Durban - A major row over the alleged misuse of eThekwini metro police resources has erupted after a blue-light convoy escorting mayor James Nxumalo was involved in an accident in Esikhawini, near Richards Bay, on Wednesday.
A seething DA provincial chairman and eThekwini caucus leader, Zwakele Mcwango, has written to city manager S’bu Sithole demanding to know who authorised the officers to drive outside the metro area.
Mncwango also took to Facebook saying: “The mayor (has) full-time VIP protection and I don’t think traffic was an issue all the way to Empangeni, which would have demanded the use of a metro police blue light convoy.”
According to police sources, a metro VW Polo Vivo was damaged on its right side when it was struck by a red Ford bakkie. The bakkie driver reportedly was approaching the mayor’s escort when he lost control after hitting a speed bump.
The mayor was not in the metro police vehicle that was involved in the accident.
The metro police vehicle is understood to have been escorting Nxumalo to the memorial service of the ANC’s Musa Dladla region chairman and uThungulu deputy mayor, Thulani Mashaba. Mashaba died in a car accident near Ballito on Thursday last week. The memorial service was held at the Esikhawini FET College on Wednesday.
Nxumalo could not be reached for comment on the incident.
“Metro police vehicles are prohibited from escorting council officials due to the ANC’s ongoing faction fighting in the city. The mayor is granted an escort through an application which motivates that the metro police will assist in traffic congestion at his destination. SAPS can be roped in if extra protection is needed. But even then, it must be within the eThekwini boundary, not beyond that. This incident was just an abuse of council resources and a waste of ratepayers’ monies,” Mncwango told The Mercury’s sister newspaper Isolezwe.
Earlier this year Nxumalo, Sithole and metro police head Superintendent Eugene Nzama stopped the escorting of councillors after the SACP and a disgruntled ANC faction alleged that officers had assaulted rivals during ANC meetings.
Metro police spokesman Eugene Msomi said on Thursday that the unit was aware of the incident.
The officers in the car escaped with minor injuries and were able to report for duty.
“The officers were authorised to escort and were part of the mayor’s security detail. Even though it is rare for officers to escort beyond the council boundaries, as happened during the 2010 Soccer World Cup, exceptions are made for major events for security reasons.”
The Mercury