Speaker’s plans for flashy R1.8m SUV derailed

Opposition partis in a rural Limpopo municipality have halted an attempt by council to spend a whopping R1.8-million to lease a car for the use of the council speaker.

- By Nakampe Lekwadu

The matter came to light when the Bolsheviks Party in the Ephraim Mogale Municipality, in the Sekhukhune district, expressed concern over the R45000 leasing of a sleek BMW X5 SUV for council speaker Ruth Maloka.

The deal was pushed to go through via a different car dealership, while the municipality still has an existing contract with another company.

The decision for the approval was allegedly taken during an online meeting in which some opposition councillors who questioned the lease agreement were muted and prevented from participating further.

Bolsheviks’ secretary-general Seun Mogotsi said as much as they agreed with the council’s decision to replace Maloka’s car, which was recently involved in a crash, they are questioning why the council decided on leasing the new car from a different company.