The Buffalo City Metro has roped in a law firm in a bid to convince the Eastern Cape High Court (East London) not to make permanent an interim order interdicting the city and the National Treasury from allocating R50m to its 50 wards.

A Daily Dispatch report says the Treasury was cited as a respondent in the matter because the ward allocation money comes from Pretoria.

City manager Andile Sihlahla approved the appointment of Smith Tabata Attorneys after the metro’s legal services department recommended that the municipality deviates from normal supply chain management processes and appoints the firm.

Despite the decision to hire the private firm, Sihlahla wrote in a report, submitted to councillors yesterday, that there were no financial implications for the city.

The matter came before the High Court in December and the BCM and the treasury were given until Friday to motivate why the order should not be made a permanent order of the court.

Motivating for the deviation to appoint the law firm, BCM legal service head Mlamli Zenile said the metro had not been served with the interim order and became aware of it only after the story was published in the Daily Dispatch on 28 December.

In her December ruling, Judge Bulelwa Pakati said the lack of a paper trail on how councillors had spent the funds needed to be addressed.

Full Daily Dispatch report (subscription needed)