Free State mayor’s travel questioned

A motorist holds a fuel pump at a Gulf petrol station in London in this April 18, 2006 file photo. Oil dropped nearly 2 percent on March 20, 2012 as Saudi Arabia sought to knock back crude's price rise that has threatened the global economy, with the oil minister offering the most detailed argument to date that the OPEC nation was prepared to meet any supply shortfall. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/Files (BRITAIN - Tags: BUSINESS ENERGY COMMODITIES)

A motorist holds a fuel pump at a Gulf petrol station in London in this April 18, 2006 file photo. Oil dropped nearly 2 percent on March 20, 2012 as Saudi Arabia sought to knock back crude's price rise that has threatened the global economy, with the oil minister offering the most detailed argument to date that the OPEC nation was prepared to meet any supply shortfall. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/Files (BRITAIN - Tags: BUSINESS ENERGY COMMODITIES)

Published Jan 29, 2013

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Free State - Municipal finance records show a Free State mayor travels between 450km and 1000km a day, it was reported on Tuesday.

The Volksblad newspaper reported that Xhariep district mayor Mongi Ntwanambi cost taxpayers nearly R480 008 in petrol, maintenance, licensing, tracking, and repairs for his Mercedes-Benz, and car hire between January and October last year.

This was more than half the price of the vehicle in 2010.

According to the newspaper, at a conservative petrol price of R11.37 a litre and fuel consumption of eight kilometres a litre, Ntwanambi would have to have travelled on average 1007km a day to arrive at the R42 964 he claimed to have spent on petrol in April alone.

He spent the least on fuel in July, at R4 637, when his vehicle was in for repairs, which cost the municipality more than R60 000.

The newspaper reported that Ntwanambi provided his vehicle costs as part of a motivation for the district council to buy him a new car.

The Democratic Alliance in the Free State said the figures were absurd and asked the Auditor General to investigate.

The Volksblad reported the municipality refused to answer questions about the matter. - Sapa

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