TSHWANE mayor Solly Msimanga is adamant that blue-light convoys for politicians and city officials, including himself, will be banned, despite the fact that he needs buy-in from the provincial government, which is still run by the ANC.
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Luxury vehicle manufacturers do not have a friend in the new mayor of South Africa’s capital city. “A Hyundai i20 or Toyota Corolla can do the same job for a politician as an expensive sedan”, he fired.
Msimanga is said to have uncovered the procurement of 10 new luxury BMW vehicles for politicians which had been paid for out of public money by the previous administration.
According to Gerstner, Msimanga will gradually make the necessary cuts to save money and deliver services in the metro.
The recently elected mayor of Tshwane, the South African metropolitan area that includes the capital, Pretoria, has rejected a fleet of luxury vehicles bought by his predecessors of the governing African National Congress (ANC) for politicians and senior officials.
In the city’s response to TMG Digital‚ Msimanga said the new Democratic Alliance-led coalition government wanted to embark on cost-cutting measures to save the council from expenses that only benefit politicians.
He has therefore made a decision to redirect these 10 new vehicles, as soon as they are delivered, to the Tshwane Metro Police Department, where they will serve in a newly-formed Anti-hijack Unit. They will serve in a newly-formed anti-hijack unit. “This puts the needs of people first, and not the needs of politicians first”.
On Tuesday, Msimanga also announced that Tshwane city officials would no longer be allowed to purchase or lease luxury cars. He, however, said there was very little to show for that expenditure and described the project as a shame.
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Msimanga said when relevant authorities had been informed and due processes taken place, the reports would see “some changing their suits into the orange uniform very soon”.
