MBOMBELA – The executive mayor intends to rent a new vehicle for the remainder of his term in office.
Council approved the new official vehicle for Cllr Sibusiso Mathonsi, who was recently elected as executive mayor after Ms Cathy Dlamini joined the National Council of Provinces.
Dlamini had used a Mercedes-Benz ML 305 as her official vehicle and while it may be replaced after 24 months or clocking up 120 000km, it is unclear which of these had occurred for Mathonsi to need new wheels. An amount of R408 049, which is still outstanding on the vehicle, is to be settled by the municipality.
According to reports submitted to the Mbombela municipality city council in the agenda for a special council meeting last Friday, Mathonsi intends to rent a BMW X5 at a cost of R27 718 per month for the next 18 months, a car that would cost R775 403 to buy, according to annexes attached to the reports.
Interestingly, it will cost the taxpayer only R498 924 on the renting option.
Council voted in favour of the vehicle which will be rented from Kunene Brothers in Sandton for a period of 18 months – until the next local elections scheduled for 2016.
Mr Werner le Grange, chief whip of the opposition in municipality, said the DA opposed the lease mainly due to the outstanding amount on the previous car, an amount which is to be funded from the municipality’s capital budget.
“The DA believes that Mathonsi must use the Mercedes ML350 at least until the end of his term in 18 months, before considering a new vehicle. Should the mayor’s vehicle be considered unsafe, a more affordable and economic one must be considered.”
He said Mbombela needed to implement austerity measures and cut unnecessary and wasteful expenditure.
At the time of going to press, Mr Joseph Ngala, spokesman for the municipality, had not specified what was wrong with the mayoral Merc or what would become of it.
