The Democratic Alliance says that the eMalahleni Municipality has reversed the purchase of a R1.5 million luxury vehicle for its new mayor, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali.<\/p>\n
The DA said that the money for this luxury vehicle was to be sourced from service delivery budgets.<\/p>\n
“This is not only a victory for the people of eMalahleni but also for accountability and the principle that the people come first, not political elites,” the political party said.<\/p>\n
The mayor of the DA-led City of Tshwane, Solly Msimanga, recently put a stop to the purchase and lease of luxury vehicles for politicians.<\/p>\n
No new luxury cars will be bought or leased for politicians in Tshwane, the DA mayor said in a statement.<\/p>\n
If vehicles currently owned by Tshwane require replacement, sensible and low-cost vehicles will be procured.<\/p>\n
\u201cA Hyundai i20 or Toyota Corolla can do the same job for a politician as an expensive sedan,\u201d Msimanga said.<\/p>\n
Read: Why public officials should drive luxury cars: ANC Youth League<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The Tshwane ANC Youth\u00a0League however, accused Msimanga of political grandstanding\u00a0over his\u00a0cancelling of the City\u2019s partnership with BMW to ensure officials drove cheaper cars.<\/p>\n ANCYL\u00a0regional chairperson Lesego Makhubela said the DA-led municipality was trying to reverse the gains the ANC had made in improving the lives of black children.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are further convinced that the cutting of the so-called \u2018luxury cars\u2019 is political grandstanding at its best and it is speedily ricocheting to expose how politically bankrupt the racist Democratic Alliance is,\u201d he told reporters in Pretoria.<\/p>\n Makhubela said BMW\u2019s Rosslyn plant, near the Soshanguve and Garankuwa townships, at one stage in 2011 had employed\u00a0more than\u00a03,700 people, and\u00a0manufactured\u00a0more than\u00a053,000 BMW 3 Series cars.<\/p>\n ANC mayor orders R1.5 million Lexus luxury vehicle<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Tshwane politicians to switch Mercs and BMWs for Hyundais and Toyotas<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\nMore on politics in SA<\/h3>\n