Rustenburg – The North West provincial government has decided to buy a new official car for the premier Supra Mahumapelo, his office said on Tuesday.
"Premier Mahumapelo has been using two vehicles which he inherited from his two predecessors, premiers Maureen Modiselle and Thandi Modise, which had not only clocked over 250 000 and 190 000 kilometers respectively, but had stuck on a number of occasions due to mechanical problems," said spokesperson Brian Setswambung in a statement.
He said while the ministerial handbook allows the premier to change his car once it has gone over 120 000km, Mahumapelo had always maintained his view that the people of the province need to play a role and guide him on when they believe it is the right time for the provincial government to procure a new official car for the premier.
"This despite the SAPS [SA Police Service] VIP Protection Unit warning premier Mahumapelo that using old cars that are way beyond the prescribed 120 000km and tend to be unreliable can put both his life and those of his protectors at risk."
He said although the ministerial handbook allows for provincial governments to purchase a vehicle valued at R1.4 million, Mahumapelo had encouraged Members of Executive Council to exercise cost saving measures when procuring official government vehicles agreed to the purchasing of a vehicle with a total cost of R1.1 million, saving R300 000 of public funds.