DA asks for probe after Musina Mayor buys R1.1 m luxury car
The DA in Limpopo has asked for a probe for wasteful expenditure after Mayor Muhlope purchased a brand new Mercedes Benz for R1.1 million.
LIMPOPO- The DA is set to probe wasteful expenditure at Musina Municipality after the Mayor Mihloti Muhlope purchased a brand new Mercedes Benz 4×4 ML 350 for a staggering R1.1 million notwithstanding a huge service delivery backlog within the municipality.
After having written to Limpopo Cooperative Governance MEC, Makoma Makhurupetje, the decision was taken by the previous Council and the DA challenged the decision during the Council sitting of the 25th January 2017.
“The ANC arrogantly used its majority and voted in favour of buying a luxury Mercedes for the Mayor, rather than committing money to service delivery,” said Elliot Magwira, a DA Councillor in Musina Local Municipality.
Magwira says Musina has a huge service delivery backlog and wasting more than a million rands on a luxury car for politicians is a disgrace and unacceptable. “The DA urges MEC Makhurupetje to stop the purchase and ensure that the car is not delivered to the Mayor but rather direct the money to service delivery.”
Magwira adds that the money could have been spent to finish the sports centre in Musina extension 6 in Harper, solve the sanitation crisis in the urban area where water is flowing on the ground whilst all roads that lead to town are damaged with potholes.
“Where the DA governs, we ensure that money meant for the people is spent on the people. This is the model of good governance which the ANC should learn from and emulate by spending money on job creation and service delivery rather than luxury cars for politicians,” said Magwira
The DA reiterates the call for a Mayoral handbook at local and provincial level to ensure that limited municipal resources are not spent on expensive luxury vehicles or lavished on unnecessary expenditure.
The DA strongly urges Limpopo MEC Makhurupetje to accelerate the investigation and take action against officials who authorised the purchase by holding them accountable for this fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
