DA moans that Mkhambathini’s new mayor doesn’t want a used Merc

The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Tuesday took issue with the unwillingness of the African National Congress-led new mayor‚ Eric Ngcongo‚ "to use his predecessor’s vehicle‚ a 2011 Mercedes".

The party’s councillor Michael Wensley said that a new car for Ngcongo is "set to cost the public over R700 000".

Wensley said the "the matter was placed at the top of the agenda – ahead of pressing issues relating to service delivery‚ corruption and job creation" at a council meeting last week.

"This blatant disregard for the people‚ in a poor municipality grappling with high unemployment and deteriorating service delivery‚ deserves to be condemned in the strongest terms possible‚" he said of the KwaZulu-Natal council.

Wensley cited the example of the DA’s recently elected mayor of Tshwane‚ Solly Msimanga‚ who "banned the purchase and lease of luxury vehicles".

"The DA will not stand for this. We will do everything we can‚ using council mechanisms‚ to stop the purchase of this latest luxury car. That money should rather be spent on services for the poor‚ not improving the lives of the politically connected elite."