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On Wednesday morning Maripe Mangena, mayor of Tzaneen, watched helplessly while his brand-new Mercedes GLE 350 was loaded onto a truck.
A video taken by the Bulletin News in Tzaneen shows the mayor being told his vehicle was going to be taken away. It also shows the shiny mayoral vehicle, worth about R1,2 million, being loaded onto a small truck.
“The vehicle is about a month old,” says Jacques Smalle, provincial leader of the DA in Limpopo and a member of the provincial legislature.
PHOTO: Joe Dreyer
Jacques says the sheriff struck at the municipality after a court had found that the municipality owed money to a service provider that built roards. “The bill for the roads and infrastructure came to about R20 million,” Jacques says.
He says that earlier this month the sheriff came to the municipal offices to claim the money but left with empty hands. “We (the DA) requested that the sheriff honour the court’s decision and execute his duties,” Jacques says.
According to Jacques, Maripe got his car back later on Wednesday afternoon after the municipality allegedly paid the outstanding money. The DA is going to request a forensic investigation of expenditure within the municipality.
YOU has reached out to the municipality for comment.
