The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Merafong City Local Municipality will be writing to the Municipal Manager, Mr Dumisani Mabuza, requesting an investigation into the possible misuse of municipal vehicles by the Executive Mayor of Merafong, Cllr Nozuko Best.
On the 8th of January, the Executive Mayor was allegedly returning from an ANC event with a municipal vehicle where she got involved in a car accident.
If proven true that she was driving with a municipal vehicle to and from a political event, this stands in contravention of the municipality’s fleet policy, the Code of Conduct for Councillors as well as the Municipal Finance Management Act for irregular use of municipal vehicles.
The use of a municipal vehicle for a political rally, which includes the cost of fuel, wear and tear, and driver time, is by definition not for an official municipal purpose specified in the budget. This automatically classifies the expense as unauthorised.
We are calling for the Municipal Manager to explain if the vehicle in question was authorised to be there at the time of the political event on 8 January, and if so, who authorised it and for what reason.
We also want to know if any cases have been opened and who will be held accountable for any misuse and destruction of municipal assets.
The DA will ensure that municipal property is protected and used for its designated use as there cannot be exploitation of municipal assets at the expense of ratepayers.
The mishandling of public resources is not a light matter as a minor misdemeanor grows into higher costs for residents, reduced access to essential services and spaces, limited resources and increased inequality as weak governance will continually concede to more grievous violations if tolerated.
If not tackled now this issue will continue to invoke anger and frustration in residents at the sheer unfairness of it all, as their distrust towards the government intensifies.
The DA will continue to fight for transparent use of municipal property.