PETITION: Service delivery vs new car
Residents who too want to sign the petition can do so on Saturday, September 17 at Tasbetpark Spar from 10:00 to 13:00.
Outraged, that is the word to describe the mood of residents after it came to light that the mayor is shopping around for a new car.
On social media comments a common thread could be traced, everyone is up in arms about this latest development.
The Executive Mayor, Cllr Lindiwe Ntshalintshali defended her new set of wheels and relies on the South Africa Local Government Association (SALGA) that is of the view that Cllr Ntshalintshali could be entitled to a new vehicle when her current vehicle, a Lexus, reaches 150 000km.
“It cannot be morally correct to a buy a vehicle costing R1.5 million when service delivery in eMalahleni is practically non-existent”, said Cllr Naritha Naidu, DA Caucus Leader in the eMalahleni Local Council.
Over the past weekend the DA launched a petition throughout eMalahleni calling on the mayor, to show solidarity with the people of eMalahleni in their struggle for better service delivery, by not buying a new vehicle with money saved from service delivery projects.
“According to Municipal Manager Mr Theo van Vuuren, the new R1.5million vehicle will be financed from the rollover budget of numerous service delivery projects. This is extremely concerning because how does this municipality ‘save’ money from service delivery projects when our people don’t even have a dependable electricity supply?” Cllr Naidu asked.
She took the frustrations of residents in the city and combined it in two sentences,
“We have to deal with power cuts on a regular basis and this is almost always followed by lengthy periods without water. The road network in eMalahleni is so bad that we are known as the pothole capital of the province.”
Cllr Naidu called on the mayor to make a decision that will benefit not only her but also the community she vowed to serve,
“Mayor Ntshalintshali, if indeed you do need a new vehicle, there are dozens of strong and reliable vehicles on the market right now that cost a fraction of the R1.5 million that you intend to spend. Service delivery should be your priority, not luxury.”
Residents who too want to sign the petition can do so on Saturday, September 17 at Tasbetpark Spar from 10:00 to 13:00.
Earlier this week WITBANK NEWS got wind that Cllr Ntshalintshali is planning her inauguration party on Friday, September 16. It seems that the WITBANK NEWS’s invitation got lost in the post.
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