MK wants Govan Mbeki mayor suspended pending accident probe
The EFF in the GMM also wrote to the mayor after his accident with the council vehicle on the road from Bethal to his home in Charl Cilliers.
Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK) Party members picketed inside the Govan Mbeki Municipality’s (GMM) council chambers on December 4 while the council meeting was in session.
They demanded the suspension of Mayor Nhlakanipho Zuma pending an investigation into an accident with his municipal vehicle last month.
The party accuses Zuma of breaking the law by driving and crashing the vehicle given to him as a tool of trade and paid for with taxpayers’ money.
The MK members wanted to know where the council-provided bodyguard and driver were when the accident happened.
Magic Ndzukula, who led the picket, asked where the mayor was going with the council vehicle without the appointed driver.
“It was Sunday night. The car was allegedly removed from the accident scene and taken to the mayor’s friend’s farm. We demand the tracking device records on the vehicle’s movement that day and a full explanation of where he was going.
“Employees are dismissed for losing number plates on municipal vehicles. The mayor’s issue is worse because he took his tool of trade and allegedly used it for personal trips. Then, he did not report the incident to the municipal fleet management unit after the accident. Why?
“We want the council to suspend him and appoint an independent body to investigate this matter because he can’t preside over his case,” said Nzukula.
The MK members said they wrote to council Speaker Fikile Magagamela on the matter but still await his response. The EFF in the GMM also wrote to the mayor after his accident with the council vehicle on the road from Bethal to his home in Charl Cilliers.
The EFF said it was concerning that Zuma drove the council car himself on the day of the accident. The party also wanted to know where the accident happened because no other vehicle was involved and what caused the accident.
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The EFF demanded the accident report, pictures of the car at the accident scene, the tracking device report and full details of the meeting, a signed attendants’ register and the name of the venue where Zuma attended a meeting on the day of the accident.
They also wanted to know why his bodyguards, paid by the council, did not drive him. The Ridge Times asked the mayor about the EFF’s allegations.
He confirmed the accident on that day and said sharp objects punctured two tyres on the vehicle outside Bethal, causing him to lose control and the car to veer into a farm fence.
The mayor said there was a scratch on the vehicle and that he drove on a gravel road just graded. He wanted to know why this incident had become an issue because accidents happen to anyone.
“I am allowed to drive the council vehicle. The accident was reported. The police arrived on the scene, the accident report was done, and the insurance company also arrived,” said Zuma.
