Ekurhuleni Mayor Mzwandile Masina Crashed in A Blue Light Car He had No Authority to Drive
- Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina was involved in a car accident over a year and there seem to be more questions than answers regarding the incident
- The truck driver wrote in his witness statement that the mayor appeared intoxicated however the police did not investigate the allegations
- Masina's office explained the mayor was driving during curfew because he had to attend a medical emergency of a relative who eventually died on the day of the accident
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly News on your News Feed!
EKURHULENI - News reports have revealed that Mzwandile Masina, City of Ekurhleni Mayor was involved in a minor car crash on 20 August 2020 that was reportedly swept underneath the rug.
It has been alleged that he was driving a BMW 540i, a car that was owned by the city. Reports say that Masina was not granted permission to drive the vehicle and he was driving the car after curfew.
Source: Getty Images
The vehicle in question was assigned to the mayor's office and can only be driven by people who have acquired a permit to drive it. Masina did not have a permit and when questioned about why he drove the car without proper authorisation he said he was not aware he needed special permission.
Masina then promised the EMPD's Kelobogile Thepa that he would not drive the vehicle again.
PAY ATTENTION: Never miss breaking news – join Briefly News' Telegram channel!
According to News24, the accident was minor and no one was injured. The vehicle he crashed in was a goods truck and the BMW was scrapped on the side and had a broken mirror.
Masina was allegedly taken away from the scene of the accident before the police were done investigating and before giving a witness statement to the police.
The truck driver stated that he noticed the BMW in his rear-view mirror and it appeared to be driving at a high speed and moving across lanes on the N12 West highway near Alberton.
After Masina crashed into the truck, the driver of the truck said he slowed down because the vehicle he was driving could not be halted immediately. The driver said Masina blamed him for the accident and seemed intoxicated.
The police did not follow up on the allegations that Masina was intoxicated.
According to the Daily Maverick, Masina's office explained why he was out during curfew and why he was driving a car he was not authorised to drive.
Phakamile Mbengashe, Masina's spokesperson stated that Masina had to attend to a medical emergency of a relative in Kathlehong on the day of the accident.
Masina had just returned from Voslorus on an oversight visit when he received the call. According to Mbengahse, the relative eventually died on the day of the accident and there is a death certificate that proves this.
Mbengashe added that the mayor drove the blue light vehicle himself because his protection unit was off-duty when the emergency arose.
Democratic Alliance mayoral candidate said to have been out after curfew when fatal car crash happened
Briefly News previously reported that Democratic Alliance's Mandela Bay mayoral candidate Nqaba Bhanga was involved in a fatal car crash that claimed the lives of two people on Saturday night.
Bhanga is the current mayor of Port Elizabeth and was nominated again to run for the mayoral position in the next local government elections.
According to IOL, the crash happened after curfew, which has raised a few questions about what Nqaba was doing on the road at that time. Nqaba collided with an Audi sedan while driving his Mercedes-Benz at 11:30pm.
The two occupants of the Audi sedan are said to have died on the scene. According to a report by SABC News, Nqaba sustained significant injuries that required surgery and is currently in intensive care.
A case of culpable homicide has been opened against Nqaba and the South African Police Services in Eastern Cape is attempting to locate the families of the deceased, says police spokesperson Sandra van Rensburg.
Source: Briefly News
