Purchase of R1.5m vehicle for mayor halted

The eMalahleni municipality in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga has cancelled the purchase of a R1.5 million Lexus vehicle for its new mayor Lindiwe Ntshalintshali.

The eMalahleni municipality in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga has cancelled the purchase of a R1.5 million Lexus vehicle for its new mayor Lindiwe Ntshalintshali.

Published Sep 14, 2016

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Johannesburg – The eMalahleni municipality in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga has cancelled the purchase of a R1.5 million Lexus vehicle for its new mayor Lindiwe Ntshalintshali.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Wednesday that it drew attention to the wasteful expenditure on the vehicle and urged Ntshalintshali to stop the purchase.

The money used to buy the vehicle came from service delivery budget rolled over into the new financial year.

“The money for this luxury vehicle was to be sourced from service delivery budgets. This is not only a victory for the people of eMalahleni but also for accountability and the principle that the people come first, not political elites,” said DA council caucus leader Naritha Naidu.

Last week, Gauteng’s Tswane mayor Solly Msimanga rejected 10 BMW vehicles purchased by his predecessors for use by the metro’s top officials.

Msimanga ordered that the vehicles be used by the Tshwane metro police for its newly established anti-hijacking unit.

The new mayor said no city official would acquire a luxury vehicle. He said a cheaper Toyota Corolla or Hyundai would do the same job as an expensive BMW.

Naidu said the party would not rest until eMalahleni municipal manager Theo van Vuuren, whom it accused of corruption, was suspended from his duties. Naidu said Van Vuuren faced corruption charges laid against him.

Van Vuuren was not immediately available for comment.

African News Agency

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