Mogalakwena Spends R207,000 on Mayor’s Car Rental, Despite Being Under Administration

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO ) of Mogalakwena Municipality, Charles Malema to immediately stop what it calls “the wasteful expenditure” of renting a Mercedes Benz C-Class for Mayor Andrina Matsimela, which the DA claims has already cost taxpayers more than R207 400… despite the municipality being under administration.

“The DA can confirm that an amount of R98 389.82 was paid on the 21 October 2019 and a further R109 010.50 was paid on the 28 November 2019 to Avis car Rental,” said Korny Dekker, DA Councillor in Mogalakwena Municipality, in a media statement on Wednesday (which included the proof of payment).

“This luxurious vehicle was hired since July 2019 as an official mayoral vehicle after the mayor’s previous Mercedes was written off as a result of a car accident.

“The municipality is currently under administration in terms of Section 139 of the Constitution and therefore cannot afford to waste more money instead of focusing on the basic services,” said Dekker.

“This luxury rental is taking place regardless of new austerity measures being put in place with the cost of official vehicles being capped at R700 000, inclusive of VAT, maintenance plans and security extras.”

This means more than a quarter of the total allowed amount has therefore already been spent in less than 6 months.

The DA says it believes this rental plan is “just another way to loot the municipal coffers whilst the residents of Mogalakwena continue to suffer a lack of service delivery in their villages”.

Dekker recommends that Mayor Matsimela utilise another available municipal vehicle until the matter is debated in Council to buy a new car; and urges the CFO to “stop this unnecessary expenditure with immediate effect and ensures that the car is returned back to AVIS car rental.”