Mayor racks up 1000s of kilometres
2013-01-29 13:02
Bloemfontein - Municipal finance records show a Free State mayor travels
between 450km and 1 000km a day, it was reported on Tuesday.
The Volksblad newspaper reported that Xhariep district mayor Mongi Ntwanambi
cost taxpayers nearly R480 008 in petrol, maintenance, licensing, tracking, and
repairs for his Mercedes-Benz, and car hire between January and October last
year.
This was more than half the price of the vehicle in 2010.
According to the newspaper, at a conservative petrol price of R11.37 a litre
and fuel consumption of eight kilometres a litre, Ntwanambi would have to have
travelled on average 1007km a day to arrive at the R42 964 he claimed to have
spent on petrol in April alone.
He spent the least on fuel in July, at R4 637, when his vehicle was in for
repairs, which cost the municipality more than R60 000.
The newspaper reported that Ntwanambi provided his vehicle costs as part of
a motivation for the district council to buy him a new car.
The Democratic Alliance in the Free State said the figures were absurd and
asked the Auditor General to investigate.
The Volksblad reported the municipality refused to answer questions about
the matter.
- SAPA
