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Embattled Nelson Mandela Bay communications director, Roland Williams, says he had done nothing wrong when his office commissioned a number of outdoor advertising mediums for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Williams, who could be suspended ahead of a possible probe into irregularities related to the gantry tender, issued a statement overnight in response to a report that his head was now on the line.
A leaked internal letter published in The Herald said he had been summoned to a meeting on Wednesday where he will be asked to give reasons why he should not be suspended while the probe is underway.
In his reply Wiliams, acknowledged that the erection of the gantries contravened by-laws but he said they were taken down after the tournament and that it had not cost the Metro anything.
Read the full statement here:
The leaking of an internal letter to The Herald and the consequent front page story prompts me to provide a factual and objective perspective on this matter:
1. During the time of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Communications Office commissioned a number of outdoor advertising mediums, following tremendous (justifiable) pressure from our Council that not enough was being done to properly promote and advertise the World Cup in the city.
2. Following a near-perfect supply chain management process, various mediums of outdoor advertising went up, including bus shelters, wall-mountings, posters (such as in Cape Road), billboards and gantries.
3. Yes, some of these mediums contravened the by-law at the time, including many of the posters, the billboards (which are still up) and the gantries.
4. Post-World Cup, the gantries were taken down.
5. The gantries cost the Council nothing - infact, Council earned a significant amount of money from this: over a three-month period Council received R240 000-00 in cash from gantries advertising, in addition to receiving R200 000-00 worth of (free) advertising for the FIFA World Cup.
All of this was done for the purposes and benefits (sic) of advertising the 2010 FIFA World Cup and I fully maintain that, under the circumstances, absolutely nothing wrong was done. The World Cup was, by far, the largest ever event that our country has had the privilege and opportunity to host - advertising it in splendour was the very least we could do.
For whatever reason, some are seeking to take punitive action a full two years after the fact. However, with all due respect, any reasonable noggin would know, understand and acknowledge that anyone who was able to vigorously promote and advertise the World Cup, whilst at the very same time earn money for Council, should actually be congratulated rather than punished.
