It’s time for local government and parastatal officials to quit using tax payers’ money to build their own media profiles. Recent examples have been Dali Mpofu, the CEO of SABC, spending R 123 000 to be the cover story in Leadership magazine. We’ve this year had Limpopo Province – with its budgets in total disarray, spending fortunes on repeat full-colour ads showcasing its ‘new’ logos and visual identity for the province. This largesse while thousands live in penury within a stone’s throw of Premier Sello Moloto’s office.
Today’s Citizen newspaper features an A4 full colour ad with a Christmas greeting from Gauteng MEC for Social Development, Kgaogelo Lekgoro. Never heard of him personally, but he’s clearly determined that we all should know who he is. I checked on the cost of that ad in the Citizen and it’s R 33 000 just for placement. Go add the photography, production and material costs together and we’re probably looking at R 40 000 in total to boost his personal profile.
Who actually gives a tinker’s cuss whether he has Santa-like copy in the ad or not? That money could have gone quite a way to bringing festive joy to the residents of a kiddies AIDS hospice or fed many little mouths in an impoverished area. And I’m pretty certain the ad wasn’t confined to just the Citizen. Just who is in charge of these political minions using tax payer money in their quest for career development?
Lekgoro’s last line in the ad is the killer: ‘As we feast in joy in our household we call on you to be your neighbour’s keeper.’ Eish! To which one might add, ‘Sies!’
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