The Msundizi municipality in KwaZulu-Natal wants to buy vehicles of over R1m each for their mayor and speaker, far over the R700 000 prescribed limit for official office bearers, saying that Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city in the province and the mayor must represent it accordingly.

During a special executive committee yesterday, city manager Lulamile Mapholoba said the state of official vehicles is compromising the safety of mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla and council speaker Eunice Majola.

Mapholoba detailed how their vehicles were becoming a liability to the city with regards to their servicing, saying their upkeep could rise to R55 000 per month.

“The mayor and speaker’s vehicles have reached their service period and have to be replaced. The vehicles have clocked 175 000 and 155 000 km respectively. To service them would cost the city an arm and a leg. We are proposing a cap of R1,1 million, including a service plan, on each vehicle.”

According to the cost containment regulation, the threshold limit for vehicles purchased for official use by political office bearers must not exceed R700 000 or 70% of the total annual remuneration package for the different grades of municipalities. Schedule 6.5 (of the municipal cost containment regulation) requires that a mayor’s vehicle that has exceeded 120 000 km be replaced, but at the R700 000 cap.

DA objects to proposal

DA councillor Bongumusa Nhlabathi objected to the item on the grounds that it was tabled and presented verbally to councillors.

“The threshold for the cars as prescribed by the regulations is R700 000 but the ANC pushed it by R400 000, amounting to R1,1m. The DA objects to this misuse of ratepayers’ money.

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“The mayor and the speaker want to drive expensive and fancy cars while the people of the city that they’re leading are not getting value for their money from the municipality. It would be difficult to engage in the invisible report.”

“The circular on office-bearers vehicles should have been amended by the National Treasury. The roads are deteriorating, and robots are not working. Most streetlights are not working, water and electricity outages are still a challenge,” said Nhlabathi.

He proposed the item be stood down until they all have a copy of the report and on failure by the majority to comply, he registered the objection of his party on the item.

Deputy Mayor says mayor carries city’s aspirations

Deputy mayor Mxolisi Mkhize strongly defended the item.

“It is high time that we change the vehicles of the mayor and the speaker. We must never forget that we are the second biggest city in the province and the first [capital] city of the province.

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“Whenever the mayor goes out, it must be remembered that he carries the aspirations of the city and its citizens.

“For the past few months, the mayor has been using his personal vehicle without complaining because he understands the value of the people and his job.”

He said at one stage that the mayor’s car had stalled in the CBD and he [deputy mayor] had to drive out ‘to give the mayor’s car a boost’.