

This may be happening in your town too. Show Knysna support and you will also be sending a message to South Africa that politicians and municipal staff work for us, the ratepayer.

Help Save Knysna! Please sign this petition.
Posted (Updated )