At a time when so many Nelson Mandela Bay residents, and South Africans at large, lost their jobs, shut their businesses and joined the unemployment queue, the municipality felt it prudent (yes, that was sarcasm) to spend R204,600 hiring a car for four months.
The car was rented for former council speaker Buyelwa Mafaya between July and October 2020 as her official vehicle had been taken in for repairs.
The news has angered many residents, who say the money could have been better spent on service delivery.
And they should be upset.
One reader commented on Facebook: “They could have repaired that bloody faulty Motherwell pump station that keeps tripping and cutting our water supply. Wake up council and stop handing out the freebies”.
Another commented: “The middle-class needs to rise up and start getting the deadwood out of our civil service.”
Others questioned why she could not use her own vehicle when not busy with official duties.
This decision to pay R2,223 a day for a car flies in the face of operational efficiency — as is required by the National Treasury — as well as what is meant to be rigorous cost containment to ensure every rand is spent properly.
To put the expenditure into context, the money could have been used to buy a brand new Suzuki S-Presso for R145,900, or even a Mahindra KUV100 NXT K2+ for R151,999 — with some change to spare.
The spending can be best described as immoral, especially if one takes into account that the money could have been used to improve on service delivery — an area in which the municipality is found wanting.
Municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki failed to respond to detailed questions, but someone needs to answer for this.
Those officials who approved this should hang their heads in shame!
HeraldLIVE